Educator Certification

The Brooklyn College Preparation Programs lead to New York State certification.

Refer to this website and to the Office of Teaching Initiatives site for current information, as regulations may change over time. It is important to double check all information.

• Access your New York State Certification TEACH account.

If you are not already receiving e-mail from Brooklyn College at your preferred e-mail address, you can update your address by going to the BC WebCentral Portal, then navigating to My Info > My Email and Text Message Subscriptions. Select the option for "news from institutional departments."

You must complete all of the following steps for certification. You can complete the steps in any order. For more details, see the information below and in the links.

• Complete your education requirement. 
• Complete your certification tests.
• Complete your mandated workshops.
• Complete your fingerprint clearance documentation.
• Complete your application for New York State certification.

Complete your education requirement. Before you complete your program you must file for a graduation audit on time

You must complete your program as one of your requirements for certification. To file for "graduation" / program completion, apply via your Self-Service area in CUNYfirst. Complete the instructions given in your degree audit letter. Your "graduation" / program completion must be confirmed by the registrar and Faculty Council.

Information about commencement ceremonies is available on the commencement website. 

Teaching Fellows and Teach for America students: Call 718.951.4800, and the staff will advise you on the steps needed.

All other students: Before you graduate, go to the New York State TEACH site and create an account or check your existing TEACH account.

If you do not receive confirmation by email that your recommendation for certification was entered by the timeline above, you can contact the Certification Officer. Note that your mandated workshops must be verified and your program completion must be confirmed. Check the "degree checkout" section of your CUNYfirst account to be sure your degree has been confirmed. Refer to the expedited processing section below for more information.

Complete Your Certification Tests

Testing Resources and Information

EXAM SAFETY NET OPTIONS :  The test safety net is an option you can use to fulfill some of the NY State certification testing requirements if you can meet the safety net deadlines.  Be sure to check the rules, deadlines, and procedures at the Office of Teaching Initiatives site  www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert for current information and further updates.  Be sure to check the safety net deadline chart posted on that site and read all of the details posted.

NEW: The safety net for the EAS (Educating All Students) has been extended until the revised EAS becomes operational. The safety net for the edTPA is extended until the date a new passing score for the edTPA is approved by the Commissioner or June 30, 2018, whichever is earlier. 

ALST (Academic Literacy Skills Test): The Board of Regents eliminated the requirement that teacher candidates take and pass the ALST  to obtain an initial teaching certificate. Pearson is handling all aspects of exam registration/cancellation/refunds. Applicants can check Pearson's website for an update.

CST (Content Specialty Test) : The current safety net rules state that you can take either the “predecessor CST” or the “revised CST” for certain tests until certain dates. The “predecessor CST” is  the “safety net” version of the test. The revised CST is the current version, if the test has been revised. 

CST tests for English, math,  the early childhood and childhood Multi-subject tests, physical education, students with disabilities and some other subjects redeveloped before Oct. 2016 (check here) .  If you take the safety net ("predecessor") version of the test for those subjects, the current deadline to pass that test is  June 30, 2017, then you will need to complete the rest of your certification requirements for your initial certificate, on or before June 30, 2018.   

The CST multi-subject secondary grades 7-12  has a separate safety net deadline and procedure, there is no safety net test for this CST.

The CST for Social Studies and Spanish CST: deadline for completing the safety net CST is currently 6/30/19.

There is no safety net option for the science subjects, music, and visual arts CST tests yet since they have not been redeveloped. 

Check the test revision schedule to know if your CST test has been "redeveloped": check these links: NYSTCE Testing Program Update and Safety Net CSTs.

New York State Certification Exams and Practice Material

• CUNY resources for candidates and faculty, posted on Blackboard (pdf)
• New York State Certification Exams—Overview 
• CUNY teacher certification exam support resources
• Test preparation materials posted by NYSTCE
• Guidance on videotaping requirements for teacher candidates (pdf). When you are working on the edTPA, you can use these forms.
• FAQ about tests, including the edTPA handbook needed for each certification area 
• For more information on finding a test site, visit Pearson's Test Center Search or the Pearson website for New York State Teacher Certification Examinations, or call 800.989.8532. 

