Certification
Individual Evaluation of U.S. Credentials
You may submit an application for an evaluation of your credentials for a certificate. Before applying for a Certificate, please search for the requirements for the certificate you are requesting. Click on the Icon below to search the Certification requirements.
If you satisfy those requirements, the State Education Department will issue the appropriate certificate. If you do not qualify, we will provide a detailed written evaluation listing the remaining requirements you need to meet in order to receive the specified certificate. Below are links to the information that can be found on this page.
- Evaluation through Regional Certification Offices
- Satisfaction of Unmet Requirements
- Applying for a Certificate
Evaluation through Regional Certification Offices
Individual evaluation (in most certificate areas) is available through any of the Regional Certification Offices located at Boards of Cooperative Educational Services throughout New York State. Applications submitted through the Regional Certification Offices are forwarded for review by the State Education Department. Regional Offices accept applications ONLY from those living within the office's jurisdiction or employed by one of its member school districts.
Satisfaction of Unmet Requirements
First, go to Coursework to Satisfy Unmet Requirements for information about how to satisfy certification requirements.
If you have not met all requirements for a certificate, you should complete all remaining course, assessment, and/or experience requirements first, and then submit the necessary original transcripts and other documentation at ONE time.
DO NOT SUBMIT INDIVIDUAL DOCUMENTS AS YOU COMPLETE EACH REQUIREMENT.
If you are required to submit transcripts, you must have Official Transcript(s)– in sealed envelope(s) – sent directly to this office by each of the institutions you attended. If coursework appears as transfer credit, an official transcript showing the coursework must be submitted from the college at which the courses were completed.
If you have a maiden name, please make sure that it is listed in the Personal Information section of your TEACH profile. Also, all institutions of higher education that you attended must be identified in your TEACH account in the “Education Information” table when you apply for a certificate in TEACH. You may also update this information by going to the “Update/Add Education, Employment and Personal Information” link in your TEACH account. Sealed, Official transcripts must be mailed from the institution to:
New York State Education Department
Office of Teaching Initiatives, Room 5N EB
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12234
Photocopies, faxes, student copies, and grade reports transcripts are unacceptable.
Each transcript must contain your identifying information:
- Your date of birth or the last four digits of your SSN.
- A version of your full name (e.g., - current name, or maiden name) that is listed in your TEACH account.
- Ask the registrar if your institution includes your date of birth or a portion of your date of birth, and the last four digits of your social security number on official transcripts. If your institution does not include this information, you must have the institution include this information in a letter attached to your transcript.
- Transcripts received without this information cannot be matched and entered into the “Verified Education” table of your TEACH account and therefore cannot be used in an evaluation of your application.
- If you requested a transcript to be sent to the Office of Teaching Initiatives by your institution and it is not recorded in your TEACH account within four weeks, it may be that your identifying information was not included on your transcript, or that you have not followed the steps above. Please follow the steps above and monitor your account to see when the transcript gets entered.
Review Policy
Please note that applications are valid for 3 years from the date they were submitted, or two manual evaluations - whichever comes first. If you do not satisfy the requirements within the lifetime of your application, your application will be disapproved and will no longer be active. If this happens, you may apply for certification again if the certification you applied for is still available. Then, you will have to submit documentation that satisfies all requirements listed on the application at that time.