Initial Teacher Certification

The initial certificate is the main base certificate all entry level teachers start off with. Matriculated School of Education students who successfully graduate from their educator preparation program at Lehman are eligible to apply for this certification offered by the New York State Education Dept. The state will have additional requirements before granting issuance.

After graduating, students must file a paid application for the initial certificate in their classroom teaching area or as a school building leader or as a school counselor. Instructions to file for the initial certificate application and related information may be obtained from the Lehman Certification Office. Contact them at: teacher.certification@lehman.cuny.edu

The certification process is as follows:

• Matriculated School of Education students should contact the Lehman Certification Office during their first semester to request a personalized initial certification checklist based on the program area they will graduate from. The checklist will include the additional certification requirements that will need to be completed by the time a student graduates from their educator program.

• Students should create a (NYSED) New York State Education Dept. TEACH Online Services account. This permanent account is where students will eventually apply for their initial certification, keep track of their work experience, update their education background, etc. It is everything pertaining to state certification. The NYSED website is: www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert

• Some students may be required to take additional missing coursework as one of their New York State initial certification area requirements. These courses are not factored into nor required in a graduate level degree program. They will be considered as electives if taken at Lehman. Certain criteria will apply to meet New York State Education Dept. guidelines; this includes: remedial, advanced placement or non-credit bearing courses and minimum grades.

• Students must file for graduation when in their last semester through their CUNYfirst account. The Registrar Dept opens the filing period & will hold them until all final grades are posted. After all final grades are posted, the Registrar then begins auditing degree requirements to officially approve a student’s graduation on their record. After their graduation is officially approved, students should then contact the Lehman Certification Office for their next step to obtain their initial certification.

• The Lehman Certification Office will check for the completion of the state certification requirements before submitting an online college recommendation to the state. If a student has not completed the requirements, they will be allowed to follow up after they do. The Certification Office will also provide instructions to apply for the initial certification through a student’s NY state TEACH Online Services account with a code connected to their program at Lehman.

• Again, after official graduation is approved by the Registrar and completion of any additional NY state initial certification requirements, students should contact the Certification Office at: teacher.certification@lehman.cuny.edu to request review and receive the online college recommendation submission to the New York State Ed. Dept. The recommendation is a confirmation that a student has graduated and completed their initial certification requirements.

• As the governing agency, the (NYSED) New York State Education Department takes over certification after a college recommendation is received. After filing a paid application for the initial certificate, the state will conduct their own final review before granting issuance. The state issues certificates online through their TEACH Online Services accounts. It is the responsibility of the student to monitor their own certification.

• Initial certificates are valid for 5 years. While it is valid, the certificate holders must accumulate a total of 3 years of full-time work experience (or 540 days) in the same subject area and must earn a master's degree as part of the requirements to apply for the next and highest level of professional certification.