NJ State Certification

Please read all the directions below:

Rider students may prepare for NJ state certification through our Office of Field Placement and State Certification for up to one year of the graduation date for completing their corresponding Rider Education program(s). To take advantage of this nomination service, proceed through the 4 steps, including completing the questionnaire found in step 3 during the final semester of your certification program. If in the meantime you have further certification related questions, or need help navigating the NJEdCert system, please email Jeanette Friscia, Certification Coordinator, at jfriscia@rider.edu and include your Bronc ID and the program you are completing along with your question. Ideally include some times and dates of your availability to meet over Zoom as Zoom appointments are welcomed and encouraged.

Here are the 4 steps required during your final semester to get NJ certifications underway.

1. Apply to graduate - As an anticipated program completer for the current semester, log into your MyRider account and select “apply for graduation.” This step is required, whether applying for completion of a degree program or a certification program or both. Each degree/certification program is handled individually so be sure to apply for each accordingly. Students will be charged the graduation fee upon applying for their degree program. And they will NOT be charged for non-degree/certification program completions but each require applying to graduate in order for the program clearance process to take place through the Registrar's Office which leads to awarding onto the transcript.
2. Establish your NJEdCert account in the New Jersey Dept. of Education’s new application system. If you've already established your NJEdCert account you may skip this step and move on to Step 3.   You'll find guidance tips here for the information you'll need to have on hand to set up your account. (DO NOT APPLY FOR CERTIFICATION AT THIS POINT, YOU MUST WAIT FOR THE NOMINATION PROCESS AND EMAIL NOTIFICATION DESCRIBED IN STEP 4 BELOW). Depending if and when you acquired previous certifications or credentials, you may have already established your NJEdCert account. Here are the options: 
   • a) If you recently applied for a substitute credential or other certification on or after May 31, 2022 you've already established your NJEdCert account and may skip this step, but note your NJEdCert email address (also known as your username) for the questionnaire in step 3.
   • b) If you have previous certification(s) in the old TCIS system (applications made prior to May 25, 2022*), your data, including your name and email address need to match exactly to how they were listed previously in order to tie the records together in order to avoid creating a duplicate account with no previous certifications.  You can look up your NJ DOE Tracking Number(s) through a search tool at the bottom of the NJEdCert page. It's below the "Log In" and "Create Account" buttons, titled "Educator License Search" Also, you may reach out to Jeanette Friscia (jfriscia@rider.edu) if you need help identifying the email address you used previously to assist in accurately connecting your new NJEdCert account to your previous certifications. Be especially careful creating your account if you’ve had a name change since the previous certification system, because you'll need to create your new NJEdCert account under that previous name so that the new system recognizes you and connects your previous certifications. Then once your account is created, you'll proceed with the name change process found in the customer service portal on the home page of your NJEdCert account.
     *substitute applications made prior to mid 2021 are paper format only and do not have a tracking number and will probably NOT be listed within the TCIS or the new NJEdCert systems.
   • c) IF this is your first experience with certifications, you’ll start by creating your NJEdCert account and leave the TCIS Tracking Number question blank. 
     
     *Be very careful creating your account, use a computer or laptop, not your phone. Be mindful of autofill features.  Make sure all information is double-checked before actually entering it. Here are some general instructions, noting exceptions above:
     • Use your full legal name. (exception for previous TCIS account holders under a previous last name as explained in step 2 b.  You will need to do a name change AFTER creating your new NJEdCert account in your previous name so that your previous certifications stay in your records.)
     • You’ll also input your ETS candidate number if applicable, which is found on the top left corner on your Praxis Test Taker Score Reports.  And if you’ve taken any OPI or WPT exams (applies to ESL, Bilingual and World Languages certifications) prepare to input the email address you used in conjunction with creating your account with Language Testing International (LTI) (languagetesting.com)
     • A tip to be sure you've created your account successfully, is that you'll be able to see any previous certifications in the certification section of the home page.
     • As a doublecheck within your established NJEdCert account, navigate to the top left, and click on the three bars to open a menu.  Select "All My Data" and review all your data to see that it has been entered correctly.  If at this point, you find any issues, you will need to reach out to the NJ DOE to find out what is required to get them fixed. The NJDOE Customer Service phone line (609-292-2070) operates from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. weekdays except state holidays.
     • DO NOT apply for your certification at this point.  The goal is simply to create your account in advance of being nominated, and in order to fully complete the questionnaire (link in step 3), and then wait to be nominated by Rider University after transcripts finalize. The "nomination" process (described in step 4) is the fastest, most expedited way to achieve certification.
3. The certification questionnaire - After you've successfully created your NJEdCert account, and as soon as you start the final semester of your certification program you may complete the certification questionnaire here making sure you're logged into your Rider email account in order to access this Rider University form. This questionnaire will provide the information Rider needs in order to "nominate" you, which is the fastest most expedited way to achieve certification. For previous program completers, the NJDOE allows Rider to nominate you for up to one year after program completion so if you've already completed your program, as long as it was less than one year ago, please complete the form as soon as possible and notify Jeanette Friscia by email. All applicable test requirements need to be completed before you can be nominated. You'll be able to upload these within the questionnaire. If all testing requirements are not met by the time you are completing the questionnaire, you will want to convey planned test dates and follow through with your Test Taker Score Report through email to jfriscia@rider.edu as soon as they become available within the one year time period. Make sure to list Rider University and the NJDOE as official score recipients during the registration period.
4. The nomination** process - After your transcript is awarded with your certification program completion, (which happens approximately two to three weeks after your program completion date), a process called nomination will take place in the Office of Field Placement and State Certification using the information you provided on the questionnaire. This process will automate a nomination email from the NJDOE to the email account associated with your NJEdCert account, (which should be the same email address you input on the questionnaire.) The nomination email will contain directions to take you back into your NJEdCert account so you can accept the nomination(s) and have them become active. This new nomination process is the fastest, most expedited way to achieve certification.  YOU MUST WAIT FOR THE NOMINATION EMAIL BEFORE CLICKING THE "APPLY NOW" BUTTON. Then, the next screen will acknowledge your nomination and provide a box to check "yes" to accept each nomination individually.  After you accept each nomination, you must process through the payment section found in the breadcrumbs near the top of the webpage. Lastly, once you've completed accepting your nomination and payment, confirm by going back to your home page where you should now see your certification(s) listed in "Active" status.
   
