New York Teaching Certification
New York Ed. Statistics
| Avg. Elem. Teacher Salary* | $82,830 |
| Avg. Sec. Teacher Salary* | $87,240 |
| Avg. Admin. Salary* | $130,600 |
| Teacher Retention (?) | 93% |
| Vacation Wks/Yr | 15 |
Learn how to become a teacher in New York (or administrator). Choose the description of certification you are most interested in or situation that best describes you:
- Initial Teaching Certification…
- I’m a teacher from another state…
- Teacher Certification Renewal…
- Admin./Principal Certification…
- Alternative Teaching Certification…
- Substitute Teaching Permit…
- None of the above are what I’m looking for…
Getting Involved…
Investing in our future is vitally important and strangely difficult. In order to fight oppression from the greedy and power-hungry elite, to better our ways of life with advancing technology, and to increase our country’s overall views toward the concept of acceptance, we need education to be a priority. Learn how you can be a spoke in this terribly important wheel. See how New York measures up to the rest of the country by viewing the percentage of state revenue going toward education in each state. (see State Education Spending vs. Overall State Revenue).
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Help Make Education A Priority
Initial New York Teaching Certification
According to data provided by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), New York is the second-highest paying state in the nation for elementary school teachers. The BLS report showed them earning an average annual salary of $67,940, about $13,000 more than the national average.
New York’s middle school teachers are the highest paid of any middle school teachers in the country, earning an average of $70,670 each year, which is about $16,000 more than the national average for this category.
Secondary school teachers in New York are also the top earners in the nation in their grade-level classification, averaging $70,400 per year, which is about $15,000 more than the national average. Find schools offering teaching certification programs in New York.
Education Requirements
Sponsored School(s)
If you are interested in becoming a teacher in New York, the New York State Education Department Office of Teaching Initiatives (518-474-3901) expects that you complete an approved teacher preparation program in the state, and hold a bachelor’s degree at minimum.
Did you graduate from an out-of-state teacher preparation program? You may request an individual evaluation of your credentials from New York’s regional certification offices. Once your credentials have been evaluated, you will be notified of what, if any, additional requirements you must meet before becoming certified to teach in New York.
Are you a graduate of a non-U.S. teaching program? If so, you must submit materials as described here for an individual evaluation of your credentials. You will be notified if you are deficient in any of the state’s teacher certification requirements.
Certification Options
You will receive one of the following types of New York teaching certificates when you apply, depending upon your qualifications:
- Initial – This is the entry-level teaching certificate issued to most traditional first-time applicants. It is valid for five years.
- Professional – This certificate may be obtained after holding an initial certificate, and is considered to be at the advanced level certification. It remains continuously valid so long as you complete the necessary professional development hours every five years.
- Provisional –This certificate is only used for pupil personnel professionals (also called paraprofessionals). It is valid for five years.
- Permanent – Obtained after the provisional certificate, this is the advanced level certificate for pupil personnel professionals. It is valid for life.
Search this database for a detailed listing of certification requirements for the various grade levels, areas of interest, and subject areas.
Examinations
Visit the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations Home Page (NYSTCE) for a comprehensive overview of testing requirements for teachers in the state.
Basic skills testing:
In order to receive an initial teaching certificate, you must pass the NYSTCE Liberal Arts and Sciences Test (LAST), and the elementary or the secondary version of the Assessment of Teaching Skills—Written (ATS–W).
