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May 21, 2025Eight Months In, NJCTL is Training Many of NJ’s New Special Education Teachers
The non-profit program aims to end New Jersey’s special education teacher shortage by 2027
In October, the non-profit New Jersey Center for Teaching and Learning (NJCTL) launched a new teacher education program to combat the chronic shortage of certified special education educators in the state.
The intent was for NJCTL to hopefully recruit and train about 75 special education teachers in the first year of this nascent program. But as soon as the new offering was announced, NJCTL began receiving a steady stream of inquiries and enrollments for the program, known as the Teachers of Students with Disabilities (TOSD) Endorsement program.
“Teachers told us they were attracted to this program because it is online, asynchronous, and self-paced; busy professionals can undertake the coursework on their own schedule and at their own pace,” said NJCTL Executive Director Bob Goodman. “Moreover the tuition is a fraction of what traditional colleges and universities charge.”
To date, nearly 250 teachers have enrolled in the program, and it is estimated they will comprise a large share of the new special education teachers that will be working in New Jersey public schools in the upcoming school year. The hope is the growing program will eliminate special education shortages in New Jersey school districts by 2027.
The TOSD Endorsement program is a graduate-level certification for teachers who hold a Standard, CEAS or CE certificate. Goodman said NJCTL has received appreciation from local school district leaders who have been continually struggling to staff special education classrooms.
NJCTL’s TOSD program is a fraction of the cost of typical college graduate studies, amounting to just $4,680, or $3,744 for New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) members. That’s the total cost; there are no fees to pay or textbooks to buy.
“We applaud NJCTL for its commitment to helping solve the need for more special education teachers in New Jersey,” said John Mulholland, executive director of New Jersey’s Association of Special Education Partner Schools (ASAH). “NJCTL has a well-earned reputation for solving teacher shortages across New Jersey in STEM, and now in special education, through the non-profit’s affordable online graduate courses. It is of no surprise that many teachers are attracted to this new program; the impressive enrollment numbers underscore both the impact and the need.”
Teachers who enroll in the program are immediately eligible to teach students with disabilities, meaning NJCTL is quickly addressing the TOSD shortage faced by 40% of New Jersey school districts.
“I’m pleased – and pleasantly surprised – to see how enrollment in this new program has spiked so quickly,” said NJCTL Executive Director Robert Goodman. “We have quickly become a resource for special education schools and individual teachers. “I look forward to seeing the opportunities this unique, ever-expanding solution continues to create for special education professionals in New Jersey.”
Traditionally, NJCTL has focused on providing teacher training in science, mathematics, and computer science, creating nearly 500 new teachers in those subject areas in New Jersey since 2009 to fill critical shortage areas. The TOSD program is expected quickly reach that same level of success, Goodman said.
Learn more at NJCTL.org
2 Comments
NJCTL has failed to gain regional accreditation, and its program is substandard if one analyzes its course content. Also, other states will not acknowledge NJCTL’s program because of such. Many believe this is more of a profit-gaining stunt by the institution than one that truly helps in regard to what special-need students require. There are other colleges in NJ that offer solid, spec-ed programs that are doing far more good for the long run than this agency. Those are the institutions that should be praised, not a hollow one.
Every few months or so, NJCTL resurfaces, promoting another program. That wouldn’t be so bad if the “institution” were transparent and upfront about the program’s designation. Letting the curious know that NJCTL does not hold regional accreditation would be an honorable start. In this way, those enrolling would know that they would have trouble finding positions out of state and that even within state, some district staff may look down upon its accreditation relegation and therefore, not hire. Dr. Bob Goodman makes a lot of bold claims about what NJCTL offers, exclaiming that the “agency” is the biggest and best in all the world, but he never shares the necessary statistics to prove it. (How about some statistics on the special-education teacher shortage, eh, Bob?) Be wary, folks, of this special-education stunt. It smells bad, feels bad.