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Certification news & updates

See the latest updates and news regarding certification policies: 

Regents approve waiver process for content knowledge certification exam requirement

Last school year, the state Board of Regents approved the establishment of a waiver process for the content knowledge certification exam requirement for New York State teacher certification. Candidates who score within 0.5 standard error of measurement (SEM) of the passing score on a required content specialty test (see the qualifying scores at the bottom of this webpage) may apply for a waiver if they achieve at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA or its equivalent in the college program leading to their education degree at an accredited institution. A second option, still in development, would allow these candidates to apply for a waiver if they achieve a satisfactory level of performance on a portfolio assessment to demonstrate their depth of subject matter knowledge on the content specialty test they did not pass. Members who want to avail themselves of this opportunity can call the union at 212-331-6311 and ask to speak to a UFT certification specialist, or learn more on the NYSED website. 

Content core requirement reduced to obtain additional teaching certificate

The state Board of Regents has reduced the content core requirement for the "Additional Classroom Teaching Certificate" pathway from 30 semester hours to 18 semester hours. The change took effect on April 23. The following certificate titles are affected:

  • Grades 5-9: Biology, chemistry, earth science, English language arts, mathematics, social studies, physics and foreign language certificates.
  • Grades 7-12: Biology, chemistry, earth science, English language arts, mathematics, social studies, physics and foreign language certificates.
  • Special subjects (all grades): Dance, family and consumer sciences, health education, music, physical education, technology education, theater and visual arts.
  • Other subjects (all grades): Agriculture and business and marketing.

Take updated child abuse training as soon as possible if you have not done so

New York State required all mandated reporters, including classroom teachers, educational administrators and pupil personnel service providers, to complete an updated child abuse training by April 1, 2025. If you did not take the course by the initial deadline, take it as soon as possible to ensure you will be able to apply for additional state certificates or re-register current ones. Members can take the free, two-hour training course via the state Office of Children and Family Services to satisfy this updated requirement.

Opportunities for teachers to earn ENL certification and bilingual education extensions

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) adopted a temporary modification to certification requirements so teachers may obtain a supplementary English as a new language certification and/or a supplementary bilingual education extension to support new immigrants or asylum-seeking students.

Once issued, the supplementary ENL certification remains in effect for five years. Applicants may renew the supplementary bilingual education extension one time for three more years from the effective date of the renewal only if they obtained their first extension through this flexibility and meet the requirements for the extension as described above.

Those who are interested can apply for the ENL certificate and/or the bilingual extension until Aug. 31, 2026. Because the Bilingual Education Assessment can only be taken on a limited number of dates, candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible for the test. See more information about these certification modifications on the state Education Department website. 

Certified teachers and pupil personnel services professionals (i.e., social workers, school counselors and psychologists) can now complete either the examination requirement or the enrollment and education requirements, instead of both sets of requirements. This temporary flexibility will allow candidates to pass the Bilingual Education Assessment (BEA) and/or the Content Specialty Test (CST) in ESOL, if available, in lieu of completing coursework and matriculating in a registered program leading to a bilingual education extension and/or an ENL certificate. See a list of required tests and registration information »

Tenured teachers working in a monolingual school license in Special Education, who also hold a valid New York State bilingual extension, may change to a bilingual license and will receive a $5,000 incentive. Special education teachers who switch and work under the new license will also receive a waiver so they will not sacrifice tenure or lose seniority and will not face a one-year probation period. This initiative has been extended through the 2025-26 school year. 

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