51³Ô¹ÏÍø

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Office of Teaching Initiatives

Teaching Assistant

Professional TA

Does not expire

Option A: Individual Evaluation (if you do NOT hold a Bachelor's degree or higher degree)
  1. Paid application on file
  2. High School Diploma, GED or HSE
    • This has already been verified when you earned your previous TA certificate(s). You do not need to have documentation sent to OTI.
  3. 18 SH (Semester Hours) of college coursework with acceptable grades
    • 18 semester hours are required in total:
      • First, 9 semester hours of pedagogical (professional education) coursework from one or more of these topics: Human Development; Teaching Students with Disabilities; Teaching Literacy Skills; Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment; and/or Foundations of Education.
      • Then, 9 additional semester hours must be completed inÌýany combination of:
        • More pedagogical coursework (in the topics detailed above)Ìýand/or
        • Coursework in English language arts, math, science, and/or social studies
    • Minimum grade requirements: "C" or better for undergraduate coursework, "B-" or better for graduate coursework.
    • Life Experience Credit (also known as life credit) is not acceptable for certification purposes, regardless of the policy of an individual college/university.
    • For information on how to satisfy this requirement, see our Colleges and College Coursework webpage.
  4. Three years of TA experience in 51³Ô¹ÏÍø State under a valid TA certificate
    • Experience must be completed in 51³Ô¹ÏÍø under any valid TA certificate (e.g., - Level I/II/III; Initial; Initial TA Renewal; Temporary; Continuing; Emergency COVID-19)Ìý
    • Verification of paid experience must be submitted directly by the employer(s). NYS public schools, BOCSE and NYS charter schools must submit verifications by entering an electronic Superintendent Statement ("TA Professional 3 Yr. Exp.") onto your TEACH account.
    • Note:ÌýThis statement can be used to verify from anywhere from one year of TA experience to three (or more) years of TA experience. All other employers may use this form: Verification Form
    • Please note that this requirement can also be met with classroom teaching experience completed in NY under a valid NYS classroom teaching certificate. NYS public schools, BOCES and NYS charter schools must verify experience by entering an electronic Superintendent Statement ("Classroom Teaching Experience") onto your TEACH account. All other employers may use this form: Verification Form for Teachers
  5. A passing score on the ATAS examÌýORÌýFoundations of Classroom Support and Instruction exam
    • Information about certification exams can be found here:Ìý/teaching-initiatives/exams-required-certification
    • Note:ÌýIf you were previously issued a TA certificate based on passing the LAST, it is not acceptable for this certificate, and you will need to satisfy this requirement using one of these tests.
  6. All workshops required for certification
    • Workshop requirements are updated over time, so you may be required to complete updated workshop(s).
  7. Fingerprint clearance
    • Fingerprint clearance is not handled by the Office of Teaching Initiatives. You can monitor your application to see if the fingerprint clearance requirement is verified met. Any questions about fingerprint clearance must be directed to the Office of School Personnel Review and Accountability.
  8. Citizenship Status - INS Permanent Residence or U.S. Citizenship
Option B: Individual Evaluation (if you hold a conferred Bachelor's degree or higher degree)
  1. Paid application on file
  2. Bachelor's degree or higher in any major
    • Please request all your official transcripts be sent to the Office of Teaching for evaluation under this pathway. To learn more about requesting official transcripts, please visit our Transcripts webpage.Ìý(Note: We do not accept transcripts from the applicant.)
  3. Three years of TA experience in 51³Ô¹ÏÍø State under a valid TA certificate
    • Experience must be completed in 51³Ô¹ÏÍø under any valid TA certificate (e.g., - Level I/II/III; Initial; Initial TA Renewal; Temporary; Continuing; Emergency COVID-19)Ìý
    • Verification of paid experience must be submitted directly by the employer(s). NYS public schools, BOCSE and NYS charter schools must submit verifications by entering an electronic Superintendent Statement ("TA Professional 3 Yr. Exp.") onto your TEACH account.
    • Note:ÌýThis statement can be used to verify from anywhere from one year of TA experience to three (or more) years of TA experience. All other employers may use this form: Verification Form
    • Please note that this requirement can also be met with classroom teaching experience completed in NY under a valid NYS classroom teaching certificate. NYS public schools, BOCES and NYS charter schools must verify experience by entering an electronic Superintendent Statement ("Classroom Teaching Experience") onto your TEACH account. All other employers may use this form: Verification Form for Teachers
  4. A passing score on the ATAS examÌýORÌýFoundations of Classroom Support and Instruction exam
