Educator Certification

Relevant education is needed for all educator certification titles. 

Before you complete your education program you must file for a graduation audit on time so your education records can be processed on time.

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's office and Faculty Council.

Information about Commencement Ceremonies is available on the commencement website.

Teaching Fellows and Teach for America students can call 718.951.4800 for information.

Your education for certification will be confirmed by the Registrar's Office. You will receive an email confirming that you have officially finished your program. After that,  you can contact the Certification Officer for an "institutional recommendation" to be added to your TEACH account to confirm that your NYS Registered program is done.  

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

For complete instructions on how and when to get fingerprint verification required for fieldwork, student teaching, or other college-related work in NYCDOE schools, you will need to follow the Fingerprint Verification Requirement instructions. Fingerprint records on TEACH  do not confirm current security clearance status and are needed only for NY State certification. Fingerprint/security clearance status for college students can be confirmed only after you follow the   Fingerprint Verification Requirement instructions.    

After your fingerprint records have been processed, check your TEACH account to check if your fingerprint status is posted there. Look for a line that states "We have received your fingerprint information from NYC" or "Your DCJS and FBI Records Have Been Received," which may appear above the "fingerprinting" header. If you see this note, then your records have been received and you do not need to follow up. Your current clearance status will not be posted there.

If you see a note on your TEACH account that states "Teach does not have your fingerprint information..." and if you already processed your fingerprint records with the NYCDOE, then you need to release your New York City records so they can be posted on your TEACH account.  New York State Education Department.

To release your records, print, sign, and send this form OSPRA 104 form (pdf)  to the email address on the form.  

If the information in section two of the OSPRA 104 form does not apply to you, you can leave it blank. Allow about one month for your records to be processed, and then check your TEACH account to be sure your fingerprint records were received. When you see this note, then your records have been received and you do not need to follow up. Your current clearance status will not be posted there.

Certification Processing Time

After your "graduation" date, you may need to allow at least three weeks for the degree to be recorded by the Registrar's office. You can check your CUNYfirst account to see if your degree has been recorded.  Degree Audit will send you an email when your degree is recorded. Your degree must be recorded and your mandated workshops must be done  before   the Certification Officer can add your "institutional recommendation" for certification to your TEACH account. 

Spring term graduation data may be recorded in CUNYfirst starting about the 3rd week of June.

Summer term graduation data may be recorded in CUNYfirst starting about the 3rd week of September.

Fall term graduation data may be recorded in CUNYfirst starting about the 3rd week of January for Dec. 31 records  or the 3rd week of  February for Feb. 1 records.

After you have confirmation from the Registrar’s Office that your degree was awarded/education is completed, you can contact the Certification Officer  who will check that your mandated workshops and education are recorded. After that, the Certification Officer will add the “institutional recommendation” to your NY State TEACH account to confirm your education and certification title with the NY State Dept. of Education Office of Teaching Initiatives (OTI).  

If you need priority processing by the college: After your grades are in, you can request a statement of graduation using this form and then send the statement to the Certification Officer . If the statement indicates that your degree will be complete subject to the satisfactory completion of courses for which you are registered, please request another statement when your grades are recorded on CUNYfirst.

When to Apply for Certification

Expedited processing by the NY State Dept. of Education Office of Teaching Initiatives (OTI):  The Human Resource Director for the school who is hiring you can request the state to expedite your certification processing.  Information about Expedited Service Requests.  

If a school can hire you as a substitute teacher before your certification is confirmed, that may help you start work while you wait for your certification records to be confirmed. Information about NYC DOE Substitute Teaching. 

How to Apply

• You can see instructions on this document (pdf).
• You can watch this video which explains how to apply and how to check your application. 
• How to check the status of your application (pdf)
• Go to your TEACH account, Login to TEACH > TEACH Online Services
• Before you apply, go to Inquiry Links, Account Information. Check if your  workshop data, fingerprint data, certification test data, and all other data is complete. 
•  If you do not have your "institutional recommendation" related to your college program for certification yet, and if your degree has been awarded, you can contact the certification officer. Your degree may be confirmed three or more weeks after your "graduation"/degree  completion date. You can check your CUNYfirst account to see if your degree records have been confirmed. 
• If you have your certification test scores reports and if your scores are not recorded on your TEACH account, you can contact NYSTCE (Pearson) at: (800) 989-8532. All account information in your NYSTCE (Pearson) account must match exactly what is listed in your TEACH account.
• When you are ready to apply, go to Online Application, Apply for Certificate. 
• Verify and update your profile. If you have nothing to update, you should be able to click "next" to get to the next page. 
• Select your certificate. Refer to the Student Information Sheet (pdf) if needed for instructions including your application program code.
• NYC Teaching Fellows and Teach for America: your first certificate will be Transitional B.
• Internship certification: please see the details and requirements on the career page.
• Initial Certification: If you have fewer than three years of experience.
• Professional Certification:
  • You need a master's degree in the content area of the initial certificate or in a closely related subject area.
  • Application program code: you can use the the Student Information Sheet (pdf)  to find the code that matches your master's/graduate level degree. 
  • If you do not have a master's/graduate level degree in the same subject, there will not be an application program code. Refer to these instructions.   
  • You need three years of related experience. Refer to Experience Requirements for Certification.
  • If you have professional certification already or not, if your employer did not send in a work experience form  recently, please ask your employer to send it in. For experience completed within the state of New York, the preferred method for an employer to verify it is by entering a Superintendent Statement onto TEACH. If the employer cannot enter a Superintendent Statement, they need to send the appropriate Verification of Paid Experience Form found here.
    You may need one year of mentored experience.
  • You will need INS Permanent Residence or U.S. citizenship. You should not need to send information about this to the state unless you are asked.
  • After you have your first professional certificate, the experience requirement should be satisfied for any future professional classroom teaching certificate applications.
•  NYC Teaching Fellows and Teach for America only: use the program code for the Transitional B program listed.
• 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 status to see that the data is being processed.
• You do not need to send transcripts to OTI for applications directly related to your college degree subject/age group. The course work is credited based on the college recommendation.
• Check your application summary.
• If you are applying for a certification subject/age group that does not match your college degree, or professional certification that does not match your master's degree, you will not be eligible for a recommendation for that certification area. In those cases, OTI will need to check your transcripts, including transfer credits.
• If you will be applying using the Individual Evaluation pathway: Do not use a program code for your application. Select "No, I have not completed, nor am I enrolled in, an Approved Teacher Preparation Program at a New York State College or University for this certificate and this type." You will also need to order transcripts and have them sent to OTI. Your employer will need to  submit a verification of teaching experience form. 
• If you have certification and are applying for an additional or professional title that is not directly related to your college age group/subject, please refer to these instructions. 

