Educator Certification

•  Click here for access to your New York State Teaching Certification TEACH account 

The Brooklyn College Teacher Preparation Program leads to New York State teacher certification.

All students seeking New York State teacher certification must apply and pay a fee to be certified. Your program advisers and certification officer are available to support you with your questions on certification, testing and other matters in your transition from student to teacher.

Summer schedule: The Certification Office will be closed July 22-August 8th. Brooklyn College offices are closed every Friday from June 27- August 8th.

Please refer to this website often and be sure to check your email for updates that are sent. 

If you are not already receiving email from Brooklyn College, you can reset your email address by going to BC WebCentral: http://portal.brooklyn.edu. Look for the "BC Student Email Subscriptions" channel on the "My Info" tab and set your preferred email. 

You must complete all of the following steps for certification. Complete the following steps in any order:

Before you graduate, you must file for a graduation audit.

You must file for a graduation audit in person (not online) at the Brooklyn College Enrollment Services Center in the West Quad Center. Complete the instructions given in your degree audit letter. Follow the schedule below. Your graduation must be confirmed by the registrar and Faculty Council for the official graduation date listed in order to be eligible for the dates listed for NY State teacher certification .

Graduation Term: Official Graduation Date	File for Graduation	Earliest Date for Graduation to Be Verified and Recommendation for Certification to Be Entered by Brooklyn College	New York State Teacher Certification Effective Date (Provided All Steps Are Completed)  (see below*)
Spring: June 1	On or before March 14	Early July	You are eligible for employment in New York State under the certificate as of the date it is issued.
Summer: Sept. 1	On or before June 15	Late September	You are eligible for employment in New York State under the certificate as of the date it is issued.
Fall: Feb. 1	On or before Oct. 15	Early March	You are eligible for employment in New York State under the certificate as of the date it is issued.

*Refer to new effective date information.

Teaching Fellows and candidates for advanced certificates: Call 718.951.4800, and the Secondary Education office will advise you on the steps needed.

School Psychology, Counseling and Educational Leadership: Call your program office, 718.951.5448.

All other students: at least a month or two before you graduate, go to the New York State TEACH site, create an account or verify and update your existing TEACH account. Check that your required certification status is posted on your TEACH account.

Complete Your Certification Tests

• Search certification requirements.

Links and updates:

• New Testing Requirements (PDF) for FIRST initial certification.
• Click here for information from CUNY on the new tests including webinars, practice tests and preparation guides and click here for for teacher certification exam support resources
• Educating All Students informational video 
• edTPA informational video
• Follow CUNYTeachered on Twitter
• Click here for test preparation materials posted by NYSTCE
• Click here for resources and information from the New York State Education Department 
• Click here for guidance on NY State videotaping requirements for teacher candidates 
• Click here for FAQs about tests including the edTPA handbook needed for each certification area 
• “Safety Net:” Any candidate who applies for and meets the requirements of an initial certificate on or before June 30, 2015, except he/she does not receive a passing score on the edTPA, may either (1) take and pass the ATS-W after receipt of his/her score on the edTPA and prior to June 30, 2015, (2) or if the candidate had previously passed the ATS-W on or before April 30, 2014 (before the new certification examination requirements became effective) and the candidate has taken and failed the edTPA prior to June 30, 2015, the candidate will be issued an initial certificate. (This paragraph also applies to Transitional B program candidates pursuing their initial certificate).   The same safety net exists for Transitional C certificate holders (career changes and others holding a graduate academic or graduate professional degree) who apply for and meet all requirements for a professional certificate, except the candidate does not receive a passing score on the edTPA. Click here for information posted at NY State Teacher Certification Examinations site.   VOUCHERS: If you fail  the edTPA and choose to  take the ATS-W instead of retaking the edTPA, you may request a test voucher code to take the ATS-W at no cost.  To apply for a voucher code,  send an email with your (i) name as it appears in your TEACH account, (ii) last five digits of your Social Security Number, (iii) date of birth, and (iv) your current email address to edtpaatsw@mail.nysed.gov with a short statement that an ATS-W test voucher code is requested. Upon receipt of this email and verification of your edTPA score, you will receive a test voucher code in an email to be used when registering for the ATS-W.  Please note that there are no eligibility requirements for this voucher except that you must have already taken and failed the edTPA.  

Students who are applying for first initial certification after the fall 2013 semester will be required to complete the following tests:

• edTPA: You will complete the tasks during student teaching. Data for this assessment will be provided and processed through the Tk20 system as your Integrated edTPA platform provider System. The edTPA is not a required assessment for speech-language pathology.
• EAS: Educating All Students test
• ALST: Academic Literacy Skills Test
• CST: Content Specialty Test. Candidates who do not  pass the current CST(s) for their field before the new tests are implemented will be required to take and pass the new test(s). The New York State Education Department recommends that any candidate with an anticipated graduation date after December 2013 wait to take the new exams. Refer to the test schedule. The CST is not required for speech-language pathology. If you are completing the students with disabilities grades 7-12 program, confirm your requirements with the Certification Officer and/or click here and read section B15. 
• SBL: School Building Leader assessment and SDL: School District Leader assessment. Only for candidates for this program. Click here for updated info. 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 already have your first initial New York State certification:

If your first initial certification is in effect (that is, it is valid, not expired, revoked, etc.) you will not need to complete the new certification tests unless you are applying for certification for a different subject. If you are applying for certification in a new subject, you will need to complete the CST examination for certification in that content area.

