This page provides detailed information regarding teacher certification at SUNY New Paltz. The Office of Teaching Initiatives has an FAQ page on the teacher certification process in NYS that will answer most of your questions beyond SUNY New Paltz.
Please click on the links below to navigate to more information on the following certification topics:
- Academic Preparation
- Fingerprints
- Workshops
- Certificate Applications
- Testing
- Safety Nets
- Degree Applications
- Professional Certification
- Adding Certifications
- Certification in Other States
Teacher Certification Requirements: How and When
The New York State Education Department (NYSED) requires teachers to obtain certification before they can teach. Remember, it is your responsibility to stay current on deadlines for graduation, workshops, New York State Teacher Certification Examinations (NYSTCE), certification applications, and requirements. The steps to become recommended for certification by SUNY New Paltz involve the following:
ACADEMIC PREPARATION:
You must complete one of our accredited programs of study in education, including an acceptable academic major, the required pedagogical coursework, student teaching placements, and a conferred degree upon graduation.
FINGERPRINTS:* (See note below)
All teacher candidates must be fingerprinted through MorphoTrust upon acceptance into an education degree program. First, you need to self-register to create a TEACH Login Account before getting fingerprinted. Then make an appointment through Identogo using the Certification Service Code and URL. Here is the current list of locations.
The closest MorphoTrust site to campus is IdentoGO at 280 Wall St. in Kingston, NY (located between Uptown Coffee and Ulster Savings Bank). Their fingerprinting hours are Monday through Thursday from 09:00 AM - 03:30 PM. For public transportation there, please check the bus schedule, as IdentoGo is only blocks away from the Kingston bus station.
Remember: Your fingerprints must be verified on your TEACH Account, and a printout must be submitted to your department to be documented on your campus record. If you have other questions, please refer to the very helpful and detailed FAQ on the new fingerprinting system.
*Please note: This program requires an internship, field experience, study abroad component, or clinical experience. Students who have previously been convicted of a felony are advised that their prior criminal history may impede their ability to complete the requirements of certain academic programs and/or to meet licensure requirements for certain professions. If applicants have concerns about this matter please contact the Dean’s Office of the intended academic program.
WORKSHOPS:
!!! Health & Safety Education Trainings Starting Spring 2018: If you are currently a teacher candidate in our Undergraduate B-6 or 7-12 programs, or ANY Graduate program that recommends for an Initial certificate, you must pass a 0-credit training course in four areas of Health & Safety Education called EDI095 in order to graduate. Register for EDI095 on your my.newpaltz.edu under Education Interdisciplinary. (This requirement pertains to the School Counseling, Speech & Learning Disabilities, and Educational Administration programs as well.)
Child Abuse Identification Workshop and SAVE/School Violence Prevention: These trainings need to be completed for your fieldwork observations and for graduation. On-campus workshops are offered in the middle of each semester. For Fall 2018: November 3. If completed on campus, no graded quizzes are involved and proof of completion will be documented on your transcripts and also reported to your TEACH Accounts. To register for either workshop, click here for the Registration form fall2018teachercertworkshopregform and here for the Fall 2018 Workshop Reg Procedure. You must deliver a money order to OM 218C to complete the registration and hold your place.
Otherwise, take the workshops online with required quizzes at www.childabuseworkshop.com or www.violenceworkshop.com and enter the registration code NewPaltz9 for the same rate as on campus. This code only works for SUNY New Paltz students. See below on how to document your workshops.*
Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) training: A DASA training must be documented on your transcripts for graduation. On-campus workshops will be offered each semester. For Fall 2018: October 13 or November 11. Proof of completion will be documented on your transcripts and also reported to your TEACH Account once the workshops are completed here. To register for either workshop, click here for the Registration Form fall2018teachercertworkshopregform and here for the Fall 2018 Workshop Reg Procedure. You must deliver a money order to OM 218C to complete the registration and hold your place.
Otherwise, take the DASA training at The Center for Spectrum Services for $75 or our local BOCES Center for School Safety for $100. See below on how to document your workshops.*
Autism: The Needs of Students with Autism Workshop: This training needs to be completed for graduation and recommendation by Special Education/Students with Disabilities and Speech & Language Disabilities teacher candidates only. Click HERE for a FREE approved version on campus on Oct 27th. You will need to create or use your pre-existing MyLearningPlan account for this registration. Proof of completion will be documented on your transcripts and also reported to your TEACH Account once the workshop is completed here.
