Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) Sponsors

A prospective CTLE sponsor must comply with the applicable requirements of Subpart 80-6 of the Commissioner's Regulations to obtain State Education Department approval as an Approved Sponsor of CTLE for Professional and Level III Teaching Assistant certificate holders.

Approval of CTLE sponsors is for a five-year term and may be renewed. The application process and requirements to become an approved CTLE sponsor are described below. 

First Application Process


NYS school districts and BOCES must complete an electronic CTLE Sponsor attestation through their TEACH Online System home page. The districts and BOCES must:
  • Complete a CTLE Sponsor Attestation,
  • Complete a Professional Learning Plan Statement of Assurances, and
  • Upload a copy of a sample CTLE Certificate of Completion form for approval.

NYS institutions of higher education with registered teacher education programs must complete an electronic CTLE Sponsor attestation through the TEACH Online System

  • After logging into TEACH, the link to the electronic attestation is listed on your TEACH home page. 

Accredited NYS institutions of higher education that do NOT have registered educator preparation programs, NYS Teacher Centers, and NYS Teacher Unions will complete a paper CTLE Attestation form stating that the CTLE activities offered will meet the CTLE requirements outlined in regulations. 

Institutions of higher education outside of New York State, National/State/Local Government Agency, or other prospective sponsors must complete and submit an Application for Approval as a Continuing Teacher and Leader Education Sponsor for Holders of Classroom Teacher and School Leader Professional and Level III Teaching Assistant Certificates PDF (637KB).

  • CTLE applications must be filled out completely and include a $600 check or money order made payable to the New York State Education Department to the address listed at the end of the form, with any required supporting materials. The fee is for evaluation and consideration, not approval, of the application and is non-refundable.
  • Evidence and supplementary materials must be organized in the order listed on the application form. NYSED reserves the right to return materials for correction without evaluation for applications that do not adhere to this format.
  • Evidence and supplementary materials must be included with the application itself. Links to external resources will not be reviewed by NYSED.

Renewal Application Process


NYS school districts and BOCES will complete an electronic CTLE Sponsor Renewal Attestation, a Professional Learning Plan Statement of Assurances, and upload a copy of a sample CTLE Certificate of Completion form through the TEACH Online System for the renewal. The renewal process will become available on the District or BOCES TEACH home page six months prior to the expiration date of the sponsor period. Please refer to the following directions: Sponsor Renewal Directions.

**Note: The district/BOCES is NOT required to upload their Professional Learning (PL) plan to TEACH.

NYS institutions of higher education with registered educator preparation programs will complete an electronic CTLE Sponsor attestation through the TEACH Online System for the renewal, similar to the first application process. The link to the electronic attestation will become available on your TEACH home page within six months of the expiration date of the sponsor period.

All other organizations will have a custom renewal application sent via email to the listed contact(s) beginning six months prior to the expiration of their sponsor period.


Requirements

Approved CTLE sponsors are expected to meet or exceed the requirements outlined below. If you have any questions about the requirements for continuing education sponsor approval, please send an email to ctlesponsor@nysed.gov.

Section 1 - Organizations and entities eligible to apply for approval

Subpart 80-6 of the Commissioner’s Regulations defines the entities that are eligible to apply for approval as a sponsor of CTLE to Professional and Level III Teaching Assistant certificate holders. Eligible entities include, but are not limited to:
  • School districts;
  • Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES);
  • Teacher centers;
  • Accredited New York State Institutions of Higher Education (IHE);
  • An IHE in another jurisdiction that is accredited by an acceptable accrediting agency and that offers coursework that is directly related to the enhancement of practice, skills and knowledge of teachers, school leaders and teaching assistants;
  • Professional organizations and unions – UFT & NYSUT;
  • National, state or local government agencies;
  • Any other entity approved by the Department.

The documents submitted with the application must demonstrate that the organization will offer CTLE activities in one or more of the subjects prescribed for acceptable CTLE as listed below.

