Certification Requirements for Teacher Education Program Students at SUNY Plattsburgh

Certification Requirements

Requirements for an Initial Certificate:

Upon successful completion of your program and passing scores on New York State Teacher Certification Exams (NYSTCE), you will apply for Initial Certification. The Initial Certification is valid for five years; your first year of teaching must be mentored. During this five-year period, you must complete requirements for the professional certificate. For more information, visit New York State Department of Education's Certification Requirements FAQs page.

Important Note: New testing requirements for initial certification of teachers and school building leaders are scheduled to be implemented beginning with candidates graduating from NYS educator preparation programs in May 2014. As currently planned, teacher and school building leader candidates graduating in May 2014 or after will need to pass a new set of New York State Teacher Certification Examinations (NYSTCE). NYS teacher education candidates graduating in May 2014 or after should wait for the new tests to be available before beginning testing. For more information on these new requirements, visit the NYS Office of Teacher Certification exam information Web page.

Steps to Initial Certification

• Completion of all SUNY Plattsburgh's degree requirements.
• Successful completion of all required New York State Teacher Certification Exams. See information below and visit http://www.nystce.nesinc.com.
• Completion of a TEACH Waiver Consent Form and the TEACH Online Application for Certification (See "Important Certification Links" below).
• Payment of applicable fees for the TEACH application.
• Fingerprinting.
• U.S. citizenship is not required for initial certification.

Requirements for a Professional Certificate:

• Master's degree: http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/certificate/relatedmasters.htm.
• Three years teaching experience — your first year must be mentored.
• Renewed every five years with 175 hours of professional development.
• Professional certification is available only to citizens and lawfully admitted permanent residents of the United States.

Important Certification Links

Updates on Required New York State Teacher Certification Exams (NYSTCE)

• New York State Education Department: http://www.highered.nysed.gov/certexam.
• SUNY Plattsburgh Director of Certification: http://faculty.plattsburgh.edu/bethanne.delgaudio.

TEACH Online Application and Database System

• A TEACH Waiver Consent Form must be completed for SUNY Plattsburgh to recommend you for certification! Log onto BANNER, go to Student Menu and click on Student Records Menu. Click on "Teach Waiver Consent Form" and click "ACCEPT."
• TEACH Online Application.
• Important Certification Information on Mrs. Bethanne DelGaudio's (the SUNY Plattsburgh Director of Certification) Web site.
• Information concerning the New York State Certification Exams (preparation guides, test frameworks, NYSTCE registration information, and test dates & locations).
• Check the current status of an application submitted to the Office of Teaching Initiatives within the past five years.
• The Teacher Certification Office can only recommend SUNY College at Plattsburgh graduates to the New York State Department of Education for teacher certification after they have completed an approved teacher preparation program. The Teacher Certification Office also verifies program completion for graduates applying for out of state certification and serves as a resource for a variety of teacher certification related topics.

Teaching In Other States

New York has interstate contracts (Reciprocal Certification Agreements) with more than 40 other states and jurisdictions.

If you need to verify the completion of a SUNY College at Plattsburgh approved teacher preparation program for certification purposes in another state, please send the out of state verification form with a stamped envelope containing the address to which you would like the verification sent to the attention of Bethanne DelGaudio, Director of Certification.

Contact Information

If you would like more information about teacher certification at SUNY Plattsburgh, please contact:

Mrs. Bethanne DelGaudio
Director of Certification & Graduate Advising
Office: Sibley 302A
Phone: (518) 564-2124
Phone (Teacher Education Unit Office): (518) 564-2122
Fax: (518) 564-2149
Email: delgaubg@plattsburgh.edu

Debbie Papier
Secretary
Office: Sibley 302
Phone: (518) 564-5149
Email dpapi001@plattsburgh.edu