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THE STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT / THE UNIVERSITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK / ALBANY, NY 12234
Deputy Commissioner Office of Higher Education Office of the Professions

To:	Presidents of Colleges and Universities with Teacher Education Programs ; Deans and Directors of Teacher Education Programs; Chief School Officers of Public School Districts; District Superintendents; School Personnel Administrators; New York City Department of Education; New York State United Teachers; National Education Association of New York; United Federation of Teachers.
From:	Johanna Duncan-Poitier
Date:	January 18, 2005
Subject:	CEO Memo #05-02 - Two Important Teaching Policy Changes

I am pleased to announce two important policy changes recently enacted by the New York State Board of Regents to help ease new teachers’ transition to the classroom, and to support on-going efforts to recruit and retain teachers.

Flexibility for New Teachers to Complete their Master’s Degrees in Five Years for Professional Certification – Many prospective teachers; school leaders; presidents, deans, and directors of teacher preparation programs; members of the State Professional Standards and Practices Board for Teaching; as well as representatives of the unions and professional associations indicated that the current three-year period that Initial certificates are valid does not provide new teachers, who are typically working full time in their first teaching assignments, sufficient time to complete the necessary coursework to earn a Master’s degree. We have similarly heard that teachers’ graduate education programs are often richer and more beneficial after new teachers have had the opportunity to have experience teaching in the classroom. At their regular meeting, on Tuesday, January 11, 2005, the Regents approved a policy change that extends the term of the Initial certificate to five years, providing teachers with the flexibility to complete a Master’s degree within a five-year period to qualify for Professional certification.
Supplementary Teaching Certificate – We have also heard from many of you about the persistent teacher shortage, particularly in certain subjects. In response to this need, the Regents have approved a new supplementary certificate to allow a teacher certified in one classroom teaching title to provide instruction in a different certificate area where there is a demonstrated shortage of qualified teachers, for up to three years, while meeting the requirements necessary for a certificate in the new certificate title.

Thank you for your continued commitment to carrying out the Board of Regents teaching policy. With regular communication and collaboration, we can ensure high academic standards and accountability while providing the necessary flexibility to support your schools and institutions. Details on the policy changes follow. As additional information becomes available, it will be posted on our Web site at www.highered.nysed.gov . If you have policy questions about the new supplementary certificate or the additional flexibility provided to new teachers, please contact Joseph Porter, Executive Director of the Office of Teaching Initiatives at (518) 474-4661 or by e-mail at jporter@mail.nysed.gov . For questions about applications for the supplementary certificate or processing operations, please contact Robert Bentley, Executive Director of the Office Professional Licensing and Teacher Certification at (518) 474-3817 Ext. 340 or by e-mail at rbentley@mail.nysed.gov .

FLEXIBILITY FOR NEW TEACHERS TO COMPLETE THEIR MASTER’S DEGREES IN FIVE YEARS

The Board of Regents approved an amendment to Commissioner’s Regulations (8 NYCRR section 80-3.3[a][1]) that extends the term of the Initial certificate to provide teachers with Initial certificates five years to complete a Master’s degree to qualify for Professional certification.

The amended regulation, which appears below, becomes effective on February 3, 2005. The Office of Teaching Initiatives will contact all new teachers who have been issued Initial certificates since February 1, 2004 to inform them that the duration of their certificates will be extended to five years from the original date they were issued. All future Initial certificates will be issued with five-year validity periods.

AMENDMENT TO THE REGULATIONS OF THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION

1. Paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of section 80-3.3 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education is amended, effective February 3, 2005, as follows:
(1) Duration. The initial certificate shall be valid for [three] five years from its effective date. [A candidate may be granted an extension of the time validity of the initial certificate for a period not to exceed one additional year for the purpose of completing a master’s or higher degree program needed to fulfill the education requirement for a professional certificate, pursuant to section 80-3.4 of this Subpart, provided that the candidate completes at least 24 semester hours of such study by the end of the three-year period of the initial certificate. The application for the one-year extension of the validity of the initial certificate shall be accompanied by documentation satisfactory to the commissioner demonstrating the candidate’s progress to date in the graduate program and the compelling need for additional time to complete such program. At the expiration of the additional one-year period, the time validity of an initial certificate shall not be extended again for the same purpose.]

