Until December, 2003
State certification is required for a person to be employed as a teacher in the public schools of New York State. There are two levels of certification: elementary (kindergarten through sixth grade) and secondary (seventh through twelfth grade). The certification requirements apply only to public schools, not to private ones.
New York State is making major changes to the teacher education certification program. Canisius College is in the process of addressing these changes. Please see your adviser regarding the new curriculum.
Students who do not complete provisional certification by February 1, 2004 will be required to transfer into the new programs listed in the previous pages. The old, provisional certification programs expire on February 1, 2004.
There are two steps in the certification process. Provisional certification entitles an individual to serve as a probationary teacher in the public schools for a period of five years. To obtain tenure and continue teaching beyond that time, an individual must have permanent certification.
Provisional certification may be obtained in one of two ways:
- Completing a State-registered and approved college level program in a specific certification area. For students following this route, their certification application is endorsed by the institution from which they graduate and the State issues them a teaching certificate.
- Satisfying the minimum requirements specified in the State Education law. Students in this category must apply directly to the State Education Department on their own. The state will complete a review of a candidates transcripts, and if approved, will issue a teaching certificate.
Canisius College has state-registered and approved programs for provisional certification in elementary and secondary education on both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Students who will not be completing their entire certification program at Canisius may obtain the certification only by applying directly to the state. Since the certification will be granted by New York State and not by the college, these students are strongly advised to contact the New York State Education Department for an evaluation of their record in terms of the current requirements in their field.1
Graduate students pursuing provisional certification in secondary education must have sufficent coursework in one of the academic areas for which Canisius is approved. Students may not pursue provisional certification in areas where there is no Canisius program, such as art, music, home economics and industrial arts.
For permanent certification, one of the requirements is a master's degree in a "functionally related field."
At Canisius College, programs in reading, deaf/hard of hearing, general education and special education are considered to be functionally related to either elementary or secondary education. In effect, students working toward provisional certification are pursuing their master's degree at the same time. To the extent that they fit into the master's program, the graduate courses required for certification (but not the student teaching) may also be used towards a master's degree in education. The outlines that follow list the requirements for certification plus the master's degree.
Canadian students may obtain a "temporary letter of standing" from the Ontario College of Teachers (as of May 16, 1997) by completing both the New York State provisional certification requirements and the Ontario requirements in their particular field. Since U.S. citizenship is a requirement for New York State certification, Canadian students cannot receive the certificate itself, but as soon as all the other requirements listed below are completed, the college will notify the Ontario College of Teachers to that effect.
Questions regarding the Ontario certification should be directed to the Ontario College of Teachers itself.3 It is important to remember that Canisius College does not have any official relationship with the Ontario College of Teachers. It is the student's responsibility to insure that the program taken will lead to the desired goal. The student should consult with his/her adviser for help in planning the program.
Variations for Canadian students are given in brackets.
1 The State Education Dept. Office of Teaching, Room 5A, Cultural Education Center, 11 Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12230. Phone: (518)474-3901. Erie County representatives: Mrs. Elizabeth Storm, Erie 1 BOCES, 355 Harlem Road, West Seneca, NY 14224. Phone (716) 821-7009. Mrs. Nancy Burns, Erie 2 BOCES, 8685 Erie Road, Angola, NY 14006. Phone: (716) 549-4454 or 1-800-228-1184 (within New York State).
2 A master's degree in one's teaching area is also considered to be functionally related. For example, an M.B.A. degree would be acceptable for a student with provisional certification in business. It should be noted, however, that, unlike the programs mentioned here, master's programs in other fields will usually not accept graduate coursework in education as part of the degree requirements.
3 Ontario College of Teachers, 121 Bloor Street E., 6th Floor, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4W 3M5 Toll free: 1-888-534-2222. Fax: 1-416-961-8822. Website: www.oct.on.ca