Instructions for Additional Certification (Subject Area "Extension")

If you are applying for certification in a program area other than your bachelor’s or master’s degree, follow these instructions:

When you apply for certification that is not directly related to your college degree age group or subject, you will not be eligible for a “college recommendation” for certification for that age group/subject.

If you are applying for professional certification for an age group/ subject that does not match your master’s degree, you will not be eligible for a recommendation for professional certification for that age group/subject.

In those cases, OTI will need to check your transcripts, including transfer credits.

Transcripts

To order Brooklyn College transcripts, refer to these instructions.

More Information

Applying for Additional Certification

If you are applying for certification in an age group/subject that is not directly related to your college preparation program (e.g., you want to apply for an additional certification in early childhood and you are already certified to teach grades 1–6):

  • You must have New York State certification in effect (verify on your TEACH account).
  • You can check the certification requirements under the “Pathway: Additional Classroom Teaching Certificate(Must hold a valid certificate).”
  • If you do not meet the requirements your additional certificate yet, you can consider applying for a supplementary certificate while you are completing the requirements for your additional certificate. You can check by searching the certification requirements.
  • Check a copy of your transcript to see if you have completed or will be completing the requirements listed. Requirements for certification can only be verified by OTI. If you like, you can send your transcripts for evaluation to OTI and apply for your certification before you complete your requirements to check the completion of the requirements completed so far. Applications are valid for three years or two evaluations, whichever comes first.
  • After you have your first professional certificate, the experience requirement should  be satisfied for any future professional classroom teaching certificate applications.

To Apply

  1. Log in to your TEACH account.
  2. Verify and update your profile.
  3. Complete and pay for an application for your additional certification area.
  4. Select a type of certificate:
  • Initial (or provisional) Certification—if you don’t have the work experience yet for any of your certification areas. Initial certification is for classroom teaching titles. Provisional certification is for school psychologists and school counselors.
  • Professional (or permanent) Certification—professional certification is for classroom teaching titles. Permanent certification is for school psychologists and school counselors. You can check requirements at this link.

For professional/permanent certification, you need:

  • You need a graduate level degree in the content area of the initial certificate or in a closely related subject area.
  • You need to complete the work experience requirement.
  • If you have professional certification already or not, if your employer did not send in a work experience form previously, it is now needed.  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.
  • For your fist professional certificate, your teaching experience must be in the area/level of the certificate held. The other professional certificate applications should be based on the issuance of the first professional certificate.

When you apply, do not enter a program code. 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.” This is because you are applying for certification based on completion of requirements that are in a age group/subject that is different from your college preparation program. You should be applying through the Additional Classroom Teaching Certificate (must hold a valid certificate) “pathway”/ application type.

OTI will need to check your transcripts, including transfer credits.

To order Brooklyn College transcripts, refer to these instructions.

How and where to send documents

What to include with your documents If your test data is not posted on your TEACH account, you do not need to send in test documents. You will need the test provider to send the test data to OTI.

More information about sending data to the state. You will only need to send transcripts and documents to the state when you apply for certification that does not match your college age group/subject. To check, you can seach the requirements needed.

What’s Next

Monitor your TEACH account, and check for any application evaluations that may be posted. Allow about three months for this to be done after your requirements and documents are received. Automated evaluations are posted when the computer has completed an evaluation, and some requirements may be marked “unmet” or “deficient” until your application is reviewed. Manual evaluations are posted when your transcript and other documentation has been examined by the Office of Teaching Initiatives.

Applying for Professional Certification that does not match your master’s degree

Follow these directions if:

  • You need professional certification but your master’s degree in in another subject. For example, your undergraduate degree is in early childhood education, and you want professional early childhood certification but your masters is in a different age group/subject.
  • You have initial physical education certification and your master’s program was in sports management.

You cannot use an undergraduate degree for professional certification. You can use a master’s degree for professional certification if it’s accepted according to this information.

