1. Proposed Adoption-Level Changes 1 TopicN.J.A.C.Proposed at First Discussion Proposed at Adoption Level Flexibility Program Entry GPA 6A:9-10.1(d)1“The average cumulative GPA of the accepted cohort of candidates as of September 1, 2015, is at least 3.00…” No change Cohort average (note: no individual can fall below 2.75) Basic Skills Assessment 6A:9-8.1(a)3 6A:9-8.1(b)7 6A:9-10.1(d)2 “After September 1, 2014, achieve a minimum score…” “Formal admission… granted only if…as of September 1, 2014 all accepted candidates shall have achieved minimum score…” “After September 1, 2015, achieve a minimum score…” “Formal admission… granted only if…as of September 1, 2015 all accepted candidates shall have achieved minimum score…” Candidates are waived from this requirement if they have at least: 1 1660 combined critical reading, writing, and mathematics score on the SAT 23 on the ACT 4.0 on the analytical writing section and a combined score of 310 on the quant. and verbal sections of the GRE Certification GPA 6A:9-8.1(a)2 6A:9-8.1(a)2i 6A:9-8.1(a)2iii “Colleges and universities shall recommend for certification…only students [who] have…achieve(d) a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00…for students graduating after September 1, 2014…” “Colleges and universities shall recommend for certification…only students [who] have…achieve(d) a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00…for students graduating after September 1, 2016…” Candidate can have as low as 2.75 GPA and receive cert, if they score at least 10% above the passing score on content knowledge assessment (e.g. Praxis II) Alt route candidate can have as low as 2.75 if they are sponsored by alt route provider (provider can only “sponsor” up to 10% of each cohort) Performance- based assessment 6A:9-10.1(g)3“…students who graduate after September 1, 2015, shall pass…” “…students who graduate after September 1, 2016, shall pass…” NA 1: The Department reviewed requests for two other flexibility measures - Praxis II and Accuplacer - but denied requests for those assessments (see explanation on the following slide)

2. Additional Flexibility Requests for Basic Skills Assessment 2 The Department researched whether additional tests could be used to meet the basic skills requirement: 1.Praxis II The Department consulted with ETS and subject matter experts in the NJDOE Office of Assessment to determine whether an 80% or better on a Praxis II assessment would be an adequate substitute for the basic skills requirement. Finding: Current rules require candidates entering teacher preparation programs to demonstrate acceptable levels of proficiency in the use of the English language and mathematics. A passing score on the Praxis II demonstrates the candidate has met a minimum bar for knowledge in a specific content area. The assessment is not, however, designed to demonstrate basic proficiency in English language and mathematics. 2.Accuplacer The Department consulted with subject matter experts in the NJDOE Office of Assessment to determine whether the Accuplacer should be considered a substitute for the Praxis I Finding: The proposed basic skills assessment is intended to serve as a standardized requirement for admission into a teacher preparation program. The Praxis tests, SAT, ACT, and GRE all are designed to serve as in-depth tests used to make high-stakes admission decisions. In contrast, the Accuplacer serves as a much shorter test designed to determine a candidate’s placement in specific college-level classes that meet his or her skill level. While the Accuplacer is less expensive, the purpose of the test renders it insufficient as a basic skills assessment to be used for admissions decisions.