Walking Together Over Uncertain Terrain: The Role of Professional Associations During Policy Change
Educator preparation programs (EPPs) in New Jersey are engaged in a nonstop cycle of recruiting, training, and graduating teachers for the state, which has experienced a severe teacher shortage. The design and practices of these programs are substantially influenced by policies of both the state and accrediting organizations. What do busy practitioners at EPPs do when policies that directly affect their work are in flux?
In 2022, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed into law S.896, which removed the requirement for teacher candidates to complete a state-approved performance-based assessment, including the previously required and widely critiqued edTPA, and provided each EPP the authority to design or select its own performance-based assessment. The edTPA had been a significant, time-intensive process for teacher candidates, and EPPs had deeply integrated edTPA into their curriculum and dedicated resources to support candidates’ successful completion of edTPA’s components. This policy change has the potential to fundamentally transform daily practice, program design, and student experiences across New Jersey’s EPPs.