Certification
Submitting College Transcripts and College Credit by Exam Score Reports
For coursework to be accepted for certification, the Office of Teaching Initiatives (OTI) must receive an official transcript showing college coursework in one of the ways listed in the following table. Individuals who did not complete college coursework in the U.S. or a U.S. territory must submit their foreign credentials through a different delivery method.
If coursework appears as transfer credit without a grade on a transcript, then an official transcript from the college at which the coursework was completed must also be submitted to OTI.
Electronic transcripts submitted by a third-party vendor are typically processed more quickly than paper transcripts. Please note that applicants cannot submit electronic transcripts themselves to OTI by email.
Delivery Method for Transcripts and |
Approximate Time for the Transcript to be Entered in TEACH, Upon Receipt of the Transcript |
|
Electronically from National Student Clearinghouse |
1-2 weeks |
|
Electronically from an acceptable third-party vendor, other than National Student Clearinghouse or Parchment (see above), to transcriptsoti@nysed.gov. To be acceptable, the arrangement between the original organization and the third party must be consistent with NYSED security and verification standards. Applicants should not select a vendor that would require OTI to retrieve the electronic transcript in less than 30 days. |
2-4 weeks |
Sealed envelope sent directly from the college/ organization to the Office of Teaching Initiatives. |
2-4 weeks |
Envelope sealed by the college/organization placed in the drop box at the entrance of the New York State Education Department building (see address below). |
2-4 weeks |
How Do I Know When OTI Has Received my Transcript?
After the Office of Teaching Initiatives (OTI) receives your transcript through one of the above delivery methods, it is placed in line to be entered into your TEACH account by a staff member. The processing time varies depending on the time of year (e.g., longer in the summer).
To see if your transcript has been processed, go to the “Documents” table within the “Correspondence” section of your TEACH account. If your transcript is not listed in this table, then OTI has not received it or OTI has received the transcript, but has not entered the document into TEACH yet.
Where Do I Send Questions about Transcripts?
Individuals can send questions about transcripts to tcert@nysed.gov. Questions would not be sent to transcriptsoti@nysed.gov because this email address is only for receiving transcripts from acceptable third-party vendors.
Acceptable Documents
- Electronic transcripts from acceptable third-party vendors described in the above table.
- Official transcript in a sealed envelope from an institution of higher education.
- Official transcript in a sealed envelope from certain organizations, such as National College Credit Recommendation Service
or Joint Services Transcript. - Official score reports/transcripts for college credit by exam, such as CLEP Exams (see CLEP Score Submission Process), DANTES/DSST Exams, or American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Examination.
- oACTFL exam takers: You must scan your exam score report(s) and your driver’s license into PDF format. Then, combine these documents into a single PDF file and send the file as an attachment to TCERT@nysed.gov. In the subject line, please write: ACTFL exam score report.
Unacceptable Documents
- Unofficial transcripts.
- Photocopies, faxes, student copies, grade reports, and transcripts in unsealed envelopes.
- Transcripts sent by email from applicants and from college professors, department chairs, and deans.
- Electronic transcripts from unacceptable third-party vendors that do not have an arrangement between the original organization and the third party that is consistent with OTI security and verification standards.
Required Information on Transcripts
Each transcript must contain the following identifying information. Transcripts without this information cannot be matched to your TEACH account and will not be entered into TEACH.
- Last four digits of your social security number or date of birth
- Your name as it appears in your TEACH account
We recommend adding all of your former names (e.g., maiden name) and listing all of the colleges that you attended in your TEACH account, which provides additional identifying information.
If you requested that a transcript to be sent to OTI, and the transcript is not entered in your TEACH account within six weeks, then your identifying information may not have been included on your transcript. In this case, either:
- Ask your college to send a new official transcript along with a letter with your identifying information attached to your transcript, or
- Place the sealed envelope with your transcript in another envelope and write the above identifying information on the back of the sealed envelope, or
- List the college information in your TEACH account and send an email to notinteach@nysed.gov describing the missing transcript and providing your identifying information.
Military Transcripts
For information about obtaining military transcripts, go to Military One Source.
Mailing Address
New York State Education Department
Office of Teaching Initiatives
89 Washington Ave, 5N EB
Albany, NY 12234
The Office of Teaching Initiatives (OTI) does not accept visitors. A box is available at the security desk to drop-off documents. The documents are collected from the box once a day. |