Check the requirements. If you have an initial certificate in the same subject/age group, and a master’s degree in another age group subject, check the list for professional certification under the heading “Certificate Progression.”

If you do not have an initial certificate in the same subject/age group, you can contact the certification officer for specific instructions based on your situation.

Check experience requirements.

Check the workshop requirements.

If you do not have the experience or other requirements needed for professional certification, you can apply for a time extension, initial reissuance (for teaching titles) or provisional renewal (for school counseling and school psychology titles).

Information on the master’s degree requirement for professional certification.

Transcripts Needed

The New York State Department of Education (NYSED) Office of Teaching Initiatives (OTI) will need to check your transcripts, including transfer credits. If you sent your transcripts to OTI yourself within the last three years, they should still be on file at OTI and should be used for all applications during that time.

Work Experience Verification

If you have professional certification already or not, if your employer did not send in a work experience form previously, it is now needed. 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.

Mentored experience requirement: If you worked in an NYCDOE school, you can e-mail the NYCDOE Certification Office to request that they send your mentored experience information to the state. They will need to know your file number.

After you have your first professional certificate, the experience requirement should be satisfied for any future professional classroom teaching certificate applications. Currently, individuals who hold more than one Initial certificate may combine teaching experience gained under each of their certificates to satisfy the experience requirement for the professional certificate. Check experience requirements.

Pay for Your Certification Application

Log in to your TEACH account.

Complete and pay for an application for your professional certification area.

For “Educational Preparation for this application only,” do not enter a program code. Instead, 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.”

If you have an initial certificate in the same subject/age group, your pathway/application type needs to be “Certificate Progression.”

If you do not have an initial certificate in the same subject/age group, and you have an initial certificate in another age group/ subject, you can contact the certification officer for specific instructions based on your situation.

What’s Next

Monitor your TEACH account, and check your application status. Allow approximately 16 weeks for an evaluation of your documents and information.

Additional Certification to Teach Bilingual Students

  • You must have initial New York State certification in effect (verify on your TEACH account).
  • You must complete the course work and certification requirements.
  •  Forward copies of your workshop certificates to the certification officer if they are not posted on your TEACH account and if you don’t have a previous college recommendation for certification The DASA workshop is now required for all titles. Be sure to block out your Social Security number except the last four digits if you are sending workshop certificates by fax or e-mail.
  • You must complete the BEA (Bilingual Education Assessment).
  • If your college recommendation for certification has not been posted on your TEACH account, and if you completed your program, contact the certification officer.
  • Be sure the teaching title you have or will have can be used as a “base” certificate for bilingual teacher certification. You cannot add a bilingual extension to TSOL/ELL/ENL or foreign language teacher titles such as Spanish or French teacher, for example. How to check: Go to NYSED website and search certification requirements, Other extensions, Bilingual education, Pre K–12, Bilingual education extension, Initial extension annotation (if you have initial certification). Open the link under Existing Valid Base NYSED Certification. Be sure the title you have or will have is on the list.
  • The Bilingual extension PPS title is only for school counselors and school psychologists and other Pupil Personnel Service titles, which you can see listed if you go to the NYSED website. Search certification requirements,  select Other extensions, Bilingual education, Pre K–12, Bilingual education extension PPS/Admin, Provisional extension annotation (if you have provisional certification), Existing Valid Base NYSED Certification. The courses required for a bilingual extension for PPS titles is different than the list below. To see the courses needed, check these links: School Counselors and School Psychologists.
  • If you have professional certification already or not, if your employer did not send in a work experience form recently, you should have it sent 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.
  • After you have your first professional certificate, the experience requirement should  be satisfied for any future professional classroom teaching certificate applications.

To Apply

  • Log in to your TEACH account.
  • Verify and update your profile.
  • Select your certificate:

Bilingual Education related to the Advanced Certificate program only.

