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The new year brought changes to requirements for New Jersey teachers, including a new law eliminating a basic skills test that lawmakers overwhelmingly advanced in both houses.

Gov. Phil Murphy signed the  eliminating the Praxis basic skills test for people seeking teaching certifications in June, and it went into effect Jan. 1. Lawmakers said the legislation aimed to address a l and remove duplicative, costly tests that create barriers to pursuing a career in education.

At the time, it faced little controversy. Just three Republicans voted against it.

But recent comments from tech mogul Elon Musk have shined a spotlight on the new law. Musk, who owns social media platform X, this week  of an article about the change and questioned if teachers in New Jersey need to 鈥渒now how to read.鈥� The post has been viewed nearly 20 million times.

Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia (R-Sussex), who supported the bill, said the change to teacher certification requirements has been taken entirely out of context and does not lower the bar for would-be teachers.

鈥淢y largest concern was it was an extra expense for teachers just starting out, and for taking a test, actually, that is much easier than the current tests you already have to take,鈥� said Fantasia, who obtained her teaching certificate in 2008 and now works as an administrator at a charter school.

She explained that for teachers to receive certification in New Jersey, they must first graduate from an accredited teacher preparation program with at least a 3.0 grade point average, complete months of student teaching, and pass several exams, depending on the grade level and subject matter being taught.

Those tests can easily amount to hundreds of dollars, and by the time a potential teacher takes the Praxis exam, they鈥檝e already proved their capabilities, she said.

States across the country have removed similar exams in an effort to ease shortages plaguing schools, according to the . Oklahoma enacted a law in 2022 removing the requirement for a general education exam, and Arizona implemented a law allowing educators to begin teaching before graduating from college.

Fantasia did not fault Musk for his confusion about the law and placed some blame on the media 鈥� fringe and mainstream 鈥� for irresponsible headlines and missing context. The knee-jerk reaction from the public is to be 鈥渃ompletely expected,鈥� she said.

And while she noted she鈥檚 the loudest Republican voice supporting the legislation, she slammed Democrats for remaining 鈥渞adio silent鈥� on a bill they supported. The bill sponsors did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

鈥淭he teachers of New Jersey are made to look across this country like the village idiots because the Democrat Party who sponsored this bill and the governor who signed it don鈥檛 feel it necessary to defend them when the headlines are extraordinarily misleading,鈥� Fantasia said.

Murphy鈥檚 office defended the law in a statement to the New Jersey Monitor.

鈥淭he Praxis Core requirement was redundant to New Jersey鈥檚 other requirements for teacher certification that remain in place, and its removal was a recommendation of our public school staff shortage task force, a group of experts who know more about New Jersey鈥檚 education needs than Elon Musk,鈥� said Natalie Hamilton, a Murphy spokeswoman. 鈥淭he bipartisan legislation that the Governor signed passed by overwhelming margins and we are disappointed by out-of-state agitators that want more red tape.鈥�

Steven Baker, spokesman for teachers union the New Jersey Education Association, said 鈥渞ight-wing blog sites trying to push this story don鈥檛 understand the law and definitely do not understand New Jersey鈥檚 very rigorous teacher certification standards.鈥�

He stressed that the additional requirement to pass the Praxis following years of other coursework did nothing to elevate the standards and 鈥渁mounted to a corporate money grab鈥� from college students.

Sen. Joe Pennacchio (R-Morris), who voted against the bill, said he thinks it has indeed lowered standards.

鈥淚 think these are the days of dumbing down, and somebody鈥檚 got to put their foot down and say, 鈥楢bsolutely not,鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淲e should expect more from these kids, not less, and we certainly should expect no less from the teachers that are teaching them.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. New Jersey Monitor maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Terrence T. McDonald for questions: [email protected].

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