Acceptable CTLE Activities

Educators must take continuing teacher and leader education (CTLE) from a CTLE sponsor approved by the Department. The list of approved CTLE sponsors is available online. Professional development or professional learning not designated as CTLE by an approved CTLE sponsor does not count towards the required CTLE clock hours.

School districts that are approved CTLE sponsors can offer CTLE outlined in their Department-approved professional learning plan. Districts must issue CTLE certificates of completion for CTLE clock hours and maintain records of the CTLE awarded.

Acceptable CTLE Activities

Acceptable CTLE activities are designed to improve the teacher or leader’s pedagogical and/or leadership skills and are targeted at improving student performance, including but not limited to formal CTLE activities. Such activities also shall promote the professionalization of teaching and educational leadership, as applicable, and be closely aligned to district goals for student performance.

Acceptable CTLE includes activities:

  • Content area(s) of the certificate(s) held,
    • and/or
  • Pedagogy,
    • and
  • Language Acquisition addressing the needs of English language learners.

The CTLE in the content area can be in the content area of any certificate held, including certificates not subject to CTLE (e.g., Initial, Permanent certificates). CTLE activities in pedagogy could be appropriate general pedagogy or pedagogy specific to the content area of the certificate(s). The CTLE language acquisition requirement is described here.

University or College Course Credits

Courses completed at an institution of higher education (IHE) can count towards the CTLE requirement only if the IHE is an approved CTLE sponsor and awards CTLE clock hours for the courses.

For credit-bearing university or college courses, each semester-hour of credit is equal to 15 clock hours of CTLE, and each quarter-hour of credit is equal to 10 clock hours of CTLE. For all other approved CTLE activities, one CTLE clock hour is a minimum of 60 minutes of instruction/education.

Working with Colleagues and Student Teachers

Peer review teachers or principals acting as independent trained evaluators who conduct a classroom observation as part of the teacher evaluation system pursuant to Section 3012-d may count such time towards the CTLE requirement. The acceptability of other types of collaborative work between educators would be determined by the school, district, or BOCES that is an approved CTLE sponsor and the sponsor would award the CTLE clock hours accordingly.

Teachers who provide mentoring may, at the discretion of the school district or BOCES, earn CTLE clock hours in the following manner effective December 31, 2019.

  • Teachers acting as a mentor to a new classroom teacher as part of a school district’s or BOCES’ mentoring program may, at the discretion of the school district or BOCES, credit up to 30 hours of such time towards their CTLE requirement in each five-year registration period.
  • Teachers acting as a mentor to a teacher candidate may, at the discretion of the school district or BOCES, credit up to 25 hours of such time towards their CTLE requirement in each five-year registration period.

The school, district, or BOCES must keep records and award CTLE certificates for educators who earn CTLE clock hours by working with colleagues and student teachers, documenting that they approve of the CTLE as the approved CTLE sponsor.

National Board Certification

Educators who earn certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards have met the CTLE requirement during the registration period in which the National Board Certification is achieved, provided that the educator also meets the CTLE language acquisition requirement.

Educators who Hold Multiple Certificates

Educators who hold one or more certificates subject to CTLE could complete acceptable CTLE activities in the content area(s) of their certificate(s) and/or in pedagogy.

For example, an educator who holds Professional Biology, Professional Chemistry, and Permanent Earth Science certificate could complete acceptable CTLE activities in biology, chemistry, earth science, and/or pedagogy, in addition to CTLE activities that satisfy the CTLE language acquisition requirement. An educator who holds Professional Childhood Education and Professional School Building Leader certificates could complete acceptable CTLE activities in the common branch subject areas, school building leadership, and/or pedagogy, in addition to CTLE activities that satisfy the CTLE language acquisition requirement.

Speech and Language Disabilities Certificate Holders

For educators who hold the Professional Speech and Language Disabilities Certificate, courses taken from an approved American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) CE provider are acceptable towards meeting CTLE requirement as long as they are documented with the ASHA CE Registry. One ASHA CEU equals 10 hours of CTLE.

Last Updated: June 18, 2021