Pthwy Guide to NYC Erly Childhood Techer Certifiction www.erlychildhoodnyc.org
THE MISSION The Institute works to ensure tht ll erly childhood providers hve ccess to comprehensive system of professionl development tht supports high-qulity services for New York City s children nd their fmilies. THE POSITION STATEMENT Children need to spend their most criticl yers with dedicted, educted, trined, nd well-compensted individuls in order to thrive in tody s society. Recruitment of tlented workforce, competency-bsed techer eduction progrms nd trining opportunities, innovtive models of technicl ssistnce, effective public policy, nd dequte funding re integrl components of system tht will ensure the outcomes we seek. NYC Erly Childhood Professionl Development Institute 16 Court Street, 31st Floor, Brooklyn, NY, 11241
Der Erly Childhood Professionl, The process of techer certifiction cn often be dunting chllenge. Depending on where you re cdemiclly nd professionlly, there re severl pthwys to becoming New York Stte certified erly childhood eduction techer. This booklet is designed to mke nvigting tht process little simpler. The following pges contin step-by-step guide to fulfilling the requirements set forth by the stte of New York to become certified in Erly Childhood Eduction. All of the informtion detiled is mde vilble through the New York Stte Eduction Deprtment nd the New York Stte Techer Certifiction Exm orgniztion nd is vlid s of December 31, 2010. Use this informtion s strting point for chrting your course to becoming n erly childhood clssroom techer. If you hve ny questions on certifiction topics not covered in this booklet, plese rech out to our Creer Development Services Center. One of our Creer Advisors will be hppy to provide guidnce specific to your needs. Wishing you ll the best on your journey! Sincerely, Redell M. Wllce Project Coordintor Creer Development Services Center creerdvisor@erlychildhoodnyc.org www.erlychildhoodnyc.org
CONTENTS Step-By-Step overview... 6-11. PProved Techer PrEPrtion Progrm - undergrdute... 14-15 b. PProved Techer PrEPrtion Progrm - GrduTE... 16-17 c. lternative TEACHER PREPrTioN ProgrM - grdute... 18-19 d. dditionl ClSSrooM TEACHER CERTifiCATioN - grdute... 20-21 E. INTERSTATE RECIProCITY - GrduTE or undergrdute... 22-23 ALTERNATE TEACHER PREPrTioN ProgrMS... 24-25 types of lterntive CErtifiction... 25 ppendix... 26-27
Wht do i NEEd to do? Here is Step-By-Step overview of the NYS Techer Certifiction process.
STEP 1 COMPLETE AN APPROVED TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM Progrms in Erly Childhood Eduction, or relted field, t institutes of higher eduction tht re registered with the New York Stte Eduction Deprtment (NYSED), re specificlly designed to qulify students for certifiction. Progrm requirements generlly consist of both clssroom coursework nd field experiences. Institutions will recommend students for certifiction upon grdution nd verify tht ll progrm requirements hve been completed. See Appendix A for complete list of colleges nd universities in New York City with pproved techer preprtion progrms in erly childhood eduction. Serch for list of registered progrms t: http://www.nysed.gov/heds/irpsl1.html 6
STEP 2 APPLY FOR CERTIFICATION Applictions for techer certifiction re completed through the NYSED Office of Teching Inititives, TEACH Online Service. TEACH is web-bsed techer certifiction dtbse, online ppliction, nd techer certifiction system designed to stremline the ppliction process. Applicnts must crete TEACH ccount in order to input nd trck pertinent informtion. Access TEACH www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/tech/login.html There re two min types of certifiction: Initil Certifiction is the entry-level credentil for teching in New York Stte erned upon successful completion of ll techer preprtion requirements. This credentil is vlid for five yers during which time individuls should be working on requirements for Professionl Certifiction. Professionl Certifiction is the second nd highest level of clssroom teching certificte for New York Stte. This is issued to techers who hve lredy erned initil certifiction nd completed ll of the following dditionl requirements: Three yers of teching experience (the first of which must include mentored experience) + + Mster s degree from regionlly ccredited institution* 12 grdute semester hours in the content core* *Grdute Work Requirements for Professionl Certifiction in Erly Childhood Eduction (ECE) Cn Be Fulfilled s Follows: A Mster s degree previously used to stisfy certifiction requirements will lso be ccepted to stisfy both the Mster s degree nd 12 semester hour requirements. A Mster s degree in ny of the Liberl Arts & Sciences will stisfy both the Mster s degree nd 12 semester hour requirements; however, Mster s degree in ECE or closely relted field is HIGHLY recommended. If you hve erned Mster s degree tht is not in ny of the Liberl Arts & Sciences, you must tke n ADDITIONAL 12 semester hours of grdute course work in ECE or relted field t regionlly ccredited college offering grdute degree in ECE. 7