Tests required for first initial certification (if you are not already certified in New York State) for most certification areas:

Be sure you check the requirements for your certification area. If you are not already certified, and you are applying for certification related to your college program, check requirements for the "Pathway: Approved Teacher Preparation Program". If you are already certified, check the requirements for an additional certificate. To check if your program leads to certification, you can refer to the college bulletin online.

• edTPA:  Most students will work on  the tasks for this assessment during student teaching. Handbooks and rubrics for this assessment will be provided and processed through the Tk20 system as your Integrated edTPA platform provider. Check the portfolio section or your Tk20 account for your handbook and materials. Handbooks were updated in September, 2016. If you need a handbook, please contact  the TK20 Brooklyn College Helpdesk at tk20@brooklyn.cuny.edu and indicate which handbook subject you need. The final date for submitting edTPA portfolios using the 2016-2017 handbooks in the following fields is August 17, 2017:  Classical Languages, Elementary Education, Elementary Literacy, Literacy Specialist, Special Education and World Languages. Beginning with the September 28, 2017 submission (for October 19, 2017 reporting), candidates in these fields must utilize the 2017-2018 edTPA handbooks. The 2017-18 handbooks will be uploaded in Tk20 as soon as they are available. If you plan to use the 2016-17 handbook, be sure to download it before the new  handbooks are posted in Tk20.
• EAS: Educating All Students Test
• The ALST (Academic Literacy Skills Test)  is no longer required. In March, 2017, the Board of Regents eliminated the requirement that teacher candidates take and pass the ALST to obtain an initial teaching certificate. Pearson is handling all aspects of exam registration/cancellation/refunds. Applicants can check Pearson's website for an update. 
• CST: Content Specialty Test.   
• SBL: School Building Leader assessment and SDL: School District Leader assessment. Only for candidates for this program. Note that the EAS test is required for School Building and School District leader certification. 
• PRAXIS II: for professional certification, speech-language pathology only. 

If you have or had New York State certification:

If your certification is in effect (that is, it is valid, not expired, revoked, etc.), you should not need to complete the new certification tests unless you are applying for certification for a different age group/subject. If you are applying for certification in a new subject, you can check the requirements for an additional certificate. Search certification requirements. Refer to this memo for information about expired certification (pdf). For more information you can contact the certification officer. 

Complete Your Mandated Workshops

Workshops are a required component of your program. If you have not taken the workshops, refer to the workshop information. Your workshops must be verified by the certification officer before your recommendation for certification can be entered by Brooklyn College.

Complete Your Fingerprint Clearance Documentation

Be sure to check your TEACH account to check if your fingerprint status is posted there. If you see a note on your TEACH account that states "Teach does not have your fingerprint information..." or if your records are not posted, and if you already processed your fingerprint records with the NYCDOE, then you need to release your NYC records so they can be posted on your TEACH account. Be sure to allow time for this process before you need NY State certification. Print and send in an OSPRA 104 form (pdf). If the information in section two of the OSPRA 104 form does not apply to you, you can leave it blank. Allow about two months for your records to be processed, and then check your TEACH account to be sure your fingerprint records were received. When your records are received by TEACH, your account will only indicate if your records were received, not if your records are currently "cleared."

Complete Your Application for New York State Certification

Complete and pay for your application online using your New York State TEACH account:

• Complete your registration
• Verify and update your profile.
• Select your certificate. Refer to the Student Information Sheet (pdf) for details, including your program code.
• Choose the correct certificate type: For teachers, initial or professional. See below for School Psychologists and School Counselors.
  • Initial Certification: If you have less than three years of experience.
  • Professional Certification: You need three or more years of paid experience and a master's degree in the content area of the initial certificate or in a closely related subject area. You may need one year of mentored experience and  will need INS Permanent Residence or U.S. citizenship. For your professional certification requirements, check the certification requirements. Also refer to the details in the Experience Requirements for Certification. Be sure to file the Verification of Experience form after you have completed the experience requirement for any of your certificate areas if you don't already have professional certification. The form for teachers and PPS titles is available here (pdf).
• Enter the program code from the Student Information Sheet (pdf).
• Select: "I want my application to be reviewed by the State Education Department."
• Make your payment by credit card (highly advised, rather than by using a money order). Keep records of your payment and transaction summary. Check your application from time to time to see that the data is being processed. 

