New York State Education Department - Teaching License Requirements

Teaching License Requirements

In order to teach in New York, the applicant must hold a valid New York State Teaching License. Most new certified teachers come from NYS-approved teaching programs in colleges or universities either in New York or another state that has a reciprocal agreement with New York. Upon graduation, prospective teachers must pass:

• the New York State Liberal Arts & Science test,
• the Assessment of Teaching Skills Test-Written, and
• a Content Specialty Test appropriate to the subject the student wishes to teach.

This initial teacher certification is temporary and will expire after five years.

To obtain a Professional certificate, the applicant must have completed a NYS-approved teacher education program at a college/university and hold a masters degree or above. Each state has different requirements to become a permanently certified teacher, and the requirements keep increasing. For example, professional certification in NYS requires three years of classroom teaching experience. It also requires being mentored by a certified teacher within the first year teaching. However NYS no longer offers permanent certification to those who haven't already been certified by February 2004.The Professional certificate replaces it. To maintain a professional certificate, a teacher must complete 175 hours of professional development every five years. These professional development hours are decreased by a few percentages for every year teaching in a non-public school. One does not have to teach in New York State to maintain their certificate as many New York teachers teach in Connecticut and New Jersey.