Become a Health Teacher in New Jersey

<p>Health teachers will not earn their certificate to teach in New Jersey without obtaining a master's degree in their field. This credential comes with passing a basic skills assessment and a full background investigation before entering the Provisional Teacher Process, leading to an advanced certificate. </p> <p /> <table border="1"><tr><td>Education/Experience Required</td><td>Master's degree in health education, teacher preparation program</td></tr> <tr><td>Exams Required</td><td>Basic skills assessment; Praxis Health &amp; Physical Education Content exam</td></tr> <tr><td>Certificate Validity</td><td>Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standing issued after completing exams and teacher education program; no extension required in New Jersey</td></tr> <tr><td>Certificate Extension</td><td>Standard Certificate issued after finishing two years of training in the Provisional Teacher Program (PTP)</td></tr> <tr><td>Average New Jersey Salary (2018)</td><td>$76,390 for high school, $72,290 for middle school, and $70,660 for elementary school teachers*</td></tr> <tr><td>National Job Growth (2016-2026)</td><td>8% for middle and high school, 7% for kindergarten and elementary school teachers*</td></tr> </table><p><i>Source: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</i> </p> <h3 id="section---JobDescription">Job Description</h3> <p>Health teachers can instruct students in various grades about the principles of wellness and illness prevention in their bodies. Various systems within the body and concepts of nutrition might be covered during your classes, with age-appropriate lesson plans applied to different students. You could also teach your students about the uses of different medicines and how exercise can keep them healthy. You will usually work for ten months of the year, starting in late August and concluding in June. The number of students you see per day will depend on the type of school building where you're employed. </p> <h3 id="section---EducationAndTrainingRequirements">Education and Training Requirements</h3> <p>To become a health teacher within New Jersey, you will need to earn a graduate degree, such as a Master of Science in Health Sciences and School Health Education. You might be able to earn this advanced degree on a part-time basis, allowing you to focus on an existing career before you earn your certificate. You might cover topics in your classes that include curriculum development, health care organization, and research techniques. Before you earn your master's degree, you will go through a teacher education program, allowing you to teach your own course in a supervised setting. </p> <h3 id="section---ExamRequirements">Exam Requirements</h3> <p>Before you can apply for your teaching certificate, New Jersey requires a basic skills assessment to be completed. You can use your scores from the SAT or ACT for this, but if you haven't taken them, Praxis offers the Core Academic Skills for Educators exam, a three-part test in math, reading, and writing. You can take all three tests at once or schedule several different appointments. Health teachers must also pass the health and Physical Education: Content Knowledge test, which has one section for health education and another for physical education. </p> <h3 id="section---CertificationRequirements">Certification Requirements</h3> <p>Once you have met all of the administrative requirements for your school district, you can apply for your Certificate of Eligibility; passing your exams and earning your master's degree should grant you a certificate with Advanced Standing. This certificate also lets you start the Provisional Teacher Process, where you can begin in New Jersey as a full-time public-school teacher. Similar to your student teaching experience, you will work with the education department for two years before they give you a recommendation for the next level of certification. Once you earn the Standard Certificate, you won't need to earn anything else, as this credential does not expire.</p>