In order to teach in New York, the applicant must hold a valid New York State Teaching License. Most new certified teachers come from state-accredited teaching programs in
colleges or
universities either in New York or another state that has a reciprocal agreement with New York. Prior to initial certification, prospective teachers must pass: • the Educating All Students Test (EAS) • a Content Specialty Test (CST) appropriate to the subject the applicant wishes to teach. • The edTPA Portfolio Assessment will no longer be a certification requirement as of
April 27, 2022. This initial teacher certification is temporary and expires after five years. Candidates may expect to pay, as of 2014, up to eight hundred dollars for certification tests and requirements. To obtain a professional certificate, the applicant must have completed a state-accredited teacher education program at a college/university and hold a master's degree or above, and must have completed three years of full-time teaching experience. New York no longer offers
permanent certification to those who were not certified prior to February 2004. To maintain a professional certificate, a teacher must complete 100 hours of professional development every five years. These professional development hours are decreased by a few percentage points for every year teaching in a non-public school. One does not have to teach in New York State to maintain their certificate as many New York certified teachers teach in Connecticut and New Jersey.
Foreign teachers and career changers Career changers and others who did not graduate from a teacher education program can earn a teaching certificate by completing the above-mentioned tests, completing satisfactory education coursework in college, and finally apply for a license for teaching with the
NYSED Office of Teaching Initiatives. Some new teachers have college degrees in an academic field (e.g.
English or
history but do not have a teaching certificate. If they wish to enter teaching, they must have a
baccalaureate degree with a satisfactory
GPA, take all of the above-mentioned tests, and apply for a license with the Office of Teaching Initiatives. Programs such as the
New York City Teaching Fellows allow uncertified teachers to teach under a transitional license, provided that they have received a bachelor's degree, passed the LAST and the CST in their area, and are enrolled in a cooperating master's degree program. Teachers with a Transitional B license have three years to apply for their Initial Certification, which requires completion of student teaching, education coursework, subject-area coursework, and the ATS-W exam.
Teachers from another state Applicants who hold a certificate from another state, or who have completed an approved program that would lead to a teaching certificate in another state, may be eligible for a New York teaching certificate through interstate reciprocity.
Other educational professions The department also oversees and awards the Pupil Personnel Certificate, which is certification for other professionals who have direct contact with students. This includes the following fields: School Social Worker, School Psychologist, School Counselor, School Attendance Teacher, School Nurse Teacher and School
Dental Hygiene Teacher. These certificates are still permanent unless revoked with cause.
Literacy requirement In March 2017, the Board of Regents eliminated a literacy test for prospective teachers because, according to the New York Times, "the test proved controversial because black and Hispanic candidates passed it at significantly lower rates than white candidates." ==Non-teacher occupational licensing==