Teacher Education (Alternate Route)
Alternate Route to Teaching
Have you ever thought about becoming a teacher? If you have a Bachelor’s degree, but do not have teaching certification, then this program may be right for you. County College of Morris, in collaboration with Brookdale Community College, offers prospective teachers the opportunity to obtain their New Jersey K-12 teaching certification through Brookdale’s non-credit Alternate Route to Teaching Community College Program (ART-CC). ART-CC is a 400-hour teacher preparation program. This non-credit, professional development program provides candidates with the skills and strategies necessary to become excellent, successful teachers.
To become a licensed teacher without completing a traditional teacher training program, you must already hold a bachelor’s degree (or higher) with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater if you graduated September 2016 or later. For candidates completing degrees before that, a GPA of 2.75 or higher is required.
Before beginning the alternate route to teaching process, prospective candidates should review the following websites:
• NJ Department of Education: https://www.nj.gov/education/certification/cte/alternate.shtml
• Teacher Candidate Basic Skills Requirement:
› Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a cumulative 2.75 GPA (if you graduated prior to September 2016) or a 3.0 GPA (if you graduated after September 2016) or higher from a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree program.
› Meet the content requirements. You must have the equivalent of a major in the subject you want to teach or 64 credits in liberal arts for an elementary certificate. Check the requirements at https://www.nj.gov/education/certification/certsandtitles/
• Brookdale Community College Alternate Route to Teaching: https://www.brookdalecc.edu/continuinged/careerdevelopment/alternative-route-to-teaching/
Candidates complete the 50-hour Introduction to Teaching – Preservice course at CCM. After the introduction, the remaining 350 hours are spread across six courses of online learning at Brookdale. Please contact Brookdale Community College for more information on the following courses:
The Processes of Teaching and Learning 90 hours
Deep Learning and Effective Cross Content Applications 60 hours
Embracing Multiculturalism as Globally Competent Teachers 45 hours
Assessment – Planning, Instructing, and Assessing 50 hours
Exceptionality and Special Education: Legalities, Current Practices & Teacher’s Roles 50 hours
A Community of Practice 55 hours
Performance Measure Lab
For further information on the Brookdale program, email Karin Swan, Program Administrator at kswan@brookdalecc.edu or visit the Brookdale Alternate Route website at https://www.brookdalecc.edu/continuinged/careerdevelopment/alternative-route-to-teaching/.
Students may enter the first of the six Brookdale courses, The Processes of Teaching and Learning, without a contracted teaching position, however continued enrollment in the program requires students to have a full-time contract teaching position and enrollment in the NJ Department of Education, Provisional Teacher Program. Completion of the ART-CC program will confer the NJDOE CE-VOPC (Continuing Education—Verification of Program Completion). A Standard Certificate will be issued after the candidate successfully teaches for an additional two years.
Concurrently during the preservice phase, candidates should complete the NJDOE requirements to obtain a Certificate of Eligibility to teach. See the NJDOE website for the required documents.
A Provisional Certificate will be issued by the NJDOE through the school district in which the candidate works after the candidate completes the 50 hours of preservice, accepted an offer of employment, confirmed enrollment in an alternate route to teaching program and is enrolled in a district mentoring program.
CCM’s Alternate Route to Teaching - 50 Hour Preservice Component course meets the entrance requirements of Brookdale Community College and New Jersey City University. For further information on the Brookdale program, email Karin Swan at kswan@brookdalecc.edu or visit the Brookdale Alternate Route website at https://www.brookdalecc.edu/continuinged/careerdevelopment/alternative-route-to-teaching/. Individuals who would like to obtain master’s level credits while completing an alternate route to teaching program should review the requirements of New Jersey City University’s New Pathways to Teaching program.
| Course Code | Course Title | CEUs |
|---|---|---|
| ALT-113E | Alternate Route to Teaching - 50 Hour Preservice Component | 3 |
For information on current course offerings and how to register, go to www.ccm.edu/workforce/
