New Jersey Democrats Decide Teachers Don’t Need Basic Skills

"One of New Jersey’s main teachers unions is calling for the end of the basic skills test for certifying teachers.

The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) is advocating for the demise of the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators: Reading, Writing and Math. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s signing of Bill S1553 would eliminate that requirement; NJEA called the test “an unnecessary barrier” hindering the alleviation of teacher shortages.

“When the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) adopted changes to the administrative code around teacher certification, it missed an opportunity to eliminate this requirement, which created an unnecessary barrier to entering the profession,” stated NJEA.

Last year, standardized testing found that just 42 percent of 8th-grade students in New Jersey scored at or above the base fundamental skill level in reading. That’s less than half. Math proficiency was even worse at 39 percent. It just seems as if the Governor could be pushing the union to get those numbers up a bit before they start talking about lowering the requirements for teachers in the same disciplines. Or is it not considered to be worth the effort anymore?"