Office of Teaching Initiatives

Memos to the Field

Below are links to memos to the field by the Deputy Commissioner for the Office Higher Education or the Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Teaching Initiatives.  Memos start from February 2003.  Please be aware that recent policy decisions supercede information in older memos.

Date	Subject
January 2021	Certification Status of Educators who Hold an Expired Certificate and Applied for Certification On or Before Their Certificate's Expiration Date (189)KB
December 2019	Subject area certification requirement for special education teachers who teach a special class (189)KB
March 2017	Safety Nets for certain single-subject Revised Content Specialty Tests to expire June 30, 2017
June 2016	New Pathways to Certification for Out-of-State Teachers and Leaders (123) KB
June 2016	New Law and Regulation Pertaining to Registration, Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) and Approval of Providers of CTLE (457) KB
December 2012	Certification Examination Guidance and Framework Documents
October 2011	The General Science Extension as represented in NYS Basic Educational Data System (BEDS)
April 2011	Professional Certificate - Master's Degree Requirement
November 2010	New Teacher & School Building Leader Performance-Based Assessment for Initial Certification
August 2010	Performance Evaluations for Teachers and Principals
April 2010	April Regents Actions – Teacher Certification Flexibility
December 2009	Electronic Certification Records
December 2009	Career and Technical Education – Required College Coursework
July 2009	Internship Certificate Fee
June 2009	2009-2010 School Leadership Assessments Update & Schedule
June 2009	Credentialing of Athletic Coaches
May 2009	Tenure for Teachers in Instructional Support Service Positions
March 2009	Important Updates: Fingerprinting and Criminal Background Check Program
December 2008	Recent Statutory and Regulatory Changes Regarding §211 Waiver Requests
October 2008	Career and Technical Education Teaching Positions
July 2008	Effective Dates of Initial Certificates in Specific Career and Technical Education Subjects
June 2007	Clarifying information regarding the date by which newly-certified teachers can begin employment
June 2006	Educational Technology Specialists
April 2004	Recent amendments to teacher certification provisions