Deadline Fast Approaching for NJ Teachers to Receive Full Subsidy for National Credential
October 21, 2003 (Trenton, N.J.) – New Jersey teachers who apply for National Board Certification, the most prestigious credential in the teaching profession, before December 15 will be eligible for a full subsidy of the $2,300 application fee and have access to no-cost training and mentoring. The Business Coalition for Education Excellence (BCEE), an association of New Jersey-based companies that support specific education reform efforts, will hold two meetings this month where teachers can register and learn more about the credential and training process.
Last June, Governor James E. McGreevey announced a landmark professional development incentive package for teachers who want to obtain National Board Certification that was the first of its kind in the United States. In addition to providing a subsidy for the application fee, the incentive package awards up to six graduate credits from participating colleges and universities to all teachers who complete the National Board Certification process. Earning credit is significant because the typical district contract awards pay increases for accumulation of graduate credits, which can also be used in obtaining master’s degrees. To back up the incentive plan and support teachers in the rigorous credentialing process, the BCEE has established the National Board Support, which assigns teachers who have already achieved certification as mentors for teachers who are candidates for the credential.
National Board Certification is a voluntary process available for teachers with at least three years classroom experience. It can take 200 to 400 hours over the course of one or more years to complete. The process is so rigorous that nationally, only about 50% of the teachers who apply achieve the certificate on the first attempt. Only 50 of New Jersey’s 98,000 teachers are certified to the National Board, while other states boast thousands of National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs), for a total of 24,000 across the nation.
Together, the BCEE, New Jersey Department of Education, and National Board for Professional Teaching Standards have constructed a state-of-the-art professional development opportunity for New Jersey teachers. New Jersey teachers interested in learning more about the process can attend one of the following recruitment sessions:
*October 29, 2003, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. October 30, 2003, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Somerset Board of Education New Jersey Department of Education
40 North Bridge Street 100 River View Plaza
Somerville, New Jersey 08876 Trenton, New Jersey 08608
*Reservations Required (609)-989-7888 ext. 120
“Through our recruitment efforts and the National Board Support Network, we hope to increase applications by 50% per year, for the first two years, while also increasing New Jersey’s current applicant success rate of 18% to mirror that of the national average of 50%,”said Dana Egreczky, vice president, Business Coalition for Educational Excellence at the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce.
The Business Coalition for Educational Excellence (BCEE) is an association of New Jersey business leaders, educators, and policymakers committed to ensuring that all children achieve at high levels, become productive citizens, and are well-prepared to function successfully in the workplace. The BCEE promotes policies and implements programs that support the business agenda in K-16 educational reform and has greatly impacted the course of education reform in the state. To date, more than 900 New Jersey businesses have been engaged in one or more of the BCEE programs or policy efforts. The BCEE has four areas of interest: standards and assessments, teacher quality, accountability, and technology. For more information on the Business Coalition for Educational Excellence, please visit www.bcee.org.
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan, and nongovernmental organization governed by a 63-member board of directors, the majority of whom are classroom teachers. Created in 1987, the National Board's mission is to advance the quality of teaching and learning by: maintaining high and rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do; providing a national voluntary system certifying teachers who meet these standards; and advocating related education reforms to integrate National Board Certification in American education and to capitalize on the expertise of National Board Certified Teachers. For more information about the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, please visit www.nbpts.org.
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New Jersey Business Coalition Receives National Education Grant for Statewide Scholars Program
October 9, 2003 (Trenton, N.J.) Earlier today U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige announced that The Business Coalition for Education Excellence (BCEE) at the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce will receive a $300,000 grant from the Center for State Scholars to lead a business/education program that motivates students to complete a defined set of rigorous academic courses. The New Jersey effort is part of the national State Scholars Initiative introduced by President Bush in 2002 to strengthen students’ academic course of study so that they are better prepared to succeed in civilian and military jobs or higher education.
Research conducted by the U.S. Department of Education has demonstrated that rigorous coursework in high school is the surest predictor of college and workplace success. Students who complete Algebra II rather than stopping at geometry, for example, are nearly 40 percent more likely to complete two- and four-year college degrees.
“Students who complete a solid academic course of study have currency in the 21st century job market,” said Dana Egreczky, vice president of Workforce Development at the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. “Math, science, and communication skills are increasingly in demand in our technological society. Global companies seek employees with the economic, history, and language foundation to interact with potential trading partners, customers, and workers. Students who fail to acquire these skills in high school miss a crucial window of opportunity.”
The BCEE will work with four school districts to implement a New Jersey State Scholars Demonstration Project starting in the 2003-2004 (current) school year. Trained business volunteers will visit eighth grade classrooms in these communities just before students select and enroll in high school courses. The volunteers will talk about careers, wages, and how employers value education. Business and education leaders also will work together to create academic supports and to arrange incentives and rewards for students who successfully complete the program. The initiative will be rolled out statewide starting in 2005.
Letters of endorsement from Governor James E. McGreevey and Commissioner of Education William Librera were included in the grant application and were critical in obtaining the funding, as was the support of BCEE companies like Prudential Financial, Verizon, the Merck Institute for Science Education, NUI Elizabethtown Gas, Washington Mutual, Educational Testing Service, Johnson & Johnson, State Farm, Fleet Bank, IBM, and Infineum.
The Business Coalition for Educational Excellence (BCEE) is an association of New Jersey business leaders, educators, and policymakers who support a strong, continuously improving standards-based public school system. The BCEE Executive Committee includes representatives of Prudential Financial, Inc., Verizon, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Infineum USA, Fleet Bank, and the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce. The BCEE promotes policies and implements programs that support the business community’s goals for pre-K through 12 and higher education. It has had a strong impact on the course of education reform in the state. To date, more than 900 New Jersey businesses have been engaged in one or more of the BCEE programs or policy efforts. Focal points of BCEE efforts include developing a quality educational system of standards, assessments, and accountability; quality teacher development; infusion of technology into education; and workforce readiness. For more information on the Business Coalition for Educational Excellence, please visit www.bcee.org.
The State Scholars Initiative creates public/private partnerships to motivate high school students to take courses that prepare them for college and careers. Based on research that shows a direct relationship between challenging high school courses and college completion rates, State Scholars promotes a core course of study that emphasizes math, science, language arts, and social studies. The Center for State Scholars is a 501(c)(3) established in 2002 to increase the percentage of high school students completing a rigorous course of study. The Center receives funds from the Office of Vocational and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education, and private sources. For more information, log on to www.centerforstatescholars.org.
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Press contact RobertSunga
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