Professional Certification

Classroom Teacher, Administrator, and PPS Initial Certificates are valid for five years. Within those five years you must:

1. Complete three years of experience.
2. One of the three years of experience must be mentored if you work in a public or charter school.
3. Complete a Master's degree that is related or is a program that leads to additional certification.

To move your Initial certificate to the Professional Certificate you must:

1. Apply for the Professional certificate in each title you hold the Initial in or are being recommended for.

2. Request your school district enter the three years of experience and mentoring statement directly into your TEACH account.

   a. If you work for NYCDOE, the statement must be entered by your HRD or Central HR. You will need to check with them regarding how to request the statements get entered. 

   b. If you work for a public or charter school, those statements are usually entered by your district's HR department.

   c. If you have worked for a private school that does not have access to TEACH, please go to our website to locate the appropriate form request they complete and submit: https://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/certificate/form.html

3. If you did not earn a Professional certificate recommendation through a Master's program, you must request an official copy of your transcripts be sent to The Office of Teaching. Please see our website for more information regarding transcripts: https://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/certificate/transcripts.html

FAQ

Q: I provide services to students through an agency. Who enters my experience into TEACH?

A: The district your agency contracts with must enter the experience statement. We cannot accept experience from the agency.

Q: I've been working for my district for several years, don't they just enter my experience without having to request it?

A: Some districts do, but most do not. It can never hurt to have a conversation with your HR folks to determine what else is needed.

Q: I do not have three years of experience but my certificate is set to expire soon. What should I do?

A: You can investigate the Reissuance or Renewal options here: https://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/certificate/reissue.html

Q: I haven't finished my Master's yet but my certificate is set to expire soon. What should I do?

A: You can investigate the Reissuance or Renewal options here: https://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/certificate/reissue.html

Q: I am not getting a college recommendation for another certificate, but I have completed my Master's. What code should I use when I apply?

A: You cannot apply through the Approved Teacher Prep Program Pathway and cannot use a code. You will want to apply for the Professional via Certificate Progression if you are moving from an Initial to a Professional. You can only use an approved program code for the exact certificate you've been recommended for. If you aren't sure, you can check the College Recommendation section of your TEACH account. To do this, log into TEACH, select Account Information and then select College Recommendations.
 

Q: I received a notice saying I have to complete the Second Updated Mandated Reporter Workshop; didn't I already do that?

A: It depends. Some certificate holders completed the original workshop as part of their programs for certification. Then a first Updated Mandated Reporter workshop was required of all certificate holders by April 1, 2025. A second update or addendum is now due for all new applications or for all certificate holders not applying for new certification by November 17, 2026. Please see our website for more information: https://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/certificate/ca.html

Q: I entered my experience in the self-reported experience section of my TEACH account; isn't that enough?

A: No, all experience must be submitted by the employer. We do not use your self-reported experience toward meeting the Professional Certificate requirements.

Resources:

Related Master's Degree Requirement- https://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/certificate/relatedmasters.html

Understanding the status of your application- Application Updates and Reevaluation

Contact:

Please contact us with any additional questions: https://nysedsupport.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/requests/new