¹Under separate cover, CEO memo number 05-01 will be shared with higher education institutions concerning a performance-based policy modification regarding faculty staffing in teacher education programs. The memo will also be available on our Web site at www.highered.nysed.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY TEACHING CERTIFICATE

The Regents have approved a new supplementary certificate that will allow a teacher certified in one classroom teaching title, who meets the qualifications below, to provide instruction in a different certificate area with a demonstrated shortage of qualified teachers as determined by the State Education Department. The supplementary certificate will be valid for up to three years, during which time the teacher must complete the requirements necessary for a certificate in the new certificate title. The pertinent section of Commissioner’s Regulations (8 NYCRR section 80-5.18) appears below..

To qualify for a supplementary certificate, candidates must:

Hold a valid New York State provisional, initial, permanent or professional teaching certificate.
Have completed 12 of the 30 required semester hours in the content core of the new certificate area; OR
- For a supplementary certificate to teach students with disabilities, students who are deaf and hard of hearing, students who are blind or visually impaired or for the instruction of literacy, candidates must have completed 9 of the 15 semester hours of additional pedagogy required for the certificate in the area of the certificate they are seeking (rather than 12 semester hours in the content area of the certificate they are seeking); OR
- For a supplementary certificate to teach English to speakers of other languages, candidates must have completed 6 semester hours in methods of second language teaching and 6 semester hours in teaching literacy skills (rather than 12 semester hours in the content area of the certificate they are seeking).
Have passed the Content Specialty Test required for the certificate they are seeking.
Provide a statement from the employing school district verifying that, as a condition for employment under a supplementary certificate, the teacher is enrolled in study at an institution of higher education leading to the certificate they are seeking. This statement must also verify that the district agrees to provide the teacher working with the supplementary certificate appropriate support to ensure quality instruction for students.
Complete the requirements for the certificate they are seeking within the three-year life of the supplementary certificate.

The new regulation will remain in effect until September 1, 2009. Additional information and applications for the supplementary certificate will be available by mid-February. Please check our Web site at www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/ for the more information.

AMENDMENT TO THE REGULATIONS OF THE COMMISSIONER OF EDUCATION

Pursuant to sections 207, 305, 3001, 3004, 3006, 3009, and 3010 of the Education Law.

1. Section 80-2.11 or the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education is repealed, effective January 6, 2005.

2. Section 80-5.18 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education is added, effective January 6, 2005, as follows:

80-5.18 Supplementary certificate.

(a) Purpose. The purpose of the supplementary certificate is to authorize a teacher who is currently certified in a title in the classroom teaching service to teach in a different title in the classroom teaching service for which there is a demonstrated shortage of certified teachers, while the teacher is engaged in study at an institution of higher education to complete the requirements necessary to qualify for the new certificate.

(b) Limitations. The supplementary certificate shall be valid for three years from its effective date and shall not be renewable. The supplementary certificate shall be limited to employment with an employing entity.

(c) Requirements. To be eligible for a supplementary certificate, a candidate shall meet the requirements in each of the following paragraphs:

(1) Application. The candidate shall apply for the supplementary certificate by September 1, 2009, and upon application qualify for the certificate, in a certificate title in the classroom teaching service for which there is a demonstrated shortage of certified teachers as determined by the department.

(2) Certification. The candidate shall hold a valid provisional, initial, permanent, or professional certificate in a title in the classroom teaching service identified in Subparts 80-2 or 80-3 of this Part.

(3) The candidate shall agree to be enrolled in study at an institution of higher education leading to an initial or professional certificate in the certificate title sought.

