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The New York State Education Department's Office of Teaching Initiatives (OTI) has introduced an online certification application and database system referred to as TEACH. The TEACH system is accessible to all New York state certified personnel and applicants. All that is required is that you log on to the TEACH online system and establish your password protected account. Accounts can be established at: http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/teach.

TEACH allows users to review their certification records currently on file with OTI. Registered users should review this information for accuracy and edit certain records, as appropriate. Accurate account information will make the application process quicker and easier. If you find missing or inaccurate information, complete the application process, but report the problem directly to an OTI certification specialist by sending an e-mail to: tcert@mail.nysed.gov.

• Submit an online application for a certificate
• Submit an online application for fingerprint clearance
• Check online for the status of the application and/or fingerprint clearance
• Apply for a duplicate certificate
• View/update your profile (update address, request a name change or social security update, etc.)
• Self-report education and employment information
• View your certification record
• View all correspondence sent by OTI, including evaluation history
• Check to see that information sent to OTI has been received
• View/update your professional development record (Professional Certificate and Level III Teaching Assistant certificate holders only.)

Explanation of TEACH Application Status

*This information is an excerpt from the NYS Education Department’s Office of Teaching Initiatives website (www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert)

• Not Ready for Review: Payment has not been made or your transcripts have not been received. For graduates of approved teacher education programs, if the college recommendation has not been received, the application would also "not be ready for review." NOTE: For Teaching Assistant applications, the "High School Diploma/GED" requirement will be credited when the application is being reviewed.
• Ready for Review – No Evaluation History Link: Your application is waiting to be reviewed by a certification specialist.
• Ready for Review –Yes Evaluation History Link: Your application has been evaluated. Click on the Evaluation History link to view the evaluation.
• Review Complete - Pending Information: Your application has been reviewed by a certification specialist. You will receive a letter (Notice of Incomplete Requirements) confirming the outstanding requirement(s). Once you have completed ALL outstanding requirements, you must submit documentation verifying that you have done so. You may also click on the Evaluation History link to view the evaluation and the outstanding requirements.
• Evaluation Complete - Pending Final Review: All academic requirements have been met. TEACH conducts a final review to be sure that there are no outstanding issues, such as a name/SSN change request on file or a hold or other restriction preventing issuance of a certificate. If there are no outstanding issues, the certificate will print overnight and be mailed. Once printed, the certificate status will change to ISSUED. You should receive your certificate in the mail within 2-3 weeks.

ADVICE TO LOCAL LEADERS

• Urge members to open TEACH online accounts to apply for certificates and to check and manage the status of their applications.
• If members are having certification issues you cannot resolve, ask members to provide you with their TEACH username and password before contacting NYSUT’s Research and Educational Services, on their behalf, for assistance.
• Encourage all Professional certificate and Level III Teaching Assistant certificate holders to view their professional development hours reported by the school district via TEACH. These members should verify this information against their own personal records to be sure the hours have been accurately reported by the district. The maintenance of their certification is dependent on it.
• Refer members having problems with the TEACH online service to the TEACH HELP line at https://portals.nysed.gov/tcert/technical.htm .
• The State Education Department (SED) has determined that once an individual has been issued a certificate he/she is qualified to begin working in a NYS public school; and that information is only available through TEACH. Once an applicant’s certification status on TEACH reads “ISSUED” that individual is certified and employable even though the certificate may have an effective date months ahead.
• Records for applicants prior to March 14, 2006 can be incomplete and members may need to resubmit transcripts or other documents.
  

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