A new state law will mean new requirements regarding certification and the tracking of professional development hours (also known as Continuing Teacher and Leader Education, or CTLE, hours).

New online registration requirement

If you hold a permanent, professional or Level III teaching assistant certificate, new regulations require that you register with the state during the 2016–17 school year through your online TEACH account.

Registering online is a way of verifying your identity and alerting the state that you wish to keep your teaching certificate active. There is no fee associated with registration.

Who needs to register?

• Teachers holding permanent certificates
• Teachers holding professional certificates
• Paraprofessionals holding Level III Teaching Assistant certificates
• Retired teachers who wish to maintain their certification

Teachers who hold Initial, Transitional A, Transitional B, Internship or Conditional Initial certificates and paraprofessionals who hold Level I or Level II Teaching Assistant certificates do not need to register.

If your professional or Level III teaching certificate is issued after July 1, you will be registered automatically.

When must I register?

Beginning July 1, you should register during the month of your birth. If you were born in July, you will register in July; if you were born in August, you will register in August, etc.

How do I register?

• You will register through your TEACH account by logging on with your username and password.
• If you have never created a TEACH account, you must self-register with TEACH by creating an account; then you will log on to register.

How does the new state law affect how I track PD hours?

• Professional and Level III teaching assistant certificate holders are required to collect and track 100 PD hours in each five-year cycle.
• Permanent certificate holders are still not required to track PD hours.
• Everyone who registers will begin a new five-year PD cycle in the 2016–17 school year.
• Any PD hours you complete after July 1, 2016, will count toward your 100-hour requirement, even if you do not register until later in the year.

Read a Q&A about the new requirements »

See a chart about registration and CTLE hours »

See more information on the State Education Department's Office of Teaching Initiatives website »

Questions? Find out how to contact an educational liaison in your UFT borough office »