N.J. Admin. Code § 6A:9-2.1
The following words and terms shall have the following meanings when used in this chapter and N.J.A.C. 6A:9A, 6A:9B, and 6A:9C, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
Accepted cohort of candidates" means the group of candidates accepted to start at the same time all educator preparation programs leading to a State certification.
"Accreditation" and "accredited" both mean a status of public recognition attained by an educational institution or program that meets the U.S. Secretary of Education's standards and requirements.
"Accredited career-focused institution" means a private career school that is accredited by an agency that appears in the Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions or Programs maintained by the United States Department of Education.
Administrative certificate" means the certificate category that includes specific endorsements for school administrator, principal, supervisor, or school business administrator.
ALJ" means an administrative law judge assigned by the Director of the Office of Administrative Law to preside over contested cases pursuant to 52:14F-1 et seq.
"Approved agency" shall mean an entity that is approved by the State and provides services to nonpublic school students in accordance with N.J.S.A. 18A:46A-1 et seq.
"Approved career-focused institution" means a private career school that is approved to operate by a certificate of approval issued by the commissioners of the Department of Education and the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 34:15C-10.1.
"Approved program" means a Department-approved educator preparation program designed to lead to an instructional, administrative, or educational services certificate.
"Authorization" means any requirement, license, certificate, or endorsement established by State or Federal law or by a professional licensing board for the individual to serve in a position.
"Board of Examiners" means the New Jersey State Board of Examiners.
"Career and technical education" or "CTE" means the same as that term is defined at N.J.A.C. 6A:19-1.2.
Career cluster" means the same as that term is defined at N.J.A.C. 6A:19-1.2.
"CE educator preparation program" means a program designed to lead to a standard certificate where preparation primarily occurs while candidates are working under a provisional certificate, and approved pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:9A-3.1.
CAEP" means the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. CAEP is a national professional accrediting body for educator preparation.
"CEAS educator preparation program" means a program provided by an accredited higher education institution and approved pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:9A-3.1. This program primarily occurs prior to a candidate actively working under a provisional certificate.
"Certificate" means a legal document that is issued by the Board of Examiners and permits an individual to serve as a teaching staff member. The three categories of certificates are instructional, administrative, and educational services. Within each certificate category, standard, provisional, and emergency certificates, CEs, and CEASs may be available. Each certificate shall be issued with at least one endorsement, which shall be considered part of the certificate.
"Certificate holder" means an individual issued a certificate by the Board of Examiners.
"Certificate of eligibility" (CE) means a certificate with lifetime validity issued to an individual who has completed degree, academic study, and applicable test requirements for certification. The CE permits the applicant to seek and accept employment in corresponding positions requiring certification.
"Certificate of eligibility with advanced standing" (CEAS) means a certificate with lifetime validity issued to an individual who has completed degree, academic study, and applicable test requirements, in addition to CEAS educator preparation programs for certification. The CEAS permits the applicant to seek and accept employment in positions requiring certification.
"Charter school certificate of eligibility" or "CSCE" means a certificate with lifetime validity issued to a person who has a bachelor's degree and has satisfied applicable test requirements for certification. The CSCE permits the applicant to seek and accept employment at charter schools in positions requiring certification. The CSCE may be used only for employment in charter schools and does not satisfy the requirements for employment in school districts, excluding charter schools.
"Charter school provisional certificate" means a two-year certificate issued to novice teacher candidates who have been hired by a charter school, but who have not met the requirements for a standard certificate. Charter school provisional certificates are issued to novice instructional staff who are employed at a charter school, may be used only for employment in charter schools, may be renewed once at the discretion of the employing school, and do not satisfy the requirements for obtaining employment in school districts, excluding charter schools.
"Charter school standard certificate" means a permanent certificate issued to a person who has met all charter school certification requirements. This certificate may be used only for employment in charter schools and does not satisfy the requirements for employment in school districts, excluding charter schools.
"Career and technical education" or "CTE" means the same as that term is defined at N.J.A.C. 6A:19-1.2.
"Career cluster" means the same as that term is defined at N.J.A.C. 6A:19-1.2.
"CE educator preparation program" means a program designed to lead to a standard certificate where preparation primarily occurs while candidates are working under a provisional certificate, and approved pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:9A-3.1.
"CEAS educator preparation program" means a program provided by an accredited higher education institution and approved pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:9A-3.1. This program primarily occurs prior to a candidate actively working under a provisional certificate.
"Certificate" means a legal document that is issued by the Board of Examiners and permits an individual to serve as a teaching staff member. The three categories of certificates are instructional, administrative, and educational services. Within each certificate category, standard, provisional, and emergency certificates, CEs, and CEASs may be available. Each certificate shall be issued with at least one endorsement, which shall be considered part of the certificate.
"Certificate holder" means an individual issued a certificate by the Board of Examiners.