In-person workshops are offered locally a couple of times each semester by the Center for Spectrum Services.
Otherwise, take the workshop online at www.autismautism.com and enter the registration code NewPaltz9 for the reduced campus rate. This code only works for SUNY New Paltz students.
*For all off-campus workshops, you must have your Child Abuse, SAVE, DASA, and/or Autism workshop documented on your permanent record here for graduation by sending a copy of your workshop certificate of completion to Records and Registration in Wooster Hall 115, or by faxing it to 845-257-3103 to the attention of Rita Cancelliere, or by emailing it to recreg@newpaltz.edu Please send the request from your hawkmail account, which will allow them to authenticate your identity.
TEACHING CERTIFICATE APPLICATION:
When you start your first student teaching placement, apply for your teaching certificate on your TEACH account.
Student Application Information Sheets with step-by-step directions (and program codes) will show you how to apply for the appropriate teaching certificate. You must use the specific program code that corresponds to your registered degree and program at SUNY New Paltz.
TEACH Account New Password Reset:
There's a self-service feature for students to retrieve their TEACH account user IDs and passwords with no waiting for email responses. Simply click on "USERNAME go to" or "PASSWORD to go."
CERTIFICATION EXAMINATIONS:
Candidates for certification must achieve qualifying scores on the appropriate tests in the New York State Teacher Certification Examination (NYSTCE) program. Learn more general information about the NYSTCE program. Then register for the tests and choose a location and time. Before testing, check out their test preparation guides and test frameworks to know how to pace yourself.
Candidates will need to take the edTPA, EAS, and CSTs (TSSLDs see note below.*) Please check the Cert exams for each degree rev 2017 guide to find out which tests you need to take for every education program at SUNY New Paltz.
*Students seeking certification as a Teacher of Students with Speech and Language Disabilities will take the Praxis II exam for Speech-Language Pathology rather than the CST, but this is required at the professional certificate level.
Testing Updates:
The EAS (201) test will be replaced in Fall 2018 with a redeveloped test called Educating All Students—II (EAS–II) (203). Either test will be accepted to fulfill the requirement.
The CST Multi-Subject 7-12 Part Two: Mathematics (242) test is being redeveloped, and the new Part Two: Mathematics (244) test will be available starting Nov 12, 2018.
(The ALST has been eliminated and is no longer required.)
Preparation for the EAS:
***Please check out our amazing webmix of study resources to prepare for the EAS.
To prepare for the demands of the English Language Learner portion of the EAS (Educating All Students) test, please refer to this PowerPoint on ELL for EAS training. And here are the documents from our EAS training with Dr. Isaac: Eas Study Guide, Eas Rubric, RTI Pamphlet, EAS Review Ppt by Dr. Isaac.
Preparation for CSTs:
For preparation guides, test frameworks, passing scores, practice tests, and retake options for all of the CSTs, please select the CST you need to take from the NYSTCE drop-down list and click "GO."
edTPA Information:
For general information on the Teacher Performance Assessment portfolio (edTPA), please check our website and NYSED's edTPA resources. For detailed preparation guidelines, access our edTPA Candidate Community site on Blackboard. Be sure to register and pay for the assessment at edTPA.com
***Lower cut score changes to the edTPA and a Multiple Measure Review Process (MMRP) score range that allows a student who fails the edTPA will be in effect in 2018 and beyond.
School Leadership Assessments (SLA):
(For CAS candidates only) Please complete these assessments after your coursework is finished but before graduation, as passing scores on both the SDL & SBL Revised Parts I and II are required for the degree and recommendation. SDL, SBL Revised, and SDBL Parts One and Two will all be administered individually on computer-based sessions. Click here for dates. Assessments are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis for limited seating, so early registration is essential. For information and links to preparation materials, please check SDL and SBL NYSTCE. Here's a link to an SBL Symboloo for review materials. (Please note that the EAS is now required for both the SDL and SBL certifications.)
Test Score Reports: NYSTCE test score reports are released according to the following schedules.
***New Safety Nets for Failed Exams:
The Board of Regents has Safety Nets for certain redeveloped CSTs: Languages, Social Studies, and TESOL until June 2019.
The safety net passing score for the EAS is 500. Candidates may use the EAS safety net passing score until the revised EAS-II test becomes operational.
edTPA MMRP: The edTPA Safety Net expired on June 30th, 2018 and is no longer available. Here are links to the new Multiple Measures Review Process (MMRP) for teacher candidates who do not pass the edTPA, but score within two points.