STEP 3 GET FINGERPRINT CLEARANCE NYS lw requires tht the Office of School Personnel Review nd Accountbility (OSPRA) conduct fingerprint supported criminl history bckground checks with the Division of Criminl Justice Services (DCJS) nd the Federl Bureu of Investigtion (FBI) for ll pplicnts seeking certifiction nd ll prospective school employees. To ttin clernce, one must follow these steps: 1) Apply for fingerprint clernce in TEACH online services nd py the processing fee of $94.25 2) Obtin fingerprinting pcket nd get fingerprinted t one of the following loctions: NYC Deprtment of Eduction Division of Humn Resources Employee Informtion Center* 65 Court Street - Room 102, Brooklyn, New York 11201 (718) 935-2750 Locl Police Precinct NYS college/university you re ttending By request from the OSPRA t ospr@mil.nysed.gov 3) Submit pcket to NYSED for processing Visit http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/fqfin.html for more detils nd frequently sked questions bout the fingerprint clernce requirement. *Recommended loction for NYC Applicnts For NYS Certified Techers plnning to tech in New York City Public Schools If you hve been fingerprinted in New York Stte for your NYS Techer Certifiction, those fingerprint results cn be used to meet the NYC Deprtment of Eduction fingerprint requirement. Complete n OSPRA-103 form: http://schools.nyc.gov/teachnyc/defult.htm Send your completed OSPRA-103 form to: NYC Deprtment of Eduction Office of Personnel Investigtion, 65 Court Street, Rm. 218 Brooklyn, New York 11201 8
STEP 4 COMPLETE MANDATORY TRAININGS All pplicnts for certifiction must complete t lest two (2) hours of coursework in ech of the following res through n pproved service provider: Child Abuse Identifiction nd Reporting http://www.op.nysed.gov/trining/cproviders.htm School Violence Intervention nd Prevention http://www.p12.nysed.gov/sss/sse/schoolsfety/sve/svpiwp_loction.html These requirements re generlly fulfilled s prt of n pproved techer preprtion progrm. However, if they re completed independently, certificte must be issued upon successful completion of the workshop. This certificte must be submitted to the NYSED to verify course completion. 9
STEP 5 PASS REQUIRED TEACHER CERTIFICATION EXAMS NYS requires cndidtes to chieve qulifying scores on set of ssessments to ensure tht techers hve the requisite knowledge nd skills in the liberl rts nd sciences, in teching theory nd prctice, nd in the content re of the cndidte s field of certifiction. Cndidtes re required to pss the following three exms: Liberl Arts nd Sciences Test (LAST) Designed to test conceptul nd nlyticl skills, criticl thinking, communiction skills nd multiculturl wreness Elementry Assessment of Teching Skills Written (ATS-W) Designed to evlute pedgogicl knowledge t erly childhood nd childhood levels. Content Specilty Test (CST) - Multi-Subject Designed to mesure content knowledge nd bilities in the re of n individul s prospective certifiction. FORMAT Ech exm consists of 80-90 multiple choice questions & 1 constructed response (written) ssignment. Approximtely 4 hours of testing time is llotted for ech exm. SCORING Ech test is scored on scle rnging from 100 to 300. 220 or bove is considered pssing score. The score is bsed on the totl number of questions nswered correctly. Ech multiple choice question is worth the sme mount of points. There is no penlty for wrong nswers. FEES Pper Bsed - $79, Computer Bsed - $149 Visit www.nystce.nesinc.com for more informtion on certifiction exms including test dtes, preprtion guides nd registrtion. 10
AE C Depending on where you strt your journey, your pth to erly childhood techer certifiction cn tke vrious forms. which is MY pthwy? 11
pthwys A B C D E Approved Techer Preprtion Progrm Undergrdute Approved Techer Preprtion Progrm Grdute Alterntive Techer Preprtion Progrm Grdute Additionl Clssroom Techer Certifiction in Erly Childhood Grdute Interstte Reciprocity For Applicnts from other Sttes Grdute or Undergrdute 12
A Approved Techer Preprtion Progrm undergrdute This trditionl pproch to techer certifiction generlly pplies to individuls who hve erned t lest high school diplom/ged or completed n Associte s degree or some college credits, but hve not yet erned Bchelor s degree. 13
Cndidtes enroll in n undergrdute level progrm leding to degree in Erly Childhood Eduction or relted field. These progrms generlly indicte tht they led to initil techer certifiction. Cndidtes for Certifiction must: Complete n pproved techer preprtion progrm nd receive institutionl recommendtion upon completion Apply to the NYSED Office of Teching Inititives for Initil Certifiction through TEACH Obtin fingerprint clernce Complete mndtory trinings Pss the NYS Techer Certifiction Exms (LAST, ATS-W, nd Multi- Subject CST) See Appendix for NYC Colleges & Universities tht offer Grdute Degree progrms in Erly Childhood Eduction. 14
B Approved Techer Preprtion Progrm grdute Most cndidtes who fit this profile re creer chngers who lredy possess Bchelor s degree; however, they do not hve bckground in either eduction or techer preprtion. 15