School Psychologists and School Counselors: Select provisional and/or permanent certification as appropriate. Check your certification requirements. Be sure to file the Verification of Experience form after you have completed the experience requirement. The form for teachers and PPS titles is available here (pdf).

School counseling only: for permanent certification: two years of experience plus education (such as the advanced certificate program at Brooklyn College), and INS Permanent Residence or U.S. citizenship required.

School psychology only: for permanent certification: two years or experience and INS Permanent Residence or U.S. citizenship required.

School District Leader candidates only: You will need to send an official sealed transcript to the New York State Department of Education Office of Teaching Initiatives (OTI) to show completion of your additional education—master's degree. Note that transcripts are kept on file by OTI for about three years. Be sure to file the Verification of Experience form  if you don't already have professional certification. The Verification of Experience form for teachers and PPS titles is available here (pdf).

If you are applying for certification that is not directly related to your certification program, review these instructions for additional certification.

What's Next

Your recommendation for certification will be entered by the certification officer according to the timeline above if possible, provided your mandated workshops have been verified and your graduation has been confirmed by the registrar and Faculty Council. Monitor your TEACH account. If you need expedited processing, see the instructions below.

Initial (or provisional) Certificates

Initial (or provisional) certificate effective dates are posted after your application is evaluated. The time this takes can vary. Read this information about expedited service. You will not automatically receive a printed certificate, but you can refer to your effective dates on your account online. You can print out your account status by going to your New York State TEACH account and printing out your certificate information as you see it posted there. Certification can also be confirmed by going to the "Certificate Holder Lookup" link on the OTI site. Initial and provisional certificates are valid for five years.

Be sure not to let your initial or provisional certification expire. Make sure to review the information on related programs that meet the requirements for professional certification, and check this information about the mentored experience requirement. You will also need to complete the work experience requirement, and have INS Permanent Residence or U.S. citizenship, and any other requirements needed before your certificate expires. If not, you will need to apply for a time extension and/or initial reissuance certificate. You may need to complete new requirements if your certificate expires. Be sure to check the requirements for certification well before that time since rules and procedures are subject to change. Refer to this memo for information about expired certification (pdf). Be sure to file the Verification of Experience form after you have completed the experience requirement. The form for teachers and PPS titles is available here.

For your professional (or permanent) certification requirements, check the requirements for certification. Also refer to the Experience Requirements for Certification (pdf).

Professional (or permanent) Certificates

You must allow about three months for your application to be evaluated. A printed certificate will be sent to you, and you can verify your effective dates on your TEACH account. Certification can also be confirmed by going to the "Certificate Holder Lookup" link on the OTI site. 

Once you have your professional certification, you must complete 100 hours of continuing teacher and leader education during the five-year registration period. You must also register with the New York State Department of Education Office of Teaching Initiatives (OTI) every five years. Read this notice. 

All Certificate Holders

Any change of name or address for a certificate holder must be updated  in the TEACH system within 30 days.

Expedited Processing

If you need written confirmation of your expected date of degree conferral for your employer before the timeline detailed above, you can request a statement of graduation as long as you have met all degree requirements. Refer to your degree audit letter. You may request a statement of graduation by e-mailing the Brooklyn College Degree Audit Office about two weeks before your expected date of graduation. State that you are asking for a statement of graduation and provide your name, the last four digits of your Social Security number (it is very important that you do not send the entire Social Security number), phone number, and mailing addresses. The Degree Audit Office will mail the statements directly to the address provided, and you can supply the letter to the place of your employment and to the certification officer for expedited processing. You can ask the Degree Audit Office to send the information to the certification officer by e-mail. Also read this information about expedited service  from  the New York State Department of Education for your application.