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October 23, 2023NJ Department of Education to Accept NJCTL Credits for Ongoing Teacher Training
A college credit earned through the New Jersey Center for Teaching and Learning (NJCTL) is now equivalent to credits earned through traditional colleges and universities.
The state Department of Education (DOE) shared the good news with NJCTL that its credits are approved to be treated the same as credits from any other college or university.
The non-profit NJCTL, a New Jersey-licensed institution of higher education, provides online, asynchronous graduate courses for STEM teachers in the areas of science, math and computer science. NJCTL’s courses can be used for teachers interested in earning an endorsement to teach a new course, such as physics or biology, or for those who want to earn a full master’s degree. All courses are 100% online and asynchronous and can be taken at their own pace.
“This is just one of the very positive recent steps taken by the DOE to address the shortage of science and mathematics teachers in New Jersey, as it works to make these subjects available to all New Jersey students,” said NJCTL Executive Director Robert Goodman.
The state is now allowing teachers to directly use NJCTL courses and credits to meet DOE credit requirements. NJCTL will no longer need to transcribe its credits through a traditional college or university, thereby reducing the cost to teachers by $55 per credit.
“Through this very wise decision, the DOE is helping teachers save many hundreds of dollars,” Goodman said. “For instance, a science teacher earning an endorsement to teach a second science will save $825 as he or she secures 15 credits and passes the Praxis II exam.”
NJCTL, is a nonprofit charitable organization founded and supported by the New Jersey Education Association. That partnership, along with NJCTL’s commitment to operating as a 100% virtual organization, allows NJCTL to offer lower tuition than traditional colleges or universities while achieving even better student outcomes. Tuition is used for the development and improvement of NJCTL’s courses and programs. not for landscaping, student centers, or athletics.
5 Comments
This is an utter disgrace. The NJDOE should be ashamed of itself. Those who are allowing NJCTL to participate in any endeavor should be ashamed. This is pure criminality to the highest order.
The NJCTL credits will be questioned by out-of-state certification offices, due to NJCTL shoddy accreditation. NJDOE should be ashamed.
I had to compose myself before writing this because I was laughing so hard. Come on, Mr. Goodman. NJCTL was a diploma mill when linked to Adams State in Colorado, and it remains so after the embarrassing fact. So much for your NJDOE comrades coming to the rescue.
There is something terribly off about this course-acceptance claim.
I called NJDOE’s certification office for clarification. I am under the impression that individual courses taken at NJCTL are NOT in any way considered acceptable, due to NJCTL’s unique, accreditation status. Individual, PEDAGOGY courses are NOT acceptable from NJCTL, above all, and do not constitute subject-area coursework. It was evidently some sort of “program” that was approved by the NJDOE for NJCTL, and only that of the program (as a whole) is accepted by the state. How in the world any NJCTL “program” would be approved by the NJDOE is beyond me, but again, individual, NJCTL courses are not okay. So, what is the truth? I am certain that I did not misunderstand the certification rep, but maybe the rep got it wrong.
Would Mr. Goodman or the certification director (or both) please set the record straight on this with a clear, written statement? Thank you!
I cannot get a straight answer from NJCTL regarding the credit-transfer setup that the “organization” has in effect. Adams State is listed for the sake of accepting transfer, NJCTL credits, as is American Education College, otherwise known as ACE, neither of which is a NJ college. For one, why did the DOE approve these out-of-state institutions and not actual, accredited, NJ colleges and universities to assist NJCTL? Secondly, what is the need for any such connection with these out-of-state institutions if, as Robert Goodman states, there is no longer a need to have transfer credits listed on a regionally accredited-college transcript for them to be accepted by the DOE’s certification office? The whole thing is very confusing and as it stands, very fishy. Please, can either the DOE or NJCTL compose a clear, honest statement with regard to these questions? Thank you.