New York State Certification Exam Requirements - Certification and Educational Support Services

New York State Exams

Teacher candidates graduating Prior to May 1, 2014:

Candidates applying on or before April 30, 2014 who meet all the requirements for certification on or before April 30, 2014, are required to take the Liberal Arts and Science Test (LAST), Assessment of Teaching Skills Test-Written (ATS-W) and Content Specialty Test(s) (CST). Candidates who do not meet all requirements by that deadline, will be required to pass the Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA), Educating All Students test (EAS), Academic Literacy Skills Test (ALST), and Content Specialty Test (CST).

Teacher candidates graduating after May 1, 2014:

Candidates applying on or after April 30, 2014 will be required to pass the Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA), Educating All Students test (EAS), Academic Literacy Skills Test (ALST), and Content Specialty Test (CST). Candidates who already hold an initial teaching certificate and want to apply for additional teaching certificates after May 1, 2014, will only be required to take the content specialty tests in that certification area.

The New York State Education Department recommends that any candidate with an anticipated graduation date after December 2013 wait to take the new exams.

Candidates who complete all requirements for certification, including all required certification examinations prior to May 1, 2014, may take the current certification examinations. However, if for some reason a candidate does not meet all requirements for certification prior to May 1, 2014, he/she will be required to take the new certification examinations. Waiting to take the new exams will build in timeline security for candidates in case any unforeseen events arise that push back a candidate’s graduation date and/or prevent the candidate from taking and passing the old set of certification examinations.

For FAQ on the new exams, please visit http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/pdf/certexamfaq.pdf or http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/certificate/certexamsl2012.html

Educational Leadership candidates:

All candidates are required to pass Part I and 2 of the appropriate leadership exam.

SBL candidates:

Candidates who apply for the initial SBL certificate on or after May 1, 2014—including candidates who will graduate from an approved SBL preparation program on or after May 1, 2014 or candidates who apply for certification on or before April 30, 2014 but do not meet all of the requirements, will be required to pass the new school building leader assessment and the Educating All Students test.