Applying for Additional Certification to Teach Students With Disabilities

CBSE 7678T  Assessment-Educational Assessment of Young Children & Students with Special Needs

• You can check your transcript to see if you have completed or will be completing the requirements needed. Requirements for certification can be verified only by the New York State Office of Teaching Initiatives (OTI). You can send your transcripts for evaluation to OTI and apply for certification before you complete your requirements to be sure you have completed the core requirements. Applications are valid for three years from the application date or for two evaluations.

• Students with Disabilities grades 7-12 generalist teachers/candidates: Effective July 1, 2021, all special education teachers who teach one or more subject areas in a special class (self-contained class) in grades 7-12, with some or no students under alternate assessment, must either: be certified in each subject area that they teach, or meet the teaching experience requirement for the statement of continued eligibility (SOCE) and have an active SOCE application in the TEACH online system in each subject area that they teach. A students with disabilities generalist grades 7-12 teacher can teach as a Consultant Teacher, Resource Room Teacher, Integrated Co-Teacher, or Special Class Teacher – All Students Under Alternate Assessment. OTI will need to check your transcripts, including transfer credits.

• If your test data is not posted on your TEACH account, you do not need to send in test documents. You will need the test provider to send the test data to OTI. More information about sending data to the state . 

• Check the information on the Mandated Workshops  The Needs of Students with Autism workshop will be credited only if you were in a special education program and have a college recommendation for that title. If you have not completed the DASA/School Bullying workshop, it is required. The other workshops (Identification and Reporting of Child Abuse and School Violence Prevention)  do not need to be noted on your NY State TEACH account at www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert   if you are already certified.  

• You must pass the CST (Content Specialty Test) Students with Disabilities.  For all age groups, you must complete the  CST (Content Specialty Test) multi-subject test for your certification age group. To check which multi-subject test you need for your first students with disabilities certificate, check the requirements.  Check the list for the "Pathway: Additional Classroom Teaching Certificate (Must hold a valid certificate)"

•  If you do not meet the requirements for the certification area you are working toward yet, you may be eligible for a supplementary certificate  while you are completing the requirements for your additional certificate. You can check by searching the  certification requirements

• For professional certification: if you have professional certification already, to avoid processing delays, your employer should reconfirm your work experience.  For experience completed within the state of New York, the preferred method for an employer to verify it is by entering a Superintendent Statement onto TEACH. If the employer cannot enter a Superintendent Statement, they need to send the appropriate “Verification of Paid Experience” form found here

• For information about the certification needed for specific assignments, review the Examples for Reporting Primary and Special Education Instructors in Course Instructor Assignment (pdf)

• .Refer to this chart for information about Special Education Teaching Assignments and Certification 

How to Apply

• Log in to your TEACH account
• Verify and update your profile.
• Select your certificate:

Students With Disabilities Early Childhood or Childhood Grades 1–6

• Area of interest: Classroom teacher
• Subject area: Early childhood or childhood grades 1–6
• Grade level: Early childhood or childhood grades 1–6
• Title: Students with disabilities
• Select a type of certificate: If you have less than three years of teaching experience, select initial certification. If you have or will soon have a professional certificate in another title, select professional certification. The first  professional certification that you apply for should be related to the age group/subject(s) you have been teaching.  After you have your first professional certificate, the experience requirement should  be satisfied for any future professional classroom teaching certificate applications. Currently, individuals who hold more than one Initial certificate may combine teaching experience gained under each of their certificates to satisfy the experience requirement for the professional certificate.
• If you did not complete a bachelors or masters program in this subject,  a program code is not needed and  a college recommendation is not needed, since this is an additional certificate based on completing courses as a non-degree student.  
• Select "I have not completed, nor am I enrolled in, an Approved Teacher Preparation Program at a New York State College or University for this certificate and type."

• Pathway: for your first application, select Pathway: Additional Classroom Teaching Certificate Must hold a valid certificate
• If you have or apply for initial students with disabilities certification, and  want to apply for the professional certificate, the pathway for the professional certificate should be Certificate Progression

Students With Disabilities Grades 7–12 Generalist

To apply for generalist certification, select:

• Area of interest: Classroom teacher
• Select a subject area: Secondary education
• Select a grade level: Adolescent grades 7–12
• Select a title: Students with Disabilities—Grades 7–12 generalist
• Select a type of certificate: If you have less than three years of teaching experience, select initial certification. If you have or will soon have a professional certificate in another title, select professional certification. The first  professional certification that you apply for should be related to the age group/subject(s) you have been teaching.  After you have your first professional certificate, the experience requirement should  be satisfied for any future professional classroom teaching certificate applications. Currently, individuals who hold more than one Initial certificate may combine teaching experience gained under each of their certificates to satisfy the experience requirement for the professional certificate.
• If you did not complete a bachelors or masters program in this subject, a program code is not needed and  a college recommendation is not needed, since this an additional certificate based on completing courses as a non-degree student.  
• Select "I have not completed, nor am I enrolled in, an Approved Teacher Preparation Program at a New York State College or University for this certificate and type."
• Pathway: for your first application, select Pathway: Additional Classroom Teaching Certificate Must hold a valid certificate
• If you have or apply for initial students with disabilities certification, and  want to apply for the professional certificate, the pathway for the professional certificate should be  Certificate Progression

Students With Disabilities Generalist Grades 7–12 with Extension (for your subject area)

Effective July 1, 2021, all certified special education teachers who teach one or more subject areas in a special class in grades 7-12, with some or no students under alternate assessment, must either be certified in each subject area that they teach, or meet the teaching experience requirement for the statement of continued eligibility (SOCE) and have an active SOCE application in the TEACH online system in each subject area that they teach. More information.

You will need to have or apply for Students With Disabilities(SWD)—Grades 7–12 — Generalist Certification as the “base certificate” for this extension.  See above.

If you are in a Transitional B program, please contact Dr. Roberto Martinez for more information and instructions. 

The instructions below are for students who are not in a Transitional B program.

 You can check requirements and apply on TEACH for this certificate as follows:

• Area of interest: Classroom teacher extensions
• Select a subject area: English language arts, biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, social studies, or mathematics. See note below about other subject areas.
• Select a grade Level: Adolescent 7–12
• Select title: Students With Disabilities plus your subject area Grades 7–12: English language arts, biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, social studies, or mathematics. See note below about other subject areas.
• Certificate type: initial extension annotation, or professional extension annotation if you professional SWD generalist grades 7-12 certification already.
• If you did not complete a bachelors or masters program in this subject, a program code is not needed and  a college recommendation is not needed, since this is an additional certificate, not a full program. 
  Select "I have not completed, nor am I enrolled in, an Approved Teacher Preparation Program at a New York State College or University for this certificate and type."
• Pathway: for your first application, the pathway should be individual evaluation. If you have an initial extension annotation already, for the professional extension annotation, select certificate progression. Professional students with disabilities generalist grades 7-12 required.

What's Next

Monitor your TEACH account, and check for any application evaluations that may be posted. Allow about three months for this to be done. Some requirements may be marked "unmet" until your application is manually reviewed. Check your application status to see if it is listed as ready or not ready for review. Manual evaluations are posted when your transcript and other documentation has been examined by the Office of Teaching Initiatives.