Frequently Asked Questions about Your TEACH Account

Below are frequently asked questions from users of 

• Account Information
• Apply
• Deleting Information Entered
• College Students and Graduates
• Editing Information Entered
• Education and Employment
• Login
• Incomplete Records in my TEACH account
• Name Change or Social Security Number Update
• Payment
• Status of Application
• Test Scores

Account Information

How do I know which certificates I hold?

If you hold a New York State certificate, it will appear in your electronic record.  If you hold certification from another state, please mail a copy of the certificate to the Office of Teaching Initiatives, 89 Washington Ave, EB RM5N, Albany NY 12234.

Apply

1. After choosing the approved teacher preparation pathway, why do I get an error stating that my education does not support the certificate I'm applying for?
    
2. I am applying for certification. Why aren't all of the requirements checked off in the pathway section?
    
3. I have applied for a PreK-12 certificate and took and passed the ATSW exam. Why isn't this requirement checked off?
    
4. May I apply for certification even though my fingerprints have not cleared?

5. How does my application get sent to the BOCES if I apply online?
    
6. How do I apply for reciprocity in New York State?
   

1. After choosing the approved teacher preparation pathway, why do I get an error stating that my education does not support the certificate I'm applying for?

   Please contact your institution's certification office/advisor to confirm that you have entered in the correct program code and that you have selected the correct certificate title and type.
   

 
2. I am applying for certification. Why aren't all the requirements checked off in the pathway section?

The pathway section of the online application shows check marks by the requirements you have met. Some requirements, such as experience or college recommendation, may not be checked off. This is because a certification specialist must review your experience and manually check off that requirement. The college recommendation requirement will not be checked off until your institution has entered its recommendation. You may still complete the application process, even if all of the requirements are not yet checked off.
 

3. I have applied for a PreK-12 certificate and took and passed the ATSW exam. Why isn't this requirement checked off?

If you have applied for a PreK-12 certificate, the ATSW testing requirement may be met by passing either the elementary or secondary ATSW. If you have taken and passed either of these tests and this requirement is not checked off, please send an email to TCERT@mail.nysed.gov  stating the above.  A certification specialist will verify and credit that requirement. You may still complete the application process, even if all of the requirements are not yet checked off.
 

4. May I apply for certification even though my fingerprints have not cleared?

Yes. Once your fingerprints are cleared, TEACH automatically updates your record to show that this requirement has been met.
 

5. How does my application get sent to the BOCES if I apply online?

In the application process, you are asked to choose whether to have NYSED or a BOCES review your application.  If you choose BOCES, you are then prompted to select the appropriate BOCES.  By doing this, your application is sent electronically to the BOCES you selected, and they are responsible for doing the initial evaluation for you.  In addition, you must also send your transcripts and any other supporting documentation to that BOCES.
 

6. How do I apply for a certificate if I am from another State?

Please review our "Applicants from other States (Interstate Reciprocity?" web page, then click on the TEACH Online Services icon at the bottom of that page to self-register and apply online for certification.

Deleting Information Entered

How do I delete an Education or Employment entry I added to my TEACH Profile in error?

At this time, the TEACH system does not allow for the deletion of any education or employment data once added to the TEACH system. If you enter education or employment information incorrectly, you should edit the entry to make it correct.  Please do not make a duplicate entry to correct an error.  However, if you have a duplicate entry already, please edit the incorrect entry so that it matches the correct entry.

Editing Information Entered

How do I edit personal, education, or employment information in my TEACH account without applying for a certificate online?

To edit your personal, education, or employment information without applying for a certificate online, go to and login to your TEACH account. On the TEACH Home page click the link called "Verify/Update Profile" and make whatever changes to your profile you need to make. 

Education and Employment

 

1. I selected "Approved New York Teacher Certification Programs".  Why isn't my institution in the drop-down list?
   
   If you completed a teacher preparation program at a New York State college or university that is recommending you for certification, and the institution does not appear in the drop-down list, please Report the Problem to us.
    
2. I selected "All Other Programs and Coursework".  Why isn't my institution in the drop-down list?

   To enter information on coursework or programs that do not result in a recommendation for certification, please follow the steps below:

   1. Once logged in to your TEACH account, go to Verify/Update Profile on the TEACH home page.
       
   2. Click Edit/Add Education Info.
       
   3. If you have not added the education go to the top of the page and choose the radio button for "All Other Programs and Coursework." Add your education here.
       
   4. If you have added an institution incorrectly, click the radio button next to entry you want to edit, and then click edit. Go to the top of the page and choose the radio button for "All Other Programs and Coursework." Add your education here.

   You should now be able to find your institution in the drop-down box.  If the institution does not appear in the drop-down list, please Report the Problem to us.

3. When entering employment experience, can I submit volunteer school experience or non-school paid experience?
   
   No, you should report only paid school experience.

Login

1. I received an error message that my SSN or Name or Date of Birth do not match. What do I do next?
    
2. When trying to access TEACH, I entered my Social Security Number and received an error message stating my SSN is already being used by another user. Why?
    
3. I have forgotten my user name and password for TEACH Online Services. How can I access my account?
    
4. I need to apply for certification and fingerprinting; can you send me a username and password?

1. I received an error message that my SSN or Name or Date of Birth do not match. What do I do next?

Login and before clicking the TEACH Online Services button, please click the "Update My Account" button. Verify that the information is correctly entered.  If not, correct it.

• If you have previously taken a New York State Teacher Certification Exam and have not submitted any other information to our office, please enter your name exactly as you entered it when registering for the test.  (You may update your account to reflect a name change later if necessary.)
   
