Get Your New Jersey Teaching Certification
New Jersey offers a three-step course to becoming a teacher. If this is where you would like to work, you will need to apply for certification prior to finding a job, once you have found a job, and again after you have completed two years of teaching. If you have only completed your education, you may be eligible to apply for the first of the three certifications.
The first certification offered in New Jersey is available through either a Certificate of Eligibility or a Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standing credential. For the CE, you will need a Bachelor’s degree, need to have passed the applicable test requirements, and completed the physiology and hygiene requirement. For the CEAS, you will need all of the above as well as completion of a traditional professional preparation program that includes student teaching. Once you have obtained one of these certifications, you may look for a job. When you have gotten a position, you will then be issued a Provisional Certificate that is good for two years. During this time, you will also be enrolled in a district training program.
In order to find that job for your Provisional Certificate, here’s some basic information on the major cities in New Jersey. Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, and Elizabeth are the four largest cities in New Jersey and all four of their districts fall under the Abbott district. The New Jersey Supreme Court ordered the state to provide an adequate and constitutional education in these districts. Newark Public Schools, Jersey City Public Schools, Paterson Public Schools, and Elizabeth Public Schools all receive additional state funding that allows them to match wealthier districts and also receive additional resources in an attempt to reach the goals of all students reading at grade level by third grade and to achieve mastery of the Core Curriculum Content Standards.
After completing two years of teaching and meeting all the requirements for the Provisional Certificate, you will then earn a Standard Certificate. The Standard Certificate is a permanent certificate that does not require renewal.