(4) Education.

(i) The candidate shall hold the minimum degree required for an initial certificate in the certificate title sought.

(ii) The candidate shall have completed coursework as prescribed in this subparagraph. The candidate shall have achieved at least a C or its equivalent in any undergraduate level course and at least a B- or its equivalent in any graduate level course submitted to meet the coursework requirements of this subparagraph.

(a) For candidates seeking a certificate, other than one of the certificates for the instruction of students with disabilities, a certificate for the instruction of the deaf and hard of hearing, a certificate for the instruction of the blind or visually impaired, a certificate for the instruction of literacy, or a certificate for teaching English to speakers of other languages, the candidate shall have completed twelve semester hours of study in the content core required for the initial certificate in the certificate title sought, as prescribed in section 80-3.7 of this Part.

(b) For candidates seeking one of the certificates for the instruction of students with disabilities, the candidate shall have completed nine semester hours of study in the instruction of students with disabilities, as prescribed in the pedagogical core required for the initial certificate in the certificate title sought, set forth in section 80-3.7 of this Part.

(c) For candidates seeking a certificate for the instruction of students who are deaf and hard of hearing, the candidate shall have completed nine semester hours in the instruction of the deaf and hard of hearing, as prescribed in the pedagogical core for the initial certificate in this certificate title, set forth in section 80-3.7 of this Part.

(d) For candidates seeking a certificate for the instruction of the blind or visually impaired, the candidate shall have completed nine semester hours in the instruction of the blind or visually impaired as prescribed in the pedagogical core for the initial certificate in this certificate title, set forth in section 80-3.7 of this Part.

(e) For candidates seeking one of the certificates for the instruction of literacy, the candidate shall have completed nine semester hours of study in literacy education, as prescribed in the pedagogical core required for the initial certificate in the certificate title sought, set forth in section 80-3.7 of this Part.

(f) For candidates seeking a certificate for teaching English to speakers of other languages, the candidate shall have completed six semester hours of coursework in methods of second language teaching in the elementary and secondary grades and six semester hours in teaching literacy skills, as prescribed in the pedagogical core for the initial certificate in this certificate title, set forth in section 80-3.7 of this Part.

(5) The candidate shall submit a statement by the Chancellor, in the case of employment with the City School District of the City of New York; or by the superintendent, in the case of other employing boards; or by the chief school officer, in the case of employment with another entity required by law to employ certified teachers certifying:

(i) the employing entity seeks to employ the candidate in a teaching position in a certificate title in the classroom teaching service with a demonstrated shortage of certified teachers as determined by the department for which the candidate would need the supplementary certificate to qualify;

(ii) the employing entity will require, as a condition of employment under the supplementary certificate, the candidate's enrollment in study at an institution of higher education leading to an initial or professional certificate in the certificate title sought; and

(iii) the employing entity will provide appropriate support to the candidate undertaking a teaching assignment under the supplementary certificate to ensure the maintenance of quality instruction for students.

(6) Examination. The candidate shall submit evidence of having achieved a satisfactory level of performance on the Content Specialty Test in the area of the certificate title sought, if available.

3. Section 80-5.19 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education is added, effective January 6, 2005, as follows:

80-5.19 Teachers of adult, community and continuing education.

(a) A person teaching an avocational subject shall have three years of preparation and/or experience in the subject which the individual is employed to teach. When no such prepared and/or experienced person is available after extensive recruitment, an individual with less preparation and/or experience may be employed upon a finding by the chief school officer that such individual has sufficient preparation and/or experience to teach the subject.

(b) A person teaching an occupational education subject for which no high school credit is granted and for which there is no appropriate teaching certificate shall have three years of preparation and/or experience in the subject which the individual is employed to teach. When no such prepared and/or experienced person is available after extensive recruitment, an individual with less preparation and/or experience may be employed upon a finding by the chief school officer that such individual has sufficient preparation and/or experience to teach the subject.

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