In 2017, news broke that New York would scrap basic literacy requirements for teachers. This was done in an effort to increase diversity.
At the time, The Poughkeepsie Journal reported that the test disqualified “an outsized percentage of black and Hispanic candidates” trying to become teachers.
Reportedly, the literacy test raised alarms from the beginning because just 46 percent of Hispanic test takers and 41 percent of black test takers passed it on the first try, compared with 64 percent of white candidates, the Journal noted.
Now, another state appears to be following suit.
A law in New Jersey that removes a requirement for instructors to pass a reading, writing, and mathematics test for certification went into effect on Jan. 1.
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The law, Act 1669, was signed off by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D). According to the New Jersey Monitor, it was cleared by the state Senate in a 34-2 vote.
Democrat state Sen. Jim Beach tried to justify this, claiming, “We need more teachers. This is the best way to get them,” the Monitor noted. Going forward, individuals seeking an instructional certification will no longer need to pass a “basic skills” test administered by the state’s Commissioner of Education.
New Jersey is in need of math and science teachers, specifically.
Reportedly, Murphy signed a different bill into law that created an alternative pathway for teachings to avoid the testing requirement. Predictably, the New Jersey Education Association, a teachers union, was behind the push for this, claiming that testing for basic skills creates “an unnecessary barrier to entering the profession.”
Nicki Neily, president of Parents Defending Education (PDE), reacted to the news on X.
“New Jersey teachers will no longer be required to pass a basic skills test to become a teacher,” she wrote.
“The New Jersey Education Association was the driving force behind the bill,” she added. “Teachers unions don’t want teachers to demonstrate basic competency in reading, writing, and math before going into the classroom.”
New Jersey teachers will no longer be required to pass a basic skills test to become a teacher.
— Nicki Neily (@nickineily) January 2, 2025
The New Jersey Education Association was the driving force behind the bill.
Teachers unions don’t want teachers to demonstrate basic competency in reading, writing, and math before… pic.twitter.com/KuOUKTGb0a
