• Each school is strongly encouraged to participate by selecting and registering one 2023-2024 Teacher of the Year & one 2023-2024 Educational Services Professional (ESP) of the Year by December 4, 2023 
• Schools taking part in educator recognition programs have found that participation promotes a culture that recognizes excellence, creates a sense of pride, & brings public attention to the work of outstanding educators 
• Every 2023-2024 Teacher of the Year & Educational Services Professional of the Year registered in the GEOY online system by December 4, 2023, will receive a state awards certificate from their County Office of Education in April-June 2024 
• Please refer to the Governor’s Educator of the Year Program Materials webpage to access all GEOY program documents & information 

Any educators nominated for this award must meet all the following requirements: 

• Be an exceptionally skilled and dedicated licensed classroom teacher (PreK through grade12 in a public or charter school) where teaching is the primary responsibility rather than administrative or supervisory responsibilities or an educational services professional who is listed as one of the eligible enrollment areas 
• Must have the latest summative rating of at least effective; if the teacher or the ESP has not received a summative rating at the time of application, then their most current practice rating should be at least effective or the equivalent 
• Be an expert in the field who inspires students of all backgrounds and abilities to learn 
• Actively collaborates with colleagues, students, and families to create a strong culture of respect and success 
• Demonstrate leadership and innovation in educational activities at the school, district and/or state and national levels that take place both within and outside the school setting 
• Have the respect and administration of students, parents, and colleagues 
• Have not earned the title of Teacher of the Year or ESP of the Year for the past five years 
• Note: There is no requirement for minimum number of years in the classroom; please note that this is an award based on merit and leadership and not to be given out solely based on years of service, such as a retirement award 

To compete for Educational Services Professional (ESP) of the Year nominees must be classified as one of the following: 

• Anti-Bullying Specialist 
• Athletic Trainer 
• Behavior Specialist 
• Child Study Team 
• Cooperative Education Coordinator/Hazardous Occupations 
• Educational Interpreter (Cued Speech, Transliteration, Oral Interpreting, Sign Language Interpreting) 
• Guidance / School Counselor 
• Learning Disabilities Teacher Consultant 
• Library Media Specialist 
• Mathematics Specialist/Mathematics Coach 
• Nurse (Instructional and Non-instructional) 
• Occupational Therapist 
• Paraprofessional (Instructional) 
• Physical Therapist 
• Psychologist 
• Reading Specialist/Literacy Coach 
• Social Worker 
• Speech Language Specialist 
• Student Assistant Coordinator 
• Technology Coach 

To select your Teacher & Educational Services Professional of the Year, principal must:

• Solicit nominations from the entire school community (administrators, staff members, students, parents and community members) for teacher and educational services professional awardees using the required nomination form (can be found on the GEOY Program Materials webpage) and ensuring nominations are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex national origin, age or handicap
• Please specify a deadline on the nomination form for them to be returned to allow enough time for the panel to meet and score the candidates to determine the recipients by November 28, 2023
• This will then leave enough time to register the recipients in the GEOY online form by the 4 p.m. December 4, 2023, deadline 
• If you followed this process in the spring of 2023 and selected your 2023-2024 eligible recipients, please consider registering them in the GEOY online form by December 4, 2023
• Verify that nominees meet all the eligibility criteria (can be found on the GEOY Program Materials webpage) before sending the nomination forms on to the selection committee 
• Form a selection panel of at least four (4) members who represent a cross section of administrators, board members, teachers, educational services professionals, parents, and local education association representatives. The panel should represent the diversity of the school community and must be refreshed every three (3) years
• If applicable, the outgoing Teacher of the Year and Educational Services Professional of the Year should be on the panel
• Have the selection committee score nominees using the required nomination form scoring guide (can be found on the GEOY Program Materials webpage) and select the highest scoring teacher and educational services professional by November 28, 2023 
• A completed School Information Form (can be found on the GEOY Program Materials webpage) with nominee’s scores will now have to be uploaded to the GEOY online form; please save this form first before uploading. If there is difficulty when uploading, try to scan form in black and white and then upload 
• Register the Teacher & ESP of the Year in the GEOY online form on or before 4 p.m. on December 4, 2023 by following the online form instructions (can be found on the GEOY Program Materials webpage). This will automatically make them eligible for a state awards certificate to be given out by the County Office of Education in April-June 2024 
• Notify all nominees of their status by December 8, 2023, as the New Jersey Department of Education will be emailing each Teacher of the Year on December 18, 2023, encouraging them to apply for County Teacher of the Year using the new online application process
• For the Teacher of the Year only, the principal should:
  • Encourage them to apply online for County Teacher of the Year during the online application window from December 22, 2023, until January 31, 2024 
  • Share with them the County Teacher of the Year Online Application Components document as well as the County Teacher of the Year Application Rubric (can be found on the GEOY Program Materials webpage) so they can get a general sense of what completing the application entails 
  • Print the GEOY online form confirmation page with the GEOY ID Code and share with the Teacher of the Year; they will need this info to compete for County Teacher of the Year
• The online application will automatically generate an email where each principal and superintendent will still need to verify the application prior to the candidate submitting it
• Each County Office of Education will be receiving all submitted applications automatically, therefore there is no documentation that you need to send to your county office
• Each County Office will then select and notify all County Teacher of the Year applicants by April 10, 2024

• Please access all pertinent dates on the Timelines document (can be found on the GEOY Program Materials webpage) 
• Please note that for your Teacher & ESP of the Year to receive a state awards certificate, they need to be registered in the GEOY online form by 4 p.m. on December 4, 2023 

• Electronic copies of all forms and instructions can be found on the GEOY Program Materials webpage) (https://www.nj.gov/education/recognition/educators/geoy/materials/index.shtml)  
• If you have any questions please reach out to Nancy Besant, Educator Recognition Programs Coordinator at the New Jersey Department of Education, at EducatorRecognition@doe.nj.gov