Office of Teaching Initiatives

New Transitional J Certificate for Military Spouses

The Board of Regents created a new Transitional J certificate for military spouses, effective November 4, 2020. On this date, the Transitional J certificate requirements will be listed in detail on the Search Certification Requirements webpage and the application will be available in the TEACH system.

The Transitional J certificate is valid for one year from its effective date to give military spouses time to pass the tests required for certification. If they pass the Educating All Students (EAS) test and Content Specialty Tests(s) prior to the expiration date of the Transitional J certificate, the certificate may be renewed once for an additional two years.

The requirements for the certificate include:

• Being a spouse of an individual on full-time active duty with the Armed Forces whose permanent duty station is in New York State.
• Holding a bachelor's or higher degree from a regionally accredited higher education institution, and achieving a 2.5 cumulative grade point average.
• Either:
• holding a valid certificate from another U.S. state or territory, or the District of Columbia, that is equivalent to a New York State Initial or Professional certificate in the certificate title sought; OR
• completing a New York State registered teacher education program that leads to an Initial or Professional certificate in the certificate title sought, or a comparable teacher education program at a regionally accredited institution of higher education in another U.S. state or territory, or the District of Columbia, that leads to the equivalent of a New York State Initial or Professional certificate in the certificate title sought in the jurisdiction where the higher education institution is located.
• Having an employment and support commitment from a school district or BOCES as a teacher in the area of the certificate sought (i.e., a Superintendent Statement submitted directly in TEACH), which includes a plan from the school district or BOCES for mentoring, appropriate instructional support as determined by school or BOCES leadership, and at least 20 hours of professional learning targeted toward appropriate pedagogical skills during each year of employment.
• Completing the following workshops: Child Abuse Identification and Reporting, School Violence Intervention and Prevention, and Dignity for All Students Act. Candidates who are applying for a special education certificate must also complete the Autism workshop.
• Completing the fingerprint clearance.