"Certificate of advanced study in educational administration and supervision" means a postmasters higher education institution program, minimum of 24 graduate semester-hour credits, that prepares school leaders with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to be an effective school leader. The program results in an out-of-State certificate as a principal or superintendent and in a Certificate of Advanced Study in School Leadership from the higher education institution.
"Certificate of eligibility" (CE) means a certificate with lifetime validity issued to an individual who has completed degree, academic study, and applicable test requirements for certification. The CE permits the applicant to seek and accept employment in corresponding positions requiring certification.
"Certificate of eligibility with advanced standing" (CEAS) means a certificate with lifetime validity issued to an individual who has completed degree, academic study, and applicable test requirements, in addition to CEAS educator preparation programs for certification. The CEAS permits the applicant to seek and accept employment in positions requiring certification.
"CHEA" means the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. CHEA is an organization that coordinates national accreditation processes for higher education institutions and recognizes accrediting bodies.
"Chief school administrator" means the superintendent of schools, or the administrative principal if there is no superintendent, and includes charter school or renaissance school project lead persons.
"Clinical component" means the combined clinical experience and clinical practice elements of educator preparation.
"Clinical experience" means the diverse, guided, hands-on, practical applications and demonstrations in educator preparation programs of professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions through integrated, collaborative, and facilitated learning and practice in early field, practicum, and other opportunities that occur prior to clinical practice. The activities and responsibilities take place across a variety of settings and are integrated throughout the educator preparation program.
"Clinical intern" means a candidate engaged in the clinical practice component of an educator preparation program.
"Clinical practice" means the culminating field-based experience or internship of educator preparation. In this hands-on experience in a preschool through grade 12 (P-12) setting, candidates demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and dispositions to be effective educators.
"Coherent sequence of courses" means a sequence of at least 30 semester-hour credits of college-level coursework in a subject field that includes study at the introductory, intermediate, and advanced levels.
"Consortium" means a joint sponsorship between two or more school districts, higher education institutions, educational organizations, or any combination thereof providing formal instruction to provisional teachers.
"Cooperative education experience" means the same as that term is defined at N.J.A.C. 6A:19-1.2.
"Cooperating teacher" means a certified, experienced, practicing teacher who is assigned responsibility for assessing, supporting, and developing a candidate's knowledge, skills, and/or professional dispositions during clinical experiences and/or clinical practice.
"CTE Teacher Bridge" means the process by which holders of standard instructional certificates with an endorsement in a subject area that authorizes them to teach grades nine through 12 may obtain a CTE endorsement to teach CTE programs that align to an in-demand industry sector or occupation that is identified and approved by the Department as experiencing a shortage of CTE teachers.
"District board(s) of education" or "school district(s)" means all providers of publicly funded preschool, elementary, secondary, or adult high school education programs, including county vocational school districts, educational services commissions, jointure commissions, charter schools, regional day schools, adult high schools, county special services school districts, the Marie H. Katzenbach School for the Deaf, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Corrections, the Juvenile Justice Commission, and approved private schools for students with disabilities whose staff hold appropriate certificates.
"District mentoring program" means a program of induction and support that is designed to develop non-tenured teachers, including novice provisional teachers and experienced teachers new to a school district, into effective professionals within the school district.
"Dual-content major" means any college major that combines two of the NJSLS.
"Early Childhood Program Expectations" means the standards set forth at N.J.A.C. 6A:8-2.1(a)4.
"Early college high school program" means a partnership between a school district and an institution of higher education that allows eligible students enrolled in such programs to simultaneously complete requirements toward earning a State-endorsed high school diploma and participation in college-level courses resulting in earned college-level credits that are transferable to the institution of higher education in the partnership, as part of an organized course of study in attainment of a postsecondary degree, at no cost to the participant or the participant's family.
"Educational services certificate" means the certificate category that permits an individual to serve in a primarily non-instructional and non-administrative teaching staff role in a school district.
"Educational technology" means the implementation of technology as an integral part of the instructional process across all curriculum areas in a way that supports a learner-centered environment.
"Educator preparation program" means a Commissioner-approved CEAS or CE program, pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:9A-3.1, or an out-of-State program, pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:9B-8.2(b), that is housed at a higher education institution or other program provider and prepares candidates for instructional, administrative, or educational services certification.
"Emergency certificate" means a substandard certificate issued only to educational services certificate candidates who meet the requirements for each endorsement pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:9B-14.
"Endorsement" means an authorization allowing a certificate holder to teach one or more specific subject areas or to serve in one or more specific teaching staff roles.
"Formal instruction" means a Department-approved program of professional preparation for CE holders that is housed at a higher education institution or a CE educator preparation program provider and includes, but is not limited to, coursework and in-classroom supports such as coaching.
"Full-time teaching" means the equivalent of 900 clock-hours of teaching per year.
"GPA" means grade point average.
"IEP" means an individualized education program as that term is defined at N.J.AC. 6A:14-1.3.
"Industry credential" means a certification that is issued by an approved career-focused institution or by an occupational or industry group and demonstrates competency or completion of training for a particular job category.
"Instructional certificate" means the certificate category that permits an individual to serve as a teacher in a classroom setting.
"Interdisciplinary major" means any college major that combines two or more academic, scientific or artistic disciplines, permitting students to explore an area of interest from several perspectives.
"International agency" means an international agency that recruits foreign teachers for New Jersey school districts in subject areas that the Commissioner has defined as having a critical shortage.
"Liberal arts major" means any college major including, but not limited to, philosophy, history, literature, sociology, world language, mathematics, science, or engineering that is intended primarily to provide general knowledge and to develop an individual's general intellectual capacities to reason and evaluate, as opposed to professional or vocational skills.
"Mentor teacher" means an experienced, certified New Jersey teacher who is assigned to provide support and guidance to a novice teacher.
"Military spouse" means a person whose spouse is an active-duty military member of the Armed Forces of the United States, who is the subject of a military transfer to New Jersey.
"NASDTEC" means the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification.
"NJSLS" means the New Jersey Student Learning Standards pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:8.
"Nonpublic school" means an elementary or secondary school within the State, other than a public school, offering education for kindergarten through grade 12, or any combination thereof, wherein any child may legally fulfill compulsory school attendance requirements and that complies with the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (P.L. 88-352), 42 U.S.C. §§ 2000d et seq. For purposes of this chapter, preschools licensed by the Department of Children and Families that are not under contract to provide services to SDA districts shall be considered nonpublic schools.
"North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code" means the economic classification system based on groups of goods and services that use similar or identical production processes.
"Novice teacher" means any teaching staff member serving full- or part-time under a provisional certificate who has not yet been issued a standard instructional certificate in any endorsement area.
"Novice teacher" means any teaching staff member serving full- or part-time under a provisional certificate who has not yet been issued a standard instructional certificate in any endorsement area.
"OAL" means the Office of Administrative Law established pursuant to N.J.S.A. 52:14F-1 et seq.
"Office" means the office within the Department that is assigned to provide staff support to the Board of Examiners in the exercise of its statutory and regulatory responsibilities.
"Official transcript" means either a paper or electronic transcript certified as official by the originating higher education institution or a Department-recognized foreign credentialing agency.
"Paraprofessional" means a school or classroom aide who assists appropriately certified personnel with the supervision of student activities.
"Professional Standards for School Leaders" means the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that all school administrators must acquire to practice as school leaders. See N.J.A.C. 6A:9-3.4.
"Professional Standards for Teachers" means the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that all teachers must acquire to practice as teachers. See N.J.A.C. 6A:9-3.3.
"Program completion" means the fulfillment of all requirements of a Commissioner-approved educator preparation program, or of an out-of-State educator preparation program pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:9B-8.2(b).
"Program provider" means the hosting organization for an educator preparation program.
"Progress toward completion" means the demonstration, before renewal of an emergency certificate, that the certificate holder has completed the share of study needed per year to earn standard certification within the years allowed for certificate renewal. The required "share of study" shall be equal to the number of credits remaining for standard certification divided by the maximum number of years the specific certificate can be renewed.
"Provisional certificate" means a two-year certificate issued to candidates who have met the requirements for initial employment, but who have not yet met the requirements for a standard certificate. Provisional certificates are issued to instructional, administrator, and educational services staff whose employment with a specific school district is authorized by a CE or CEAS. Provisional certificates are also issued to initially employed educational services staff who have at least one year, but less than three years, of successful full-time experience or the equivalent in another state under that state's standard certificates.
"Provisional teaching period" means a minimum of two years of full-time teaching under a provisional certificate required of all novice teachers before they are eligible to be recommended for a standard certificate.
"School leader" means an administrator whose position requires possession of a school administrator, principal, or supervisor endorsement.
"Secretary" means the Secretary of the Board of Examiners.
"Spouse" means the person to whom an individual is legally married to pursuant to New Jersey law, and also includes a partner in a civil union, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 37:1-28 et seq., or a domestic partner, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 26:8A-1 et seq.
"Standard certificate" means a permanent certificate issued to a person who has met all certificate requirements.
"Standards for professional learning" means the standards that govern the creation and review of school and school district professional development plans and guide teachers in the selection of professional development experiences.
"State Board" means the New Jersey State Board of Education.
"Structured learning experience (SLE)" means the same as that term is defined at N.J.A.C. 6A:19-2.1.
"Substitute credential" means the credential required for individuals who do not hold an administrative, educational services, or instructional certificate and who are temporarily serving in replacement of a certified and regularly employed classroom teacher.
"Supervisor" means an appropriately certified "teaching staff member," as defined at N.J.S.A. 18A:1-1, employed by a school district in a supervisory role and capacity, and possessing a school administrator, principal, or supervisor endorsement.
"Teacher shortage area" means a specific grade, subject area, or geographic area in which the Commissioner determines there is an insufficient supply of elementary or secondary school teachers.
"Teaching staff member" means the same as that term is defined at N.J.S.A. 18:1-1.
N.J. Admin. Code § 6A:9-2.1