   **Alternate-Route programs are an exception to the nomination process. Alternate-Route students will still apply to graduate for each program, and complete the questionnaire during your final semester, but instead of the nomination process, your district will initiate certification by a process called the "conversion to standard." This should happen after your Rider program and your two year provisional steps are both completed. That is why it is recommended to keep in good communication with your district and to keep an eye on your NJEdCert account because once the conversion application process starts you'll have 30 days in "pending payment" status before it expires.  Then once payment is made, the conversion to standard application moves to "pending documentation" status for up to six months, if needed, before it expires.  Once the conversion starts you will receive communication and along with making the payment and other possible steps, you'll need to arrange for a Verification of Program Completion (VOPC) form to generate to Rider electronically by an email process that occurs within the NJEdCert system.  In order to get the VOPC email form to generate, you'll click on a case in your NJEdCert account and click on the Program and Employment tab and then click on the New tab.  Once there, enter your Rider program name, completion date, and enter the certificationoffice@rider.edu email address.  Entering this information on your end will allow the electronic VOPC email to come through to Rider to complete for you.  Verification of Program Completion (VOPC) forms may be completed as soon as transcripts finalize but you won't be able to be generate this automated form until your district starts the conversion.   (your transcript finalizes with your program awarded onto your Rider transcript approximately two or three weeks after your graduation date so that is the earliest time that a VOPC can be completed).  More information about the Alternate Route process may be found here.

Need more help?  Please email questions to our certification coordinator, Jeanette Friscia, at jfriscia@rider.edu. Zoom requests are welcomed and encouraged. Simply list a few dates and times you are available to Zoom within your email inquiry.

Additional certifications: Applicants must apply directly with the state for additional certifications for which they may qualify but did not complete a formal Rider program.  

Out-of-state licensure: Please see State Websites for some resources that may help you with your research. Also, if the other state requires verification of program completion (VOPC) forms, they may be mailed to us or emailed to certifcationoffice@rider.edu as needed. Transcript requests will go through the Registrar's Office.

New Jersey Certification Fees (PDF) 

Get an idea of what's next for newly hired first time teachers.

ATTN: Advanced program completer certification applicants

These certifications require that you have a master's degree and you'll need to obtain a Verification of Employment letter. These are needed ONLY for the following certifications and minimum requirements are:

• Principal: 5 years professional experience
• Teacher Leader: 4 years teaching experience and two effective or highly effective annual summative ratings in the three most recent years
• Supervisor: 3 years professional experience
• Reading Specialist: 3 years professional experience

Acceptable documentation may be in the form of a letter on district letterhead from your Personnel Office (Principal or H.R. Dept. as applicable) reflecting the minimum years of full-time employment for your respective certification area. It should contain your name, position title, start date and the time period you held the position or through present. This letter must be dated and signed by appropriate personnel and may be emailed as a pdf or mailed directly from your school district personnel office to Jeanette Friscia, Certification Coordinator, at jfriscia@rider.edu. or by mail to Rider University, Attn: Jeanette Friscia, State Certification, 2083 Lawrenceville Road, Lawrenceville, NJ  08648. Multiple employer letters may be needed to meet the total number of years required, depending on the length of time for each position held.