Information for Medaille University Students →

Certification

Certification Documents:

Test Requirements for New York State Teacher Certification

Teacher Certification requirements regularly change based on decisions of the NYS Board of Regents and/or legislation.  For the most recent requirements please consult the following links:

Requirements

Fingerprinting from www.identogo.com is an essential requirement of all candidates seeking certification.  Candidates are advised to complete fingerprinting early in their program as certain schools require it to be approved prior to entering field experiences. 

  • Go to www.identogo.com

  • Contact Morpho Trust to schedule an appointment by calling 877-472-6915 or at their website www.identogo.com

  • You will need to provide an ORI number – NYSED uses a code (which is easier to remember) rather than a number. The NYSED code is: TEACH

  • The total fee is $102.00

  • A list of currently available locations can be found at www.identogo.com. Select “NY” and then click on “Locations” to view the listing.

  • You must have two forms of identification for fingerprinting. At least one form of identification must contain a photo.

  • Acceptable Photo Identification Documents are:

    • U.S. Passport (unexpired or expired)

    • Permanent Resident Card

    • Alien Registration Receipt Card

    • Unexpired Foreign Passport

    • Driver’s License or Photo ID Card (issued by U.S. State or Territory)

    • U.S. Student ID Card with photo (High School or College)

    • Unexpired Employment Authorization with photo (Form I-766, I-688, I-688A or B)

    • Photo ID Card issued by Federal, State of Local Government

  • Additional Identification Documents:

    • Voter Registration Card

    • U.S. Military Card or Draft Record

    • Military Dependent’s ID Card

    • Coast Guard Merchant Mariner Card

    • Native American Tribal Document

    • Canadian Driver’s License

    • Original or Certified Copy of a Birth Certificate issued by authorized U.S. agency with official seal

    • Certification of Birth Abroad (Issued by U.S. Department of State)

    • U.S. Citizen ID Card (Form I-197)

    • School Record or Report Card (only accepted for applicants under the age of 18)

    • Clinic, doctor or hospital record (only accepted for applicants under the age of 18)

Information provided to Morpho Trust during the fingerprint application process is electronically transmitted to the TEACH system maintained by NYSED.

All candidates seeking initial teacher certification are required to complete:

  1. The Educating All Students (EAS) exam.
  2. The relevant Content Specialty Test(s) for their certification area(s)
  3. The edTPA

All candidates seeking initial teacher certification must also complete the following workshops/seminars:

  1. Child Abuse Prevention
  2. Safe Schools Against Violence
  3. Dignity for All Students
  4. Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco prevention

Candidates may elect to take these workshops/seminars through Niagara University when they are offered or they may utilize outside approved providers.

More information on these workshops and how they may be completed is offered below:

Ontario Certification Requirements

In addition to meeting the above NYS certification requirements, candidates completing programs in the US and seeking Ontario certification must also complete a Canadian Police Check and apply to Ontario College of Teachers (OCT.CA).

Effective through June 30, 2016

The NYS Board of Regents recently approved safety net options for certain teacher certification requirements for those pursuing New York state certification. Candidates interested in the safety net options for the EAS, edTPA and certain CST exams may go to this link http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/ for more information.

Initial Certification

Initial certification is valid for five years. The following requirements must be completed to be eligible for initial certification:
Workshop Information

Assistance in processing your teacher certification application can be done with Danielle Jackson, Certification Specialist, located in the Academic Complex, Room 222, or at 716.286.8545.

Professional Certification

Students must complete a master's degree in education within five years. The master's degree must be complimentary of the undergraduate degree program (i.e. special education, literacy).

  • Have three years teaching experiences in area of certification. One year must be with a mentor teacher.

The New York State Education website is http://www.nysed.gov