Education Requirements

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If you are interested in becoming a teacher in New York, the New York State Education Department Office of Teaching Initiatives (518-474-3901) expects that you complete an approved teacher preparation program in the state, and hold a bachelor’s degree at minimum.

Did you graduate from an out-of-state teacher preparation program? You may request an individual evaluation of your credentials from New York’s regional certification offices. Once your credentials have been evaluated, you will be notified of what, if any, additional requirements you must meet before becoming certified to teach in New York.

Are you a graduate of a non-U.S. teaching program? If so, you must submit materials as described here for an individual evaluation of your credentials. You will be notified if you are deficient in any of the state’s teacher certification requirements.

Certification Options
You will receive one of the following types of New York teaching certificates when you apply, depending upon your qualifications:

• Initial – This is the entry-level teaching certificate issued to most traditional first-time applicants. It is valid for five years.
• Professional – This certificate may be obtained after holding an initial certificate, and is considered to be at the advanced level certification. It remains continuously valid so long as you complete the necessary professional development hours every five years.
• Provisional –This certificate is only used for pupil personnel professionals (also called paraprofessionals). It is valid for five years.
• Permanent – Obtained after the provisional certificate, this is the advanced level certificate for pupil personnel professionals. It is valid for life.

Search this database for a detailed listing of certification requirements for the various grade levels, areas of interest, and subject areas.

Examinations

Visit the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations Home Page (NYSTCE) for a comprehensive overview of testing requirements for teachers in the state.

Basic skills testing:
In order to receive an initial teaching certificate, you must pass the NYSTCE Liberal Arts and Sciences Test (LAST), and the elementary or the secondary version of the Assessment of Teaching Skills—Written (ATS–W).

Content area assessment testing:
You must pass the NYSTCE Content Specialty Test (CST) in your area of certification:

• Early Childhood Education (Birth – Grade 2)
• Early Childhood Education (Students With Disabilities, Birth-Grade 2)
• Childhood Education:
• Pre K-6
• Grades 1-6
• Birth-Grade 6
• Middle Childhood Education (Grades 5-9):
• Generalist
• Students With Disabilities, Generalist
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Earth Science
• English
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Social Studies
• Secondary/Adolescent Education (Grades 7-12):
• Students With Disabilities, Generalist
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Earth Science
• English
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Social Studies
• Literacy:
• Grades 5-12
• Pre K- 12 (All Grades)
• Birth-Grade 6
• Pre K- 12 (All Grades):
• Agricultural Teaching
• Blind and Visually Impaired
• Business and Marketing
• Dance
• Deaf and Hard of Hearing
• Educational Technology
• English to Speakers of Other Languages
• Family and Consumer Sciences
• Health
• Library Science
• Music
• Physical Education
• Special Education
• Speech and Language Disabilities
• Technology Education
• Theatre
• Visual Arts
• Students With Disabilities:
• Childhood, Grades 1-6
• Early Childhood, Birth-Grade 2
• Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Foreign Languages:
• Afrikaans
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Albanian
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• American Sign Language
• Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Arabic
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Armenian
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Bengali
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Cantonese
• Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Chinese
• Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Czechoslovakian
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Dutch
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Farsi
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• French
• Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• German
• Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Greek
• Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Haitian Creole
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Hebrew
• Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Hindi
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Hungarian
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Irish
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Italian
• Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Japanese
• Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Korean
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Latin
• Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Mandarin
• Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Mohawk
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Oneida
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Polish
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Portuguese
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Punjabi
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Rumanian
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Russian
• Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Seneca
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Spanish
• Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Students With Disabilities
• Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Swahili
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Swedish
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Tagalog
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Ukrainian
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Urdu
• Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12
• Vietnamese
• Adolescent, Grades 7-12

Experience Requirements

You will gain plenty of practical experience during your teacher preparation program. Your education classes will require you to enroll in a practicum, in which you will observe teacher(s) in a classroom setting, gleaning knowledge and classroom management strategies from them. You may be asked to lead the class and deliver lessons periodically during the practicum.

Next, you will participate in a student teaching field experience/internship. At this time, you will be placed in a classroom specific to the grade level and subject area for which you are pursuing certification. Student teaching will involve preparing lessons and leading the class. You may also be given an opportunity to assess student performance. A mentor teacher and official from your college program will observe some portion of your student teaching assignment. The duration of your student teaching assignment will vary depending upon your area of certification. For example, to be certified as an early childhood educator, you must have 40 days of student teaching.

Document and Application Requirements

Have you completed all education, experience, and examination requirements necessary to earn New York teacher certification? If so, you may apply online through the TEACH System for an Initial Certificate. You will be asked to submit the following documents to the New York State Department of Education Office of Teaching Initiatives:

• Official transcripts from colleges and universities attended, showing completion of a teacher preparation program and receipt of a degree
• Copies of any out-of-state teaching certificates you may have
• Institutional recommendation
• Score reports from the NYSTCE exams
• Experience verification form, if necessary
• Substitute of Experience for College Supervised Student Teaching form, if necessary

You will pay application fees online. Submit all of these items to the Office of Teaching Initiatives, New York State Education Department, 89 Washington Ave, 5N EB, Albany, New York 12234. You may check the status of your application at anytime here. If necessary, the Department will notify you of any additional requirements you must meet prior to certification.

Criminal History Background Check

As part of the initial teacher certification process in New York, fingerprinting and a criminal history background check will be performed. You must complete the Authorization to Forward Criminal History to NYCBOE, the Authorization to Forward Criminal History to NYSED, and fingerprint cards that will be sent to the FBI. Detailed instructions on the process may be found here.

After you have completed the fingerprint cards at your local law enforcement agency, mail them along with the proper fees to Fingerprint Processing, NYS Education Department, PO Box 7352, Albany, NY 12224. Your fingerprints will be processed through the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). You will not be certified as a New York teacher until all background checks and fingerprint processing have come back clear.

Contact Information

If you require more information on New York teacher preparation programs, search for them through this database.

For more information on teacher certification in New York, contact the New York State Education Department Office of Teaching Initiatives at 518-474-3901.