Content area assessment testing:
You must pass the NYSTCE Content Specialty Test (CST) in your area of certification:
- Early Childhood Education (Birth – Grade 2)
- Early Childhood Education (Students With Disabilities, Birth-Grade 2)
- Childhood Education:
- Pre K-6
- Grades 1-6
- Birth-Grade 6
- Middle Childhood Education (Grades 5-9):
- Generalist
- Students With Disabilities, Generalist
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Earth Science
- English
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Social Studies
- Secondary/Adolescent Education (Grades 7-12):
- Students With Disabilities, Generalist
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Earth Science
- English
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Social Studies
- Literacy:
- Grades 5-12
- Pre K- 12 (All Grades)
- Birth-Grade 6
- Pre K- 12 (All Grades):
- Agricultural Teaching
- Blind and Visually Impaired
- Business and Marketing
- Dance
- Deaf and Hard of Hearing
- Educational Technology
- English to Speakers of Other Languages
- Family and Consumer Sciences
- Health
- Library Science
- Music
- Physical Education
- Special Education
- Speech and Language Disabilities
- Technology Education
- Theatre
- Visual Arts
- Students With Disabilities:
- Childhood, Grades 1-6
- Early Childhood, Birth-Grade 2
- Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Foreign Languages:
- Afrikaans
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Albanian
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- American Sign Language
- Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Arabic
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Armenian
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Bengali
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Cantonese
- Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Chinese
- Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Czechoslovakian
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Dutch
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Farsi
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- French
- Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- German
- Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Greek
- Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Haitian Creole
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Hebrew
- Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Hindi
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Hungarian
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Irish
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Italian
- Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Japanese
- Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Korean
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Latin
- Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Mandarin
- Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Mohawk
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Oneida
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Polish
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Portuguese
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Punjabi
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Rumanian
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Russian
- Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Seneca
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Spanish
- Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Students With Disabilities
- Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Swahili
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Swedish
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Tagalog
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Ukrainian
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Urdu
- Middle Childhood, Grades 5-9
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
- Vietnamese
- Adolescent, Grades 7-12
Experience Requirements
You will gain plenty of practical experience during your teacher preparation program. Your education classes will require you to enroll in a practicum, in which you will observe teacher(s) in a classroom setting, gleaning knowledge and classroom management strategies from them. You may be asked to lead the class and deliver lessons periodically during the practicum.
Next, you will participate in a student teaching field experience/internship. At this time, you will be placed in a classroom specific to the grade level and subject area for which you are pursuing certification. Student teaching will involve preparing lessons and leading the class. You may also be given an opportunity to assess student performance. A mentor teacher and official from your college program will observe some portion of your student teaching assignment. The duration of your student teaching assignment will vary depending upon your area of certification. For example, to be certified as an early childhood educator, you must have 40 days of student teaching.
Document and Application Requirements
Have you completed all education, experience, and examination requirements necessary to earn New York teacher certification? If so, you may apply online through the TEACH System for an Initial Certificate. You will be asked to submit the following documents to the New York State Department of Education Office of Teaching Initiatives:
- Official transcripts from colleges and universities attended, showing completion of a teacher preparation program and receipt of a degree
- Copies of any out-of-state teaching certificates you may have
- Institutional recommendation
- Score reports from the NYSTCE exams
- Experience verification form, if necessary
- Substitute of Experience for College Supervised Student Teaching form, if necessary
You will pay application fees online. Submit all of these items to the Office of Teaching Initiatives, New York State Education Department, 89 Washington Ave, 5N EB, Albany, New York 12234. You may check the status of your application at anytime here. If necessary, the Department will notify you of any additional requirements you must meet prior to certification.
Criminal History Background Check
As part of the initial teacher certification process in New York, fingerprinting and a criminal history background check will be performed. You must complete the Authorization to Forward Criminal History to NYCBOE, the Authorization to Forward Criminal History to NYSED, and fingerprint cards that will be sent to the FBI. Detailed instructions on the process may be found here.
After you have completed the fingerprint cards at your local law enforcement agency, mail them along with the proper fees to Fingerprint Processing, NYS Education Department, PO Box 7352, Albany, NY 12224. Your fingerprints will be processed through the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). You will not be certified as a New York teacher until all background checks and fingerprint processing have come back clear.
Contact Information
If you require more information on New York teacher preparation programs, search for them through this database.
For more information on teacher certification in New York, contact the New York State Education Department Office of Teaching Initiatives at 518-474-3901.
*2019 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data – Conditions in your area may vary.
**Teacher Retention Sources – U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education, Statistics Schools and Staffing Survey, 1999–2000 (“Public School Teacher Questionnaire,” “Private School Teacher Questionnaire,” and “Public Charter School Teacher Questionnaire”),
and 2000–01 Teacher Follow-up Survey (“Questionnaire for Current Teachers” and “Questionnaire for Former Teachers,” Table 1.01). Washington, DC.
State estimations based on analysis by Richard Ingersoll, Professor of Education and Sociology, University of Pennsylvania, from the National Center for Education Statistics Student and Staffing Survey, and therefore include a slight margin of error.
