New Jersey State Board of Education Acts on Numerous Items at March Meeting

At its March meeting, the New Jersey State Board of Education heard updates and took action on the following items:

• Resolution in Recognition of Gifted and Talented Students Month: The State Board recognized March as Gifted and Talented Students Month. In its recognition, the board noted that the Department of Education has established the Strengthening Gifted and Talented Education Advisory Committee, consisting of five subcommittees to address Law Implementation, Identification, Programming, the Intersectionality of Cognitive and Affective Needs, and Professional Development to best identify and serve the needs of gifted students.  The board also honored the parents, teachers, and school leaders who are working to ensure that students have the resources and opportunities they need to succeed.
• Resolution in Recognition of Social and Emotional Learning Week in New Jersey:  The State Board recognized March 3-7 as SEL week in New Jersey.  The board noted that SEL skills, such as self-regulation, positive relationships and problem-solving, is an essential component to cultivating trauma-informed learning environments, which can help mitigate the impact of trauma as well as promote protective factors for students to support them in their academic success. The resolution also stated that SEL can be incorporated districtwide within schools at every level of support, as well as seamlessly embedded into different subject matters throughout everyday instruction
• Limited Certificate of Eligibility/Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standing Report: The State Board heard an update on the implementation of  P.L. 2021, c. 224. In September 2021, Gov. Phil Murphy signed the legislation directing the New Jersey Department of Education to establish a five-year pilot program for individuals to obtain a limited certificate of eligibility and limited certificate of eligibility with advanced standing, provided they meet the criteria established in the law. These limited certificates may only be utilized in certain school districts approved by the commissioner to hire teachers holding a limited certificate. The law also requires the school districts participating in the pilot program to submit data to the department and the commissioner to annually report the data to the State Board of Education. The data reveals that 1,073 educators were issued 1,277 limited CEs and 47 educators were issued 63 limited CEAS. The five most issued endorsement areas for a limited certificate are:  Elementary school grades kindergarten through six, preschool through grade three, students with disabilities, English as a second language and Spanish. Thirty-five percent of limited certificate holders have a certificate in a teacher shortage area and are working in that area. Approximately half of the teachers holding the limited CE or CEAS were working in the endorsement area of the limited certificate in an approved district.

Donated  Funds: The State Board passed a resolution accepting funds to support the Marie H. Katzenbach School for the Deaf. The $25,000 donation will be used to support student activities such as field trips, yearbooks and student clubs.

Religious Holidays: The State Board discussed the religious holidays calendar. Annually, the Department of Education is required to prepare a list of religious holidays on which it shall be mandatory to excuse a student. The list, however, is to be a minimum list. Boards of education, at their discretion, may add other days to the list for the schools of their districts.

Evaluation of the Performance of School Districts: The State Board readopted with amendments the New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum, which establishes a comprehensive single accountability system for monitoring and evaluating school districts. Pursuant to NJQSAC, school districts are evaluated in five key component areas of school district effectiveness — instruction and program, fiscal management, governance, personnel and operations — to determine the extent to which a thorough and efficient education is being provided to students within the school district. The standards and criteria used to evaluate school districts assess both student achievement and progress toward proficiency, as measured by state assessments, school district capacity to operate without state intervention and the need for state support and assistance. Once a school district is identified pursuant to NJQSAC as requiring assistance in one or more of the five key components of school district effectiveness,  the NJDOE and the school district work collaboratively to improve school district performance in the identified targeted area(s). The measures used to achieve this goal include NJDOE evaluations of the school district, collaborative development of a district improvement plan, close monitoring of the plan’s implementation and the provision of technical assistance, as appropriate. 

Standards and Assessment: The State Board continued its discussion on proposed rules concerning standards and assessment. The NJDOE proposes amendments to streamline and clarify rules, procedures, and operations, and update terminology and rules to align to provisions throughout Title 6A of the New Jersey Administrative Code and Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes. The NJDOE also proposes throughout the chapter to delete rules that were effective during a limited timeframe or reference defunct programs.

Student Transportation: The State Board began discussions concerning updates to the student transportation rules. Amendments will clarify the calculation of aid-in-lieu payments for nonpublic school student transportation. P.L. 2024, c. 81, allows school districts to designate school personnel to drive students to and from school in private or district-owned vehicles while exempting them from the certifications and standards that apply to school buses and drivers. The proposed new rules will establish procedures needed to implement the nonpublic school consortium transportation program.