    • Information about certification exams can be found here:Ìý/teaching-initiatives/exams-required-certification
    • Note:ÌýIf you were previously issued a TA certificate based on passing the LAST, it is not acceptable for this certificate, and you will need to satisfy this requirement using one of these tests.
  5. All workshops required for certification
    • Workshop requirements are updated over time, so you may be required to complete updated workshop(s).
  6. Fingerprint clearance
    • Fingerprint clearance is not handled by the Office of Teaching Initiatives. You can monitor your application to see if the fingerprint clearance requirement is verified met. Any questions about fingerprint clearance must be directed to the Office of School Personnel Review and Accountability.
  7. Citizenship Status - INS Permanent Residence or U.S. Citizenship
Option C: Completion of a NYS Approved Teaching Assistant Program
  1. Paid application on file
  2. Completion of a NYS Approved Teaching Assistant Program (See #3 below)
  3. NYS Approved Teaching Assistant Program Recommendation
    • This recommendation would be entered by the college into your TEACH account verifying that you have completed a teaching assistant preparation program registered with NYS and that your degree has been conferred.
  4. Three years of TA experience in 51³Ô¹ÏÍø State under a valid TA certificate
    • Experience must be completed in 51³Ô¹ÏÍø under any valid TA certificate (e.g., - Level I/II/III; Initial; Initial TA Renewal; Temporary; Continuing; Emergency COVID-19)Ìý
    • Verification of paid experience must be submitted directly by the employer(s). NYS public schools, BOCSE and NYS charter schools must submit verifications by entering an electronic Superintendent Statement ("TA Professional 3 Yr. Exp.") onto your TEACH account.
    • Note:ÌýThis statement can be used to verify from anywhere from one year of TA experience to three (or more) years of TA experience. All other employers may use this form: Verification Form
    • Please note that this requirement can also be met with classroom teaching experience completed in NY under a valid NYS classroom teaching certificate. NYS public schools, BOCES and NYS charter schools must verify experience by entering an electronic Superintendent Statement ("Classroom Teaching Experience") onto your TEACH account. All other employers may use this form: Verification Form for Teachers
  5. A passing score on the ATAS examÌýORÌýFoundations of Classroom Support and Instruction exam
    • Information about certification exams can be found here:Ìý/teaching-initiatives/exams-required-certification
    • Note:ÌýIf you were previously issued a TA certificate based on passing the LAST, it is not acceptable for this certificate, and you will need to satisfy this requirement using one of these tests.
  6. All workshops required for certification
    • Workshop requirements are updated over time, so you may be required to complete updated workshop(s).
  7. Fingerprint clearance
    • Fingerprint clearance is not handled by the Office of Teaching Initiatives. You can monitor your application to see if the fingerprint clearance requirement is verified met. Any questions about fingerprint clearance must be directed to the Office of School Personnel Review and Accountability.
  8. Citizenship Status - INS Permanent Residence or U.S. Citizenship
Teacher to TA
  1. Paid application on file
  2. High School Diploma, GED or HSE
    • This has already been verified when you earned your previous TA certificate(s). You do not need to have documentation sent to OTI.
  3. Holds/Held a 51³Ô¹ÏÍø State Initial/Professional or Provisional/Permanent Teaching Certificate
    • To be eligible for this pathway, you must have been issued a Provisional, Permanent, Initial, or Professional classroom teaching certificate in 51³Ô¹ÏÍø
  4. Content Specialty Test (CST) or Acceptable Out-of-State Exam
  5. Paid, full-time Classroom Teaching experience - 1 Yr.
    • The applicant must complete one year (180 days) of acceptable classroom teaching experience in 51³Ô¹ÏÍø under a valid NYS classroom teaching certificate. Verification of paid experience must be submitted directly by the employer(s).
    • NYS public schools, BOCES and NYS charter schools must verify experience by entering an electronic Superintendent Statement ("Classroom Teaching Experience") onto your TEACH account. All other employers may use this form: Verification Form for Teachers
  6. All workshops required for certification
    • Workshop requirements are updated over time, so you may be required to complete updated workshop(s).
  7. Fingerprint clearance
    • Fingerprint clearance is not handled by the Office of Teaching Initiatives. You can monitor your application to see if the fingerprint clearance requirement is verified met. Any questions about fingerprint clearance must be directed to the Office of School Personnel Review and Accountability.
  8. Citizenship Status - INS Permanent Residence or U.S. Citizenship

NOTE: The professional TA Certificate is continuously valid. To maintain this certificate, you must register in TEACH every five years and complete 100 hours of Continuing Teacher Leader Education (CTLE) within the 5-year registration period. Please see this page for details.