Summer is a good time to check on any outstanding items needed for state certification or to review state education policies if you are being appointed under a different license this upcoming school year. Read answers to common questions below and be sure to log in to your New York State TEACH account to check your progress. Also see the UFT's certification section of the website for additional information.
Who needs to be certified?
Classroom teachers, administrative and supervisory personnel, paraprofessionals and pupil personnel service professionals are required to hold a certificate issued by New York State to be employed in public schools.
What is the difference between a state certificate and a city license?
You must have New York State certification to be hired for a full-time teaching position in New York City. The position must match your state certificate. New York City no longer issues a separate license, but there is still an appointment process that must take place in the city Department of Education system once someone is hired. Your appointment date determines your tenure track and your seniority for excessing and layoffs.
Am I allowed to teach outside my license area?
State regulations permit teachers to be assigned no more than one period a day outside their license/appointment area when no certified or qualified teacher is available. However, if no certified or qualified teacher is available after extensive and documented recruitment, superintendents may assign certified teachers to teach a subject not covered by their certificate for up to 10 classroom hours a week.
This provision is called incidental teaching.
It’s important to note that teachers who do not hold special education certification cannot be assigned to incidental teaching positions for which special education certification is required.
How do I change licenses? What are the consequences to my tenure and seniority in doing so?
To change your license/appointment, you must have the state certificate needed for the new appointment and a principal’s recommendation to fill a vacancy in the new area.
If you switch licenses, you maintain all the seniority you have accrued. However, teachers who change their license/appointment area go back on probation for at least three years if they have tenure in the previous area and four years if they did not have tenure.
There is one exception: If you were appointed and already received tenure, but later teach under either an English as a New Language (ENL), bilingual extension or special education certification, your probationary period will be reduced to one year.
The return to probationary status can affect your standing in an excessing and layoff scenario.
Once you have attained tenure, you will assume your rightful place in seniority order, reflecting all your years of service in the DOE, within the new license. Learn more about tenure »
What exams are required for a New York State teaching certificate?
The main exams required for state certification are the Educating All Students (EAS) exam and the Content Specialty Test (CST). If a person is applying for a bilingual or special education certificate, additional exams are also required. As of April 2022, the edTPA exam is no longer required for state certification.
How much teaching or work experience is required to obtain a permanent or professional state certification?
The total number of years of experience required is two years for a permanent certificate and three for a professional one, but the state updated its definition of a “year of experience.” A minimum of 180 days over a 12-month period in an educational setting is still required, but as of March 30, 2022, the state permits a variety of part-time experiences to equal 180 or more days of full-time experience in a 12-month period. Periods of continuous work experience and teaching experience in the subject area of the certificate sought are also no longer required.
What is DASA training and who needs to complete it?
The Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) stipulates that anyone applying for a New York State teaching license or certificate after Dec. 31, 2013, must complete six hours of training on harassment, bullying and discrimination in schools.
Teachers, paraprofessionals, school counselors, school psychologists and school social workers applying for state certification must take this six-hour course, offered regularly by the UFT. This requirement includes members who are applying for new certificates (for example, paraprofessionals going from a Level 1 to a Level 2).
Members who meet one of the following criteria do not need to take the DASA course: a) permanently or professionally certified, b) hired by the DOE prior to 2004, or c) Level 3 certificate holders (paraprofessionals) and applicants for state certification prior to Jan. 1, 2014.
Which teachers and paraprofessionals need to earn CTLE hours to maintain their state certifications?
Teachers who hold professional teaching certificates and paraprofessionals who hold Level 3 teaching assistant certificates must complete 100 CTLE hours every five years to maintain their certification.
Teachers who hold entry-level certificates (initial, conditional initial, Transitional A, Transitional B or internship) and paraprofessionals who hold Level 1 or 2 teaching certificates do not need to collect CTLE hours. Teachers who hold permanent licenses do not need to obtain CTLE hours, although they must register on the New York State Education Department website every five years. Learn more about CTLE requirements »
Who must take the updated state child abuse and identification workshop?
State law requires all mandated reporters to have completed the updated training by April 1 of this year. This mandate applies even to those who have previously taken child abuse training and members with professional or permanent certifications. The updated curriculum includes protocols to reduce implicit bias in decision-making, identifying adverse childhood experiences and recognizing signs of abuse or maltreatment while interacting virtually with students.
If you missed the April 1 deadline, you must take the updated workshop as soon as possible. You will not be able to apply for additional state certificates or re-register current ones without it.