  • Area of interest: Other Extensions
  • Select a subject area: Bilingual Education
  • Select a grade level: Pre-K–12 All Grades
  • Select a title: Bilingual Education Extension
  • Type of certificate: Initial Extension Annotation (if this is your first certificate in this area), or Professional Extension Annotation (if you have three years of teaching experience in any age group/subject)
    • Program code 31826.
  • Pathway for your first application: Approved Teacher Prep Program

If you have the initial extension annotation, when you apply for the professional extension annotation, use pathway: certificate progression.

What’s Next

Monitor your TEACH account, and check for any application evaluations that may be posted. Automated evaluations are posted when the computer has completed an evaluation. Manual evaluations are posted when your transcript and other documentation has been examined by an officer at the Office of Teaching Initiatives. Certificate effective dates will be posted on your TEACH account. You can pay a $25 fee to have a printed initial certificate if you wish. Certification can also be confirmed by going to the “Certificate Holder Lookup” link on the Office of Teaching Initiatives website.

Applying for Additional Certification to Teach Students With Disabilities

Follow these instructions if your degree did not lead to students with disabilities certification, and you took or want to take additional courses for this certification area as a nondegree student:

  • To be eligible for the additional title you will need initial (or professional) New York State classroom teacher certification in effect.  You can start to complete the following requirements before your initial (or professional) certification is confirmed.
  • You can check the  certification requirements for the students with disabilities title you want under the list for Pathway: Additional Classroom Teaching Certificate Must hold a valid certificate. Be sure to open the details for “Holds a Valid NYS Classroom Teaching Certificate” and check that the title you have or will have is listed there.
  • Candidates who hold or will have certification in art, music, physical education, Italian teacher, Spanish teacher, French teacher, speech language pathology, or health or nutrition may need to complete core course work. Be sure to check the requirements.
  • To take the following courses, e-mail us: CBSE 7674T Foundations – Students with Special Needs, CBSE 7676T Environment – Learning environments for Students with Special Needs, CBSE 7677T Curriculum – Curriculum Modifications for Teaching Students with Special Needs, CBSE 7678T Assessment – Educational Assessment of Young Children & Students with Special Needs
  • You can check your transcript to see if you have completed or will be completing the requirements needed. Requirements for certification can be verified only by the New York State Office of Teaching Initiatives (OTI). You can send your transcripts for evaluation to OTI and apply for certification before you complete your requirements to be sure you have completed the core requirements. Applications are valid for three years from the application date or for two evaluations.
  • 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. OTI will need to check your transcripts, including transfer credits.
  • If your test data is not posted on your TEACH account, you do not need to send in test documents. You will need the test provider to send the test data to OTI. More information about sending data to the state .
  • Check the information on the Mandated Workshops  The Needs of Students with Autism workshop will be credited only if you were in a special education program and have a college recommendation for that title. If you have not completed the DASA/School Bullying workshop, it is required. The other workshops (Identification and Reporting of Child Abuse and School Violence Prevention)  do not need to be noted on your New York State TEACH account if you are already certified.
  • You must pass the Content Specialty Test (CST) Students with Disabilities.  For all age groups, you must complete the CST multi-subject test for your certification age group. To check which multi-subject test you need for your first students with disabilities certificate, check the requirements.  Check the list for the “Pathway: Additional Classroom Teaching Certificate (Must hold a valid certificate)”
  •  If you do not meet the requirements for the certification area you are working toward yet, you may be eligible for a supplementary certificate  while you are completing the requirements for your additional certificate. You can check by searching the certification requirements.
  • For professional certification: if you have professional certification already, to avoid processing delays, your employer should reconfirm your work experience.  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
  • For information about the certification needed for specific assignments, review the Examples for Reporting Primary and Special Education Instructors in Course Instructor Assignment (PDF)
  • Refer to this chart for information about Special Education Teaching Assignments and Certification.

