• In June, the NYS Regents adopted amended regulations related to the registration process for any holder of a certificate that is valid for life (Permanent, Professional and Teaching Assistant Level III) and the establishment of Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) requirements for Professional and Teaching Assistant Level III Certificate Holders. The amendments will become effective as a permanent rule on July 1, 2016. These regulations do not apply to those holding certificates associated with pupil personnel roles (e.g. school psychologist, guidance counselor, social worker) unless they are also holders of Bilingual or Coordinator of Workplace Learning extensions in which case they must register. There are three (3) main premises of the amended regulations:

    1. Any holder of a certificate in classroom teaching service, teaching assistant (Level III), or educational leadership that is valid for life must register with the New York State Education Department (NYSED) every five (5) years. These certificate holders must be registered in order to practice in a New York public school district. As defined in the regulations, "practicing" means employed 90 days or more during a school year by a single applicable school in New York in a position requiring the above mentioned certifications.
    2. Individuals who hold Professional and Level III Teaching assistant certificates must complete 100 hours of CTLE during each five (5) year registration period on or after July 1, 2016; TESOL and bilingual extension certificate holders must complete at least 50 of the 100 required hours related to needs of English language learners, while others must complete 15 hours on such items. Participants in a CTLE "function" must receive a completion certificate from the provider to include in their individually maintained record of activities.
    3. The New York State Department of Education must approve CTLE providers. NYSED will reach out to all current certificate holders during the month of their birthday, using personal information obtained from each individual's TEACH account to remind them of the need to register. Please note, however, that you can register at any time. The registration site is now open and accessible at http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/teach/. It is strongly recommended that certificate holders register as soon as possible even before NYSED reaches out.

    You can create an account, login to an existing account, or request a forgotten user name and password using the above link. Once logged into the system, the main menu is relatively simple to navigate.

    It is also strongly recommended that every TEACH account holder confirms or update their personal information as so as they login with the following:

    *Name (exactly as presented on a Social Security Card)

    *Mailing address

    *Email address.