Fingerprinting
1. Where can I get fingerprinted?
2. When should I get fingerprinted?
3. How long do fingerprints take to clear?
4. How can I tell if my fingerprints have cleared?
NYS Certification
5. When should I apply for NYS Certifcation?
6. I am in a teacher preparation program in Curriculum and Instruction, Technology or Career and technical Educator Preparation. What is my pathway for NYS certification for teaching?
7. I am in the Educational Administration (SBL/SDL) program. What is the pathway for NYS certification in School Building Leadership and School District Leadership?
8. I am in a teacher certification program. What are the titles (types) of certificates in NYS for teacher certification?
9. What are the titles of certifications in NYS for School Building Leadership (SBL) and School District Leadership (SDL) (e.g. Educational Leadership)?
10. What are the titles of certifications in NYS for School Psychology and School Counseling?
Initial Teaching Certification Exams
11. What exams do first-time classroom teachers need to take for Initial Teacher Certification?
12. I am graduating but still haven't taken all of my required tests for Initial Teacher Certification. What do I do now?
13. When should I take the exams for Initial Teacher Certification?
Initial SBL and Professional SDL Certification Exams
14. What exams are required for SBL and SDL certification?
15. Where can I get more information?
Workshops
16. What workshops do I need?
17. What should I do with my workshop completion certificates?
Teacher Certification
18. Where do I apply for Initial Teacher Certification?
19. How much does the Initial Teacher Certification cost?
20. How do you pay the fee for Initial Teacher Certification?
21. How will I know if my Initial Teacher Certification application goes through?
22. How do I contact TEACH if I have a problem with my application?
23. When will I get my certificate from NYSED?
24. Can I apply for teaching jobs before I receive my certificate?
25. What do I do if my grad school/future employer wants a copy of my certificate?
26. What do I do if I want to become certified to teach in another state?
27. How do I apply for an additional certificate (other than my major)?
28. I've taken all my tests, done my fingerprinting and plan to graduate this semester. What do I do now?
1. Where can I get fingerprinted?
The fingerprinting process has undergone major changes as of summer 2015. NYSED no longer processes fingerprint applications and SUNY Oswego University Police no longer has anything to do with the fingerprinting process for NYS Teacher Certification. You will need to go to the MorphoTrust website, click on New York State on the map, and follow the links to complete the application. For complete information that will include new procedures that were put in place as of July 14, 2017, go to Fingerprinting Process from Start to Finish, NYSED.
2. When should I get fingerprinted?
SUNY Oswego recommends that you get fingerprinted prior to student teaching for Childhood Education, Adolescence Education, TESOL, CTE, and Technology Education as well as prior to internships for Counseling Services and School Psychology majors. Some school districts (e.g., NYC) require that you be fingerprinted prior to any field experience in that district. Thus in some cases, you may need to complete fingerprinting prior to a specific field experience. The Field Placement Office will advise you if you need to complete the fingerprinting prior to student teaching.
3. How long do fingerprints take to clear?
Fingerprints take several weeks to clear.
4. How can I tell if my fingerprints have cleared?
You can check the status by logging into TEACH.
5. When should I apply for NYS Certification?
Not until you have been recommended by Oswego for the appropriate certificate. The recommendation happens after all degree requirements are completed and verified, and an appropriate amount of time has passed after returning your authorization form. If you apply ahead of time, it will delay the application and you risk being put into the wrong pathway.
6. What is my pathway for NYS certification for teaching?
Graduates of any first initial teacher certification program at SUNY Oswego will follow the Approved Teacher Preparation Program pathway. Candidates who hold an initial certification and complete a master's in a different area (e.g. initial certification in Adolescence Education, Biology and master's program in Literacy) will apply for professional certification in Biology through the Certificate Progression and initial certification in Literacy through the Approved Teacher Preparation Program pathway.
7. What is the pathway for NYS certification in School Building Leadership and School District Leadership?
If a student matriculates into our Educational Leadership CAS, the only pathway is through the approved teacher preparation program. If you are applying for Professional School District Leader certification, you will need to request transcripts from ALL graduate institutions attended. These will need to be sent directly to the Office of Teaching Initiatives. This is so NYSED can verify 60 graduate credit hours.
8. I am in a teacher certification program. What are the titles (types) of certificates in NYS for teacher certification?
The titles of NYS certification for SUNY Oswego's teacher preparation programs in the departments of Curriculum and Instruction and Technology and the CTE programs in the department of Career and Technical Educator Preparation Department (including Agricultural Education, Family and Consumer Science Education and Business & Marketing Education) are: http://eservices.nysed.gov/teach/certhelp/CertRequirementHelp.do#cfocus. For other specialties in Career and Technical Educator Preparation including Technical Education and Trade Education areas, please talk to the department chair.
9. What are the titles of certifications in NYS for School Building Leadership (SBL) and School District Leadership (SDL) (e.g. Educational Leadership)?
The titles of certifications for NYS certification in SBL & SDL are:
- Internship Certification
- Initial Certification (SBL)
- Professional Certification (SBL, SDL)
10. What are the titles of certifications in NYS for School Psychology and School Counseling?
The titles of certifications in NYS for School Psychology and School Counseling are:
- Internship Certification
- Provisional Certification
- Permanent Certification
11. What exams do first-time classroom teachers need to take?
Anyone graduating, completing any of your certification exams, or applying for your Initial Certification on or after May 1, 2014, will need to take the EAS, CST (rev.).
