New York State Certification
Graduate Program in TESOL
New York State teachers, administrators, and pupil personnel service providers are required to hold a New York State certificate in order to be employed in the State’s public schools. The certificates are issued by the Office of Teaching Initiatives, and certify that an individual has met required degree, coursework, assessment, and experience requirements.
How to Apply for Certification Online
Be informed that certification is not an automatic process. The NYSED will notify you online about your evaluation history and issuing of your certificate. You must monitor your account.
You can only apply for certification in the area that has been endorsed on your transcript.
- When should I begin the application process?
- How soon will my certificate be issued?
- My application states it is still “Pending Final Review” or “Not Ready for Review.” What should I do?
- Why don't I have institutional recommendation from The College of Staten Island on my TEACH record?
- It states that the State does not have my fingerprint clearance on file, but I was fingerprinted by the New York City Department of Education. What should I do?
- How do I apply for my Professional Certificate online?
When should I begin the application process?
You can begin right away. Once you have registered with TEACH, you will be able to see what is on your record with the State.
How soon will my certificate be issued?
Initial certificates are often issued automatically on line once all requirements have been met. Professional certificates take longer because a NYSED certification specialist has to manually credit for the teaching experience you list.
My application states it is still “Pending Final Review” or “Not Ready for Review.” What should I do?
If you can view the evaluation history, this will often tell you which of your requirements are still deficient. Applications will not be ready for review if fees have not been paid, institutional recommendations not given; all certification exams are not passed, or if you have applied for a certificate but have not yet graduated.
Once your graduation is posted, and you have met all the requirements and have institutional recommendation, your status will change to “Ready for Review” and NYSED will then review your application.
Why don't I have institutional recommendation from The College of Staten Island on my TEACH record?
Institutional recommendations are given electronically and online once your graduation has been officially posted by the Office of the Registrar. Note that it may take up to a month for the college to process and enter your recommendation.
It states that the State does not have my fingerprint clearance on file, but I was fingerprinted by the New York City Department of Education. What should I do?
The New York City Department of Education and the New York State Education Department are separate entities and do not share criminal history of applicants due to privacy issues. If you have been cleared by the NYCDOE, you must submit an OSPRA 104 form to the City in order to authorize your clearance to be forwarded to the State; there is no fee with this form.
How do I apply for my Professional Certificate online?
If you completed a master’s degree at the college for the area you are requesting the Professional Certification, an institutional recommendation will be submitted for you upon graduation. You will need to apply for the certification on the TEACH website and you must provide a letter from the principal that you completed “3 years of continuous satisfactory teaching.” If you did not complete a graduate degree at the college for the certification area, you will need to apply for the certificate online via “Certificate Progression” pathway. The application fee is $100.00.”