By Adam Clark | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on March 07, 2017 at 8:45 AM, updated March 07, 2017 at 11:42 AM
TRENTON — Facing a shortage of bilingual teachers in its public schools, New Jersey has made it easier to become one.
The state Board of Education this month approved what education officials called a “slight relaxation” to the score teachers need on the written proficiency test for bilingual teachers, a move officials expect will boost the number of bilingual educators by 10 to 15 percent.
The change applies only to prospective teachers for students learning English as their second language. It does not affect foreign language teachers for native English speakers.
Despite the lower qualifications, the state isn’t expecting any decline in the quality of its bilingual teachers, said Mark Biedron, president of the Board of Education.
“I am confident that teachers coming through the program will be highly proficient,” Biedron said.