For Students with Disabilities grades 7-12 generalist teachers/candidates: 

• Effective July 1, 2021, all special education teachers who teach one or more subject areas in a special class (self-contained class) in grades 7-12, with some or no students under alternate assessment, must either: be certified in each subject area that they teach, or meet the teaching experience requirement for the statement of continued eligibility (SOCE) and have an active SOCE application in the TEACH online system in each subject area that they teach. A students with disabilities generalist grades 7-12 teacher can teach as a Consultant Teacher, Resource Room Teacher, Integrated Co-Teacher, or Special Class Teacher – All Students Under Alternate Assessment.
• If you have 18 credits in biology, chemistry, earth science, English, math, physics social studies, or a language, you can apply for a subject area extension. Contact us if you have a total of 18 credits (undergraduate and/or graduate)  in one of those subjects and we will help you get a subject area extension. More information: Special Education Teaching Assignments and Certification  and  December 2019 memo: Subject Area Certification Requirement

Students in the School Psychology, Counseling and Leadership programs:

• School psychologists and school counselors: Select provisional  and/or permanent  certification as appropriate. If you only see the option to apply using the individual evaluation option,  you can start the application process but should not pay for the application until the application is manually fixed. After your application is recorded, you can send an email to the New York State Education Department Office of Teaching Initiatives (OTI)  tcert@nysed.gov and ask for the  application “pathway” to be changed to “approved teacher preparation program.”   Subject "pathway change/certificate change. Include your full name on your TEACH account, date of birth or the last four digits of your Social Security number, the application  that you would like changed, and the change you want. After your application  has been manually changed,  you can go to your  TEACH account, Payment links, and pay the $50 application fee.
• 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 are required. Permanent School Counselor Certificate requirements will change on Feb. 2, 2023 as described in this newsletter.
• School psychology only: for permanent certification: two years or experience and INS Permanent Residence or U.S. citizenship required.
• School District Leader candidates only: When you apply, be sure to use the Approved Teacher Preparation Program application "pathway." Apply for professional certification, not Transitional D certification.
• School Building and School District Leader candidates: You will need to order official transcripts to be sent to the New York State Department of Education Office of Teaching Initiatives (OTI) unless you ordered them to be sent in 2017 or afterward. OTI will need not need Brooklyn College transcripts to confirm your Educational Leader program but will need transcripts to confirm your other master’s degree, including transfer credits. This is standard procedure. Instructions for sending transcripts http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/certificate/transcripts.html
  • For School Building Leader, Initial certification, Paid, full-time Admin/PPS/Classroom Teaching experience - 3 Yrs is required. If you already have a valid Permanent or Professional certificate, you should be credited the 3 years of experience. If not, your employer needs to send in a Paid Experience verification form http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/certificate/form.html
  • For School Building Leader, Professional certification, you will need three years of acceptable administrative experience, with at least one year of building-level administrative experience. Verification of experience must be submitted directly by the employer(s).
  • Information on experience requirements http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/certificate/exp/leadership-school-building.html
  • Employers located in New York have the option of entering an electronic Superintendent Statement on to your TEACH account. This is the preferred method of verifying experience. However, if the employer cannot verify experience using this method, they can submit this form instead: http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/pdf/ot-verifexper-sbl-sas.pdf
  • For School District Leader, Professional certification: Paid, full-time Admin/PPS/Classroom Teaching experience - 3 Yrs is required. If you already have a valid Permanent or Professional certificate, you should be credited the 3 years of experience. If not, your employer needs to send in a Paid Experience verification form http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/certificate/form.html

Certification processing time: please see the information in the section above "Pay for your Application for New York State Certification"

• How to check the status of your application (pdf)

Initial (or Provisional) Certificates

Initial (or provisional) certificate effective dates are posted after your application is evaluated. Initial (or provisional) certification is valid for five years. You will not automatically receive a printed initial or time-limited certificate, since the certificate will be confirmed on your account online. For more information, click here. You can print out or take a screen shot of your account status by going to your TEACH account. 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. Your mentored experience can be sent to your state by the NYC DOE. You can write to this address to ask them to send that information for you: mentoringverification@schools.nyc.gov They will need your file number.

You will also need to complete the work experience requirement, have INS Permanent Residence or U.S. citizenship, and any other requirements needed at the time of your application and evaluation.

If your certificate is going to expire soon or has expired, you will need to apply for a time extension and/or initial reissuance (or provisional renewal) 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 (pdf) for information about expired certification. The time validity of an expired Provisional Pupil Personnel Service Initial or Transitional certificate may be extended for three years.

Professional (or Permanent) Certificates

All Certificate Holders

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