Cndidtes my enroll in grdute level progrm in Erly Childhood Eduction t New York Stte pproved institution of higher eduction which leds to degree in Erly Childhood Eduction or relted field, nd leds to initil certifiction in Erly Childhood Eduction. Upon grdution from progrm, the institution recommends cndidtes for certifiction in the re in which they erned their degree. Cndidtes for Certifiction must: Complete grdute level pproved techer eduction progrm nd receive n institutionl recommendtion upon completion Apply to the NYSED s Office of Teching Inititives for Initil Certifiction through TEACH Obtin fingerprint clernce Complete mndtory trinings Pss the New York Stte Techer Certifiction Exms (LAST, ATS-W nd Multi-Subject CST) The grdute degree erned to complete requirements for initil certifiction will lso stisfy degree requirements for professionl certifiction. See Appendix for NYC Colleges & Universities tht offer Grdute Degree progrms in Erly Childhood Eduction. 16
C Alterntive Techer Preprtion Progrm grdute The lterntive teching preprtion progrm is designed for the mture, second creer professionl who lredy holds Bchelor s degree; however, they do not hve bckground in eduction nor hve they completed techer preprtion progrm. 17
Cndidtes my choose to enroll in college or university with registered Alterntive Techer Certifiction (ATC) Progrm. This pthwy fetures ccelerted introductory coursework, fter which individuls my begin pid employment with extensive mentoring nd other supports from the college nd school district s they complete their remining coursework nd certifiction requirements. Cndidtes for Certifiction must: Begin n pproved ATC progrm t NYS higher eduction institution. Individul must complete 200 hour introductory component (including 40 hours of field work) in order to be eligible for trnsitionl certifiction Obtin fingerprint clernce * Completing mndtory trinings * Tke nd pss the New York Stte Techer Certifiction Exms (LAST, ATS-W, Multi-Subject CST) * Apply to the NYSED s Office of Teching Inititives for Certifiction through TEACH. Trnsitionl B Certifiction must be obtined before being eligible for employment. Initil Certifiction cn be obtined fter completing coursework. ** After receiving Initil Certifiction, pply to the NYSED s Office of Teching Inititives through TEACH for Professionl Certifiction *Requirement must be stisfied before being eligible for Trnsitionl B Certifiction **See pge 20 for more detils on lterntive techer certifiction 18
D Additionl Clssroom Techer Certifiction in Erly Childhood grdute This pthwy is for individuls who lredy hold vlid New York Stte clssroom teching certificte, but wish to obtin n dditionl certifiction in Erly Childhood Eduction. 19
Cndidtes my obtin dditionl certifiction by meeting core requirements nd pssing the Content Specilty Test. Additionl pedgogicl coursework my be required, depending on the certifictes lredy held. If your first certificte ws issued s result of completion of n pproved progrm or professionl license, originl officil trnscripts of ll completed coursework from ll colleges ttended re required. Cndidtes for Certifiction must: Hve lredy completed Bchelor s degree nd hold vlid NYS Teching Certificte Apply to the NYSED Office of Teching Inititives for Certifiction through TEACH Stisfy course work within the Erly Childhood Content Core (Upon ppliction cndidtes must submit originl credentils to the Office of Teching Inititives for evlution to determine wht coursework needs to be completed) Tke nd pss the Multi-Subject CST 20
E Interstte Reciprocity (For pplicnts from other sttes) grdute OR UNDERGRADUATE Applicnts tht hold certifiction from nother stte, or who hve completed n pproved techer eduction progrm outside of New York, my be eligible to be certified in New York Stte through interstte reciprocity. 21
Cndidtes tht hold comprble certifiction from nother stte must: Hve t lest 3 yers of teching experience under n cceptble certificte Apply to the NYSED Office of Teching Inititives through TEACH for Conditionl Initil Certifiction* Obtin fingerprint clernce Completing mndtory trinings Pss NYS Techer Certifiction exms (LAST, ATS-W, nd the Multi-Subject CST) within two yers of receiving conditionl certifiction** Cndidtes tht hve completed n pproved techer eduction progrm in nother stte tht is comprble to NYS techer preprtion progrm, nd which leds to certifiction in tht stte must: Possess Bchelor s degree Apply to NYSED Office of Teching Inititives through TEACH for Initil Certifiction Obtin fingerprint clernce Completing mndtory trinings Pss NYS Techer Certifiction exms (LAST, ATS-W, nd the Multi-Subject CST) * Conditionl Initil Certifiction is temporrily wrded llowing techer certified out of stte to tech in NY while completing certifiction requirements specific to the stte. **Initil certifiction is wrded upon submission of proof tht the certifiction exm requirements were completed; no dditionl ppliction is necessry. Initil certifiction is vlid for 5 yers from the dte of conditionl certifiction. 22
Typicl Alterntive Techer Preprtion (ATP) Progrm Admission Requirements Hve Bchelor s degree from regionlly or ntionlly ccredited college or university, with Grde Point Averge (GPA) of t lest 3.0 (B verge). Progrms will usully ccept pplicnts who re in the process of obtining their Bchelor s, but full dmission to the Mster s progrm will be contingent upon completion. Some progrms my require Bchelor s degree with specific concentrtion, such s Eduction or Child Development. Demonstrte personl qulities necessry for the profession, such s sensitivity, flexibility, self-wreness, self-reflection. Hve strong positive interpersonl skills nd