Over the past year, the New York State Education Department has changed the requirements for a number of different state certifications. Read the following Q&A for the details. Be sure to check the state’s Office of Teaching Initiatives website for the latest certification updates.

Has the state changed the classes and coursework required to obtain state certification for a teaching license?

Yes. The New York State Education Department eliminated the general core in liberal arts and sciences (LAS) requirement for certification, effective April 27, 2022. The LAS requirement included coursework in the following areas: artistic expression, communication, information retrieval, concepts in history and social sciences, humanities, a world language other than English, scientific and mathematical processes, and written analysis and expression. The content core requirements, however, remain unchanged for all certificates, including generalist certificates. For more information, see the announcement on the state Education Department website.

How much teaching or work experience is required to obtain a permanent or professional state certification?

The total number of years of experience hasn’t changed (two years for a permanent certificate and three for a professional one), but the state has changed its definition of a “year of experience.” A minimum of 180 days over a 12-month period in an educational setting is still mandated but, as of March 30, 2022, the state now permits a variety of part-time experiences that add up to 180 or more days of full-time experience in a 12-month period. The new definition no longer requires periods of continuous experience or teaching experience in the subject area of the certificate sought. 

Is the edTPA exam still required for state teacher certification?

As of April 27, 2022, candidates who apply for state teacher certification no longer need to pass the edTPA exam. If passing the edTPA exam was the only unmet requirement you had, you will automatically receive your certificate issued by the New York State Education Department and it will be available in your TEACH account. However, you may still be required to pass other exams to achieve certification. Use the department’s certification requirements search tool to find the specific certification requirements for your license area.

How has certification for teachers of students with disabilities changed? How does that change affect current teachers with special education certification?

As of Sept. 28, 2022, the state Education Department created a new Students with Disabilities (All Grades) certificate that permits teachers to teach students with disabilities in pre-K through Grade 12 in New York State public schools. The Students with Disabilities (Grades 1-6) and Students with Disabilities (Grades 7-12) certificates will be phased out.

Teachers who now hold a Students with Disabilities certificate in a particular grade band (Birth-Grade 2, Grades 1-6, Grades 5-9 or Grades 7-12) or the Permanent Special Education certificate will not be required to obtain the new Students with Disabilities (All Grades) certificate. But teachers with these certificates may want to consider obtaining the new certificate, since it will allow for greater flexibility to teach students with disabilities in all grades.

See this state Education Department FAQ for more details.

Has the state made any recent changes to certification requirements for science?

To help alleviate the statewide teacher shortage in the sciences, which include biology, chemistry, earth science and physics, as of June 2022, teachers who already hold a science certificate and seek an additional science certificate in a different discipline are required to complete only 18 semester hours — down from 30 — for the content core in the subject area of the additional science certificate.

Will I need to obtain the state’s new literacy certificate for all grades if I currently hold a literacy certificate?

The state created a new Literacy (All Grades) certificate, effective Sept. 28, 2022, which replaces the Literacy (Birth-Grade 6) and Literacy (Grades 5-12) certificates. But teachers who currently hold a Literacy (Birth-Grade 6)or Literacy (Grades 5-12) certificate will not be required to obtain the new certificate, since those grade-band certificates will continue to be recognized.

Has the state changed certification for school counselors?

Yes. Through Feb. 1, 2023, school counselors received provisional and permanent state certification. As of Feb. 2, 2023, school counselors are issued initial and professional certification instead. Both prior certifications will continue to be recognized. Members with a valid provisional certificate will still be able to obtain a permanent certificate after Feb. 2, 2023.

School counselors are responsible for keeping their certifications current. Anyone holding a valid provisional certificate has the remaining time until their certificate expires, including time extensions or reissuances, to complete the requirements and apply for a permanent school counselor certificate.

The state has also established extensions for Bilingual Education and Supplementary Bilingual Education for school counselors who hold an initial or professional certificate. Requirements include 12 semester hours and courses in sociolinguistics and psycholinguistics, similar to requirements for classroom teachers.

Candidates who hold the provisional or permanent school counselor certificate and apply for the Bilingual Education extension or Supplementary Bilingual Education extension after Feb. 2, 2023, will also need to meet the new Bilingual Education extension requirements.