DEGREE APPLICATIONS:
All students must apply for graduation and submit their application by the first day of the first month of the graduating semester to Records and Registration in Wooster Hall 115. You cannot be recommended by the college to NYSED for Teacher Certification without a conferred degree, whether or not you have completed the necessary coursework. The degree applications are available on the Records and Registration website.
Teacher Certification Recommendation Authorization Form:
Remember: SUNY New Paltz cannot recommend you for certification without your permission. Be sure to sign the release at the bottom of the degree application, authorizing SUNY New Paltz to recommend you. If you forget to do this, here's what to do:
1. Log into my.newpaltz.edu
2. Click the Students tab if you are not there already
3. Click School of Education (on the left under RESOURCES)
4. Click Teacher Certification Recommendation Authorization Form and follow the instructions on the page.
Degree Verification: SUNY New Paltz has authorized the National Student Clearinghouse to provide enrollment and degree verification. Click the link for Degree Verification for more information. Please send the request from your hawkmail account, which will allow Records & Registration to authenticate your identity.
Receiving Your Certificate:
The college will recommend you for certification after your degree has been conferred (usually three-to-four weeks after grades are submitted), and then NYSED requires up to 30 days to evaluate your application. Check your TEACH account "Evaluation History" for details on the processing of your application, as you may be missing a requirement, such as a workshop or a test. If all the requirements are met, you will be given a control number on your TEACH account, which you can use as verification for job applications. Log in to your account.
NYSED no longer prints and delivers paper certificates for time-limited certificates such as Initial & Provisional. If you need an original document, you can apply for a duplicate or printed copy of your certificate.
PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION:
Teacher Registration:
Every teacher applying for Professional certification must now register with NYSED and shall apply for Initial registration during the 2016-2017 school year during his/her month of birth and shall renew his/her registration in the last year of each subsequent five-year period thereafter. Find out more about teacher registration here.
Other requirements for Professional Certification:
In addition to completing your master’s degree, you'll also need to provide verification of your Teaching and Mentored Experiences for Professional certification. For more information, please see our professional certification requirements page.
Certificate Progression:
See our step-by-step Certificate Progression Directions on how to progress your Initial certification to Professional using a master’s degree in a different teachable content area from your bachelor's degree. Please send documentation to NYSED to complete your application following these guidelines.
Professional Development for Certificate Holders:
Professional certificates in all classroom teaching titles and all School Leader titles, as well as the Level III Teaching Assistant certificate must be maintained through completing CTLEs or continuing professional development. Professionally certified teachers must keep a record of all Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) or professional development completed during your professional development period, including that provided by your school district. 100 units of CTLEs every five years are needed for teachers and school leaders to re-register their Professional certifications. Here are directions on Recordkeeping for CTLEs
ADDING CERTIFICATIONS:
The College can recommend you only for the specific title and type of certification which corresponds to your program. If you are seeking to add other certifications, you must apply directly to NYSED online. To identify the specific requirements needed for any given certificate, check NYSED's search certification requirements. See our step-by-step additional certificate directions on how to apply for an additional certificate. Please send documentation to NYSED to complete your application following these guidelines.
CERTIFICATION IN OTHER STATES:
Interstate Reciprocity:
Those wishing to teach in states other than New York should check the certification map for information on each state's reciprocity agreement with New York.
Out-of-State Verification:
Those finding employment as teachers in states other than New York should send the out-of-state verification forms to Jennifer Wawrzonek in Records and Registration in Wooster Hall 115 for the signature of the certification officer and the university seal (an original signature is sometimes required). Please send the request from your hawkmail account, which will allow Records & Registration to authenticate your identity.
PROGRAMS:
Undergraduate degree programs at SUNY New Paltz that lead to initial certification include:
Bachelor of Science in Education (Birth-6)
Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Art in Adolescence Education (7-12)
Bachelor of Science, Art Education
For graduate degree programs at SUNY New Paltz that lead to initial and professional certification, including teacher education, school counseling, and speech and language disabilities, please check the Graduate School's website.
RESOURCES FOR YOU:
Records & Registration: Wooster Hall Room 115. 845-257-3100.
Graduation Checklist
Commencement Information: 845-257-3972
NYSED Office of Teacher Initiatives: 518-474-3901
Registration for Teacher Certification Exams
Certification information: Old Main Building Room 218C. 845-257-2790 or whitakec@newpaltz.edu.