If you did not meet requirements for your first classroom teaching certificate prior to May 1, 2014:

For teaching candidates who need further information on how to proceed: click here. You can also contact the Certification Officer for further information.

Complete Your Mandated Workshops

Check that your mandated workshops are posted on your TEACH account if this is your first initial certification. If you have not taken the workshops, refer to the workshop link, register, and complete the workshops at least a month before you graduate. Your workshops must be posted on your TEACH account or verified by the certification officer before your recommendation for teacher certification can be entered by Brooklyn College.

New DASA Workshop

All school professionals applying for a New York State teaching certificate or license on or after Dec. 31, 2013, are required to complete the new DASA (Dignity for All Students Act) training on the social patterns of harassment, bullying and discrimination.  

Complete Your Fingerprint Clearance Documentation

Check that your fingerprint clearance has been posted on your TEACH account. If not, refer to the link for fingerprint clearance for instructions. 

Complete Your Application for New York State Teacher Certification

Complete and pay for your TEACH application:

• Verify and update your profile.
• Select your certificate. Refer to the Student Information Sheet for details, including your program code.
• Choose the correct certificate type:
  • Initial Certification: Teaching less than three years.
  • Professional Certification: For this you must have three or more years of paid teaching experience and a related master's degree.  You also need one year of mentored experience. For your professional certification teaching requirement, experience earned in a public or approved nonpublic preschool or elementary, middle, or secondary school is included. Claimed experience may be in any grade or subject. Experience that is not full time may be credited on a prorated basis. Teaching assistant experience is not applicable to this requirement.  Teachers working as substitutes in numerous districts may wish to have each district verify the experience by providing a short letter on district letterhead.
• Candidates who are applying for additional certification can refer to the links for further instructions.
  • Educational Preparation: Select "Approved Teacher Preparation Program" and enter the program code from the Student Information Sheet.
  • 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.

What's Next

Your recommendation for teacher certification will be entered by the certification officer according to the timeline above, provided your mandated workshops have been verified and your graduation has been confirmed by the registrar. Monitor your TEACH account. There are two types of evaluations: automated and manual. Automated evaluations are posted when the automated system at the Office of Teaching Initiatives has completed an evaluation. Manual evaluations are posted when your transcripts and other documentation are examined by an officer at the Office of Teaching Initiatives. Click here for information on checking the status of your application.

Initial Certificates

Initial certificate effective dates are posted two weeks or longer after requirements are met. You will not automatically receive a printed certificate, but you can refer to your effective dates on your account online. If you wish, you can order a printed certificate for $25.00.  Refer to the information posted at the Office of Teaching Initiatives FAQ page. 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. Initial certificates are valid for five years. 

Be sure not to let your initial certification expire. If you do not complete a masters degree that meets the requirement for certification, and/or if you do meet the work experience requirement before your certificate expires, you will need to apply for a time extension and/or initial reissuance certificate. You may need to complete the new certification tests if your certificate expires. Be sure to check the requirements for certification well before that time. 

Professional Certificates

You must allow at least 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. Click here for information on  Professional Development requirements for certificate holders. 

Effective Date

You must complete all certification requirements in order to be given an effective date. The date your certificate is issued is the date your certificate is effective. Refer to http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/faqeffdate.html 

Expiration Dates

As of December 4, 2013, if you are issued a time limited certificate, (i.e. Initial, Provisional, Temporary coaching, Teaching Assistant Level I and II etc.), the expiration date will be set based on the length of time the certificate is valid (i.e. 5 years, 3 years, etc.) and the next sequential September 1 or February 1. 

A certificate issued between September 2 and February 1, will have an expiration date of January 31. 

Certificates issued between February 2 and September 1, will have an expiration date of August 31.   

Refer to http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/faqeffdate.html 

If your certifcate has expired, or is about to expire and you have not completed your certification requirements: 

You may need to apply for a time extension and/or initial reissuance certificate. You may need to complete the new certification tests if your certificate expires. Click here for the link to contact  the Office of Teaching Initiatives  or contact the Certification Officer. 

If you need written confirmation of your expected date of degree conferral before the timeline posted above:

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-mail from Assistant Registrar Julie Hegner about two weeks before your expected date of graduation. State that you are asking for a statement of graduation and provide her with 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. Her 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. Please also read this information about expedited service.