How to Apply

Students With Disabilities Early Childhood or Childhood Grades 1–6

  • Area of interest: Classroom teacher
  • Subject area: Early childhood or childhood grades 1–6
  • Grade level: Early childhood or childhood grades 1–6
  • Title: Students with disabilities
  • Select a type of certificate: If you have less than three years of teaching experience, select initial certification. If you have or will soon have a professional certificate in another title, select professional certification. The first  professional certification that you apply for should be related to the age group/subject(s) you have been teaching.  After you have your first professional certificate, the experience requirement should  be satisfied for any future professional classroom teaching certificate applications. Currently, individuals who hold more than one Initial Certificate may combine teaching experience gained under each of their certificates to satisfy the experience requirement for the Professional Certificate.
  • If you did not complete a bachelors or masters program in this subject,  a program code is not needed and  a college recommendation is not needed, since this is an additional certificate based on completing courses as a nondegree student.
  • Select “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 type.”
  • Pathway: for your first application, select Pathway: Additional Classroom Teaching Certificate Must hold a valid certificate.
  • If you have or apply for initial students with disabilities certification, and want to apply for the professional certificate, the pathway for the professional certificate should be Certificate Progression.

Students With Disabilities Grades 7–12 Generalist

To apply for generalist certification, select:

  • Area of interest: Classroom teacher
  • Select a subject area: Secondary education
  • Select a grade level: Adolescent grades 7–12
  • Select a title: Students with Disabilities—Grades 7–12 generalist
  • Select a type of certificate: If you have less than three years of teaching experience, select Initial Certification. If you have or will soon have a professional certificate in another title, select professional certification. The first Professional Certification that you apply for should be related to the age group/subject(s) you have been teaching.  After you have your first Professional Certificate, the experience requirement should  be satisfied for any future professional classroom teaching certificate applications. Currently, individuals who hold more than one Initial certificate may combine teaching experience gained under each of their certificates to satisfy the experience requirement for the professional certificate.
  • If you did not complete a bachelor’s or master’s program in this subject, a program code is not needed and  a college recommendation is not needed, since this an additional certificate based on completing courses as a nondegree student.
  • Select “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 type.”
  • Pathway: for your first application, select Pathway: Additional Classroom Teaching Certificate Must hold a valid certificate.
  • If you have or apply for initial students with disabilities certification, and  want to apply for the professional certificate, the pathway for the professional certificate should be  Certificate Progression.

Students With Disabilities Generalist Grades 7–12 with Extension (for your subject area)

Effective July 1, 2021, all certified special education teachers who teach one or more subject areas in a special 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. More information.

You will need to have or apply for Students With Disabilities(SWD)—Grades 7–12—Generalist Certification as the “base certificate” for this extension.  See above.

If you are in a Transitional B program, contact Roberto Martinez for more information and instructions.

The instructions below are for students who are not in a Transitional B program.

You can check requirements and apply on TEACH for this certificate as follows:

  • Area of interest: Classroom teacher extensions.
  • Select a subject area: biology, chemistry, earth science, English language arts, mathematics, physics, or social studies. See note below about other subject areas.
  • Select a grade Level: Adolescent 7–12.
  • Select title: Students With Disabilities plus your subject area Grades 7–12: biology, chemistry, earth science, English language arts, mathematics, physics, or social studies. See note below about other subject areas.
  • Certificate type: initial extension annotation, or professional extension annotation if you professional SWD generalist grades 7–12 certification already.
  • If you did not complete a bachelor’s or master’s program in this subject, a program code is not needed and a college recommendation is not needed, since this is an additional certificate, not a full program.
  • Select “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 type.”
  • Pathway: for your first application, the pathway should be individual evaluation. If you have an initial extension annotation already, for the professional extension annotation, select certificate progression. Professional students with disabilities generalist grades 7–12 required.

What’s Next

Monitor your TEACH account, and check for any application evaluations that may be posted. Allow about three months for this to be done. Some requirements may be marked “unmet” until your application is manually reviewed. Check your application status to see if it is listed as ready or not ready for review. Manual evaluations are posted when your transcript and other documentation has been examined by the Office of Teaching Initiatives.

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