• If you have previously submitted a certification application or have an issued certificate, edit your name to match the name on your previous application or issued certificate.  (You may update your account to reflect a name change later if necessary.)
   
• If you have entered your married name, but have not previously notified the Office of Teaching Initiatives of this change, update your last name to your maiden name, so that it will match your existing record.  (You may update your account to reflect a name change later.)
   
• When you have made these changes to your account click the "TEACH Online Services" button. After entering your Social Security Number, if you get the same message, please Report the Problem to us.
   
2. When trying to access TEACH, I entered my Social Security Number and received an error message stating my SSN is already being used by another user. Why?

Please Report the Problem to have your correct account reset and the other accounts removed.
 

3. I have forgotten my user name and password for TEACH Online Services. How can I access my account?
 

Please Report the Problem to have your account reset.
 

4. I need to apply for certification and fingerprinting. Can you send me a username and password?

To obtain a username and password to apply online, you must create a TEACH account. To self register, go to http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/teach/ .

Name Change or Social Security Number Update

1. How do I change my name or update my social security number?
   
   After you have logged into TEACH and you are on your homepage, click the "Verify/Update Profile" link, then click the "enter/edit personal info." button.   Click the "Request Name Change" button to request that your name be changed.  Click the "Request a SSN Update" button to request that your social security number be updated.
   
   For both requests, you must mail a copy of the documentation that supports your request.  For example, if you request a name change, mail us a copy of your marriage license or divorce decree etc.  If you requested a social security number update, mail a copy of your social security card.
   
   Mail to:
   Office of Teaching Initiatives
   89 Washington Ave, EB RM 5N
   Albany, NY 12234

Incomplete Records in my TEACH account

1. Why can't I see my evaluation in TEACH?
    
2. Why is my TEACH record incomplete?
    
3. I submitted a paper application. Why isn't it showing up in my TEACH account?

1. Why can't I see my evaluation in TEACH?

If you submitted an application for certification and received an evaluation from the Office of Teaching Initiatives which is dated before March 14, 2006, your TEACH records will not include this evaluation history, correspondence, or a complete TEACH personal profile. Only the data that was originally maintained in an electronic format on the old mainframe database was converted into TEACH. Generally, this information includes only portions of your personal profile (name, date of birth, Social Security Number), examination scores, fingerprint clearances, and workshops completed.
 

2. Why is my TEACH record incomplete?

If you received a certificate or other credential from the Office of Teaching Initiatives prior to March 14, 2006, your TEACH records will not contain a complete record of your submitted documents or transactions. Instead, you will only see the portions of your personal profile (name, social security number) and your certification history that were originally maintained in the old mainframe database.
 

3. I submitted a paper application. Why isn't it showing up in my TEACH account?

TEACH is designed for online applications.  The Office of Teaching Initiatives must manually enter each paper application that is received. Therefore, it takes longer for this information to become available on TEACH.

 

Payment

How do I pay for an application I submitted online?

On your TEACH Homepage, click on the Account Information link, click the certificates topic, and then click the Go button. In the certificates application table, click the Make Payment link to pay by credit card or to print the coupon and mail-in your payment.

Status of Application

Please Note: Online application through the TEACH system increases the efficiency of the application review process. However, if you have recently submitted a paper application and can't find it on the TEACH System, we ask or your patience until we are able to do some preliminary processing of your file. Paper applications require additional work by Office of Teaching Initiatives staff. Once the paper application is processed and we have added basic information to your file, the application will be recorded in TEACH.

How do I check on the status of an application I submitted online?

In order to check the status of your application, you must have a TEACH account.   If you do not have a TEACH account, you must self-register to establish one.   If you already have a TEACH  account, login and on your TEACH homepage click on the Account Information link.  Click the "Certificates" topic within the selection box, and then click "Go". In the certificates application table you will see the status of your application(s). Each status is explained below.

• Not Ready for Review: Payment has not been made or your transcripts have not been received.  For graduates of approved teacher education programs, if the college recommendation has not been received, the application would also "not be ready for review."  NOTE:  For teaching Assistant applications, the "High School Diploma/GED" requirement will be credited when the the application is being reviewed.
   
• Ready for Review - No Evaluation History Link: Your application is waiting to be reviewed by a certification specialist.
   
• Ready for Review -Yes Evaluation History Link: Your application has been evaluated.  Click on the Evaluation History link to view the evaluation.   There are a number of processes that create an evaluation history, they are listed below:
  
  Receipt of Fee and/or Official Transcript
  Receipt of Exam Result(s)
  Receipt of Workshop(s)
  Receipt of Fingerprint Clearance
  Change of Certificate Title, Type, and/or Pathway
   
• Review Complete - Pending Information: Your application has been reviewed by a certification specialist. You will receive a letter (Notice of Incomplete Requirements) confirming the outstanding requirement(s). Once you have completed ALL outstanding requirements, you must submit documentation verifying that you have done so. You may also click on the Evaluation History link to view the evaluation and the outstanding requirements.
   
• Evaluation Complete - Pending Final Review: All academic requirements have been met. TEACH conducts a final review to be sure that there are no outstanding issues, such as a name/SSN change request on file or a hold or other restriction preventing issuance of a certificate. If there are no outstanding issues, the certificate will print overnight and be mailed. Once printed, the certificate status will change to ISSUED.  You should receive your certificate in the mail within 2-3 weeks.

Test Scores

Why aren't my test scores showing up in my TEACH account?

Check the SSN and spelling of your name on your score report to confirm that it is the same as in your TEACH account. If the SSN or the spelling of your name on the score report is incorrect, contact our Testing Administrators, National Evaluation Systems Inc. (NES) at http://www.nystce.nesinc.com .