Section 2 - CTLE Activities

CTLE activities must be offered in appropriate subject areas, as defined in law and regulation
Subpart 80-6 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education to implement Chapter 56 of the Laws of 2015 relating to the establishment of CTLE requirements for Professional and Level III Teaching Assistant certificate holders, which:

  • will expand educators’ content knowledge and the knowledge and skills necessary to provide rigorous, developmentally appropriate instructional strategies and assesses student progress;
  • is research-based and provides educators with opportunities to analyze, apply, and engage in research;
  • includes the necessary opportunities for professionals to obtain CTLE to meet the English language learner provisions;
  • is designed to ensure that educators:

(1)  have the knowledge, skill, and opportunity to collaborate to improve instruction and student achievement in a respectful and trusting environment;
(2) have the knowledge and skill to meet the diverse needs of all students;
(3) have the knowledge and skill to create safe, secure, supportive, and equitable learning environments for all students;
(4) have the knowledge, skills, and opportunity to engage and collaborate with parents, families, and other community members as active partners in children’s education;

  • uses disaggregated student data and other evidence of student learning to determine professional development learning needs and priorities, to monitor student progress, and to help sustain continuous professional growth;          
  • promotes technological literacy and facilitates the effective use of all appropriate technology; and
  • evaluates using multiple sources of information to assess its effectiveness in improving professional practice and student learning.

Activities that may count for CTLE credit must be:

  • offered by a SED-approved sponsor;
  • formal courses of learning including, but not limited to, university and college credit and non-credit courses;
  • professional development programs and technical activities offered by national, state and local professional associations and other organizations acceptable and approved by SED ; and
  • any other organized educational and technical activities related to continuing teacher and leader education that are acceptable and approved by SED.

Any continuing education designed for the sole purpose of personal development, marketing, business practices, and maximizing profits for schools or school personnel will not be considered by SED as acceptable CTLE activities.


Section 3 - Instructors

Instructors are qualified to teach the CTLE activities which will be offered
Commissioner’s Regulations require sponsors to use instructors who are qualified to teach the CTLE activities which will be offered, including but not limited to, faculty from a teaching program offered by a higher education institution; or instructors who are specially qualified authorities in activities that are directed at developing and enhancing a teacher’s performance, as determined by SED.
In addition to assuring that sponsors meet this requirement, sponsors must:

  • maintain and use written criteria and procedures to select instructors, including job descriptions, intended to assure that every instructor is qualified by training and/or experience to teach the CTLE activity assigned to them; and
  • maintain and use written procedures to evaluate instructors' performance. Both attendees' written evaluations and assessments by CTLE activity monitors may be part of the evaluation of instructors' performance.

Section 4 - Assessment of Learning

Sponsors must have a method of assessing the learning of participants.  Pursuant to this requirement, sponsors must develop and maintain assessment methods that: (1) are appropriate to the CTLE activity objectives and educational methods; and (2) measure the extent to which the objectives were accomplished. These methods may include, but are not limited to, post-tests, questionnaires, and participants' evaluations. CTLE activity monitors may also be effective components of a method of assessing learning.

Section 5 - Records

Sponsors will maintain records for at least eight years from the date of completion of a CTLE activity.
Sponsors must create and maintain for at least eight years the following records for each CTLE activity:

  • the date and location of the CTLE activity;
  • the name and curriculum vitae of the instructor/presenter;
  • the objectives and learning methods of the CTLE activity;
  • the outline of the CTLE activity, the assessment methods used, and the number of contact hours of the CTLE activity;
  • a summary of any evaluation of the CTLE activity;
  • copies of all promotional materials used in a CTLE activity;
  • any evaluation of the need for the CTLE activity; and
  • the list of certified professionals in attendance, including each attendee’s first name, last name, last four digits of their Social Security Number and their date of birth.

Sponsors must have policies and procedures for the storage, confidentiality and retrieval of records for an eight-year period.
In the event an approved sponsor discontinues offering CTLE activities, the governing body of such sponsor must notify the Department and transfer all paper and electronic records as directed by the Department.
Sponsors must issue a “Completion of Approved Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) Hour(s) Certificate” obtained from SED to students who have completed a CTLE activity found here.   The certificate must contain the following information and identification:

  • the Approved Sponsor’s name;
  • the name of the participant as it appears on the TEACH website;
  • the last four digits of the participant’s Social Security Number;
  • the participant’s date of birth;
  • the date and location of the CTLE activity;
  • the CTLE activity title;
  • the educational area (e.g., pedagogy, content, English language learning);
  • the number of CTLE hours;
  • the Approved Sponsor Identification number;
  • the sponsor’s contact email address and phone number;
  • the name and signature of the Authorized Certifying Officer and
  • a statement indicating that the organization is recognized by the New York State Education Department's Office of Teaching Initiatives as an approved sponsor of CTLE for Professional Classroom Teachers, School Leaders and Level III Teaching Assistants.
Last Updated: January 4, 2024