New Jersey Administrative Code › Title 9A - HIGHER EDUCATION › Chapter 10 - STUDENT LOAN AND COLLEGE SAVINGS PROGRAMS › Subchapter 8 - LOAN REDEMPTION PROGRAM FOR TEACHERS IN HIGH-NEED FIELDS EMPLOYED IN LOW-PERFORMING SCHOOLS › Section 9A:10-8.2 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 14, July 15, 2024
The following words and terms, when used in this subchapter, shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Authority" means the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority.
"Department" means the Department of Education.
"Executive Director" means the Executive Director of the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority.
"High-need field" means a subject area or field of expertise in which there is a shortage of qualified teachers in the State, as determined by the Department of Education and reported to the United States Department of Education. The Department shall reassess its designation of high-need fields at least every five years. The Authority shall provide a link to the list of high-need fields that is posted on the United States Department of Education's website.
"Low-performing school" means any public school at which, among all students in that school to whom a State assessment was administered, the sum of the percent of students scoring in the not-yet-meeting expectations and partially meeting expectations categories in both the language arts and mathematics subject areas of the State assessments exceeded 40 percent in each of the prior two school years; or in either the language arts or mathematics subject areas of the State assessment exceeded 65 percent in each of the prior two school years. A school shall continue to be designated a low-performing school until such time that the sum of the percent of students scoring in the not-yet-meeting expectations and partially meeting expectations categories in both the language arts and mathematics subject areas of the State assessments is less than, or equal to, the sum of the Statewide percent of students scoring in the not-yet-meeting expectations and partially meeting expectations categories on the corresponding Statewide assessments. The term "low-performing schools" is defined solely for the purposes of this loan redemption program. For all other purposes, the
Department of Education uses the term "comprehensive and targeted schools", which should not be conflated with this definition.
"Program" means the Loan Redemption Program for Teachers in High-Need Fields Employed in Low-Performing Schools established pursuant to P.L. 2021, c. 384.
"Program participant" means an undergraduate student borrower under the New Jersey College Loans to Assist State Students (NJCLASS) Loan Program established pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:71C-21 who, after January 18, 2022, the effective date of P.L. 2021, c. 384, is initially hired by a school district to work as a teacher in a high-need field in a low-performing school, and who is employed in a high-need field in a low-performing school at the time of application.
"Public school" means a school located within a district board of education or within a charter or a renaissance school board of trustees.
"Teacher" means a person who holds an instructional certification or educational services certification from the Department.
"Total and permanent disability" means a physical or mental disability that is expected to continue indefinitely or result in death and renders a Program participant unable to perform that person's employment obligation, as determined by the Executive Director, or the Executive Director's designee.