12. I am graduating but still haven't taken all of my required teacher certification tests. What do I do now?
New York State will not issue your teaching certificate until all of your necessary exam scores are posted. You must pass all of your exams to become certified. You may still apply for certification in the meantime. If you have graduated, please apply for certification on the TEACH website and submit your Teacher Certification Authorization form. This will allow Oswego to recommend you. Once all of your exam scores have posted and you have fingerprint clearance, NYS will issue your certificate. Please review questions 9 & 11 to ensure you take the correct exams.
13. When should I take the exams for Initial Teacher Certification?
Please note these are general guidelines only. You will take the certification exams when you are adequately prepared. The Educating All Students test (EAS) should be taken during your student teaching semester. The CST (revised) should be taken after completion of your concentration courses. In the secondary content areas, 20% of the exam is dedicated to content-specific pedagogy. As a result, the best time to take these CST is after the content-specific methods course, which may be after concentration courses are completed. You should prepare the edTPA during your student teaching semester. You should contact the advisor in your particular major as to the sequence they recommend for you to take the required exams.
14. What exams are required for SBL and SDL certification?
In order to earn your CAS from SUNY Oswego, you must successfully complete both parts of the SDL exam, School District Leader Part 1 and Part 2. In order to obtain certification to be a school building principal (SBL) the candidate must complete both parts for the SBL exam, School Building Leader Part 1 and Part 2.
15. Where can I get more information?
SDL website http://eservices.nysed.gov/teach/certhelp/CertRequirementHelp.do
SBL website http://eservices.nysed.gov/teach/certhelp/CertRequirementHelp.do
16. What workshops do I need for Initial Teacher Certification?
You will need to take both SSHS1020 and DASA1020 or provide evidence that you have satisfied the requirements. Click here for more information on the workshops.
17. What should I do with my workshop completion certificate?
You should hold onto your original workshop, participation or seminar completion certificates. When Oswego recommends you for certification, this will verify your completion of the requirement. You may also need the copies if you are applying for additional certifications or applying for certification in another state. If you took the workshops elsewhere, please send a copy of the certificate to the Registrar's Office via email - registra@oswego.edu.
18. Where do I apply for teacher certification?
You apply for certification online via the TEACH website.
19. How much does each teacher certification cost?
Each certificate that Oswego will recommend you for is $50. In most cases, Oswego only recommends you for a single certificate. If you are completing an adolescence education major with a science concentration, you may be eligible for a general science certification for which we can recommend you. Also, if you hold an initial certification in one area and are completing a Literacy or Special Education certification at the graduate level, you may be recommended for initial and professional certification simultaneously. Please talk to your department advisement coordinator for more details. If you apply for additional certificates on your own, there is an additional cost. Go to this NYSED website to review the state fee schedule.
20. How do I pay the fee for Initial Teacher Certification?
You can pay the fee online (at end of application process) with MasterCard or Visa. If you do not have a credit/debit card, you may mail in a money order.
21. How will I know if my Initial Teacher Certification application goes through?
After you have applied through TEACH, you can access the status of your application online by clicking on the TEACH link.
22. How do I contact TEACH if I have a problem with my application?
If you have a technical problem with TEACH, call 518-486-6041. For general teacher certification questions (like changing from another state to NY, etc...) call 518-474-3901. Please note: Pathway changes can only be done via email - tcert@nysed.gov.
23. When will I get my certificate from NYSED?
After you have applied online via TEACH, you will be recommended for certification by the SUNY Oswego Certification Officer. This can take up to 30 days from the date your degree is posted. The Certification Officer cannot submit your recommendation until after your degree has been posted. (When you receive your diploma, there will be a Teacher Certification Authorization Form that you need to complete and return to the SUNY Oswego Certification Officer. We can not recommend you without this form.) Initial teaching certificates are usually posted by NYSED within two days from the time your entire application is complete. Professional and Permanent certificates take 3-4 weeks to be posted. Remember, NYSED no longer prints time limited certificates (Initial, Provisional and Internship). You will be able to access your control number (license number) by accessing your TEACH account.
24. Can I apply for teaching jobs before I receive my certificate?
Yes, you can apply for jobs before you receive your certificate. All school districts have access to the TEACH website to view your information. You should also access your account yourself and print your status page.
25. What do I do if my grad school/future employer wants a copy of my certificate?
You can give your graduate school or future employer a copy of your status page. If your future employer or graduate school is in New York State, it can access your status.
26. What do I do if I want to become certified to teach in another state?
If you want to get certified to teach in another state, New York State has reciprocity agreements with all other states, but each state has unique requirements. To find out specific requirements for each state, please access the Department of Education homepages for each state.
27. How do I apply for an additional teaching certificate (other than my major)?
If you wish to apply for additional certificates, you will either need to apply under the Individual Pathway or Individual Pathway for Additional Certificates. You must submit official transcripts from all colleges attended to NYSED. (Also see #17)
28. I've taken all my tests, done my fingerprinting and plan to graduate this semester. What do I do now?
If you haven't applied online for graduation, you will need to apply for graduation in person. Please note: Students who miss the deadline or cannot apply online should contact Graduation Services in the Registrar's Office at 315-312-2235 or 301 Culkin Hall. If you already applied online to graduate, you will get information on how to apply for certification once you have been verified as completing your program.