New Pathways to Teaching in New Jersey

The Alternate Route to Teacher Certification 

Program Overview 

Overall Program Eligibility Requirements

• Bachelor degree or higher with 2.75 minimum GPA in an undergraduate or graduate degree
• Passing Praxis Score 
• Hold or apply for a Certificate of Eligibility (CE)* in the subject area you plan to teach
• Complete the 24 hour Introduction to Teaching Course
• Contract for teaching as provisional teacher
• Completed registration form, with payment for Stage I & II
  *If no CE, apply online at www.state.nj.us/education/educators/license   For information on the Praxis II tests and test dates, see www.ets.org/praxis.
   

 Please Note:  When a school district registers the employee, a provisional teaching license is issued to the student.

Program Details

Please read this information on this website completely before contacting the office for more information. See the glossary at the end of this page if you are unfamiliar with the terminology. After reading the overview, if you have additional questions, please email cce@raritanval.edu or Bridget Waverka, Program Assistant.

Applications for this program must be complete with all required documentation when submitted.  Incomplete applications will be returned to the sender.

Background:

Raritan Valley Community College in collaboration with the other New Jersey Community Colleges and New Jersey City University (NJCU) offers New Pathways to Teaching in NJ (NPTNJ). This alternate route to teacher certification program provides a process by which individuals who hold a bachelors degree become licensed teachers without completing a traditional teacher training program. 

NPTNJ is an intensive, 225-hour program. The program starts with Stage I at the RVCC main campus. Classes are generally scheduled to start at 6:00 PM.  Stage II runs the remainder of the school year, September-June, coinciding with the school year and meets once a week.  There is no admission to Stage II without completion of Stage I or employment with a school district.

All participating community colleges offer the same program for the same fee at approximately the same time. At the end of Stage I, students may transfer to another community college to complete Stage II of the program. Students may also complete Stage I one year and come back to complete Stage II the following year, however a lapse of only one year is permitted to complete the program.

Choose from two options:

Students have the option of attending as a masters credit candidate and receive 15 graduate credit hours through New Jersey City University upon completion of Stage II. The student may also register as a non-credit candidate, receiving an identical course training. Both options result in an New Jersey Department of Education sanctioned NPTNJ completion report issued by the Community College to be submitted to the provisional teaching office for licensure. 

Tuition & Fees:  (subject to change)

• Graduate credit option offers 15 graduate credits through New Jersey City University (NJCU). Tuition $8,160
  • Stage I: $2,745                   Stage II: $5,440
• The noncredit certificate option  Tuition: $3550
  • Stage I: $1,200                   Stage II: $2,350

The course requirements and workload are identical for both options to fulfill the NJ Department of Education requirements for the alternate route certification.

• Stage I - 12 session, 55-hour course meeting nights, 6:00-9:20 PM.  In addition, 15 hours of observation in a K-12 school are required. New Jersey City University offers 4 graduate credits for Stage I. 
• Stage II -  10 month, 146-hour program from September-June. Classes meet one night a week. To progress to Stage II you must have acquired full-time employment as a teacher of record and have obtained a grade of "B" or better in Stage I. 

How to APPLY to the RVCC NPTNJ Program
Apply early.  Application is not complete until all items are received. Submission of application does not automatically result admission to the program.
Submit the following information to RVCC to apply:

1. Fully completed Raritan Valley Community College NPTNJ Stage I registration with payment. 
2. If you already have a CE (Certificate of Eligibility) submit a copy of  the CE
3. Two official transcripts from all colleges attended
4. Physiology and Hygiene requirement i.e.: qualifying health course/s noted or indicate the need to test for this requirement. The test is available to be taken at your county superintendent's office.

Mail completed applications to:

Raritan Valley Community College
Corporate & Continuing Education-NPTNJ
PO BOX 3300
Somerville , NJ 08876

Transcript/s requested can be sent directly to the above address. RVCC will hold your CE application until all transcripts are received. Indicate another previous names on application to avoid filing errors.

International Students/Applicants with Degrees from Foreign Institutions

Applicants with academic credentials from foreign institutions must provide a copy of a World Education Services (WES)* course-by-course evaluation, to include an overall GPA, indicating that the applicant's education is equivalent to a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited U.S. institution, with a GPA of at least 2.75. (*Evaluation by other NACES member organizations is also acceptable, but WES is preferred. Go to http://www.naces.org for a current list.)

The CE Application Process

• To qualify for a CE in Elementary Education: 60 credits in liberal arts or sciences are required.
• To qualify for a middle school CE: this is a new license and there are multiple requirements to qualify for this certificate.
• To qualify for a K-12 subject area CE: 30 credits with minimum of 12 at the 300-400 level*.

1. You must have a CE in elementary education as mentioned above.
2. In addition, you must also have an Elementary with Specialization CE in one of the following areas: math, science, social studies, English/language arts, or a world language (Spanish, French, etc.). Your transcript must show 15 credits in the subject you wish to teach. If you do not have 15 credits they can be obtained at a community college. At this time no courses above the 200 level are required. There is a middle school Praxis II exam for all middle school specialization areas but world language. For any of the world languages you must take the subject area Praxis II test and follow the additional world language regulations.
3. If you wish to teach a subject in middle school that is not one of the five subjects mentioned above (such as Home Economics) you will need a subject area CE explained below.

Summary

To teach middle school you need a CE in Elementary Education and a CE in Elementary Education with Specialization OR a single CE in a subject area. A subject area CE qualifies you to teach that subject K-12 but instead of 15 credits, 30 credits are required (a college major). For example, a subject area CE in math requires 30 credits. An elementary education with specialization in math CE require 15 credits. A subject area CE is the most versatile and gives you the most options in getting a job. See below for specifics.

Subject Area CE (referred as a secondary school CE): To qualify for a CE in a subject area such as math, history, English, etc., 30 credits in the subject field are required. Though a subject area CE is often referred to as a high school or secondary CE, a subject area CE qualifies you to teach that subject K-12. The credits must be in a coherent sequence, 100-400 level, with a minimum of 12 credits at the 300-400 level *and at least one at the 400 level.

ETS automatically forwards your Praxis II exam results to the DOE, however NPTNJ requires a copy for your file.  With the CE you are now eligible to apply for a teaching job in the NJ public school system. A Certificate of Eligibility is required for admittance into Stage II of the NPTNJ alternate route program.

RVCC Corporate & Continuing Education is not qualified to review your transcript or advise as to what you are qualified to teach or what credits might be missing. The DOE Office of Licensing and Academic Credentials is the only department that can do this.

**Note: You will receive your CE from the Department of Education (DOE). Please understand that RVCC and the NPTNJ Program do not issue the CE and have no control over that process.

Glossary

DOE: New Jersey Department of Education

Certificate of Eligibility (CE): "Application for Licensure" qualifies the holder to seek employment as a teacher. This is NOT a NJ Standard License.

Provisional License: One-year license that allows first year teachers to begin working in the classroom and legalizes employment. Upon employment, the school enrolls you in the provisional program.

Provisional Teacher Program (PTP): The combination of training, support and evaluation required by the state of New Jersey for first year teachers.

Standard License: The permanent credential that allows the holder to serve without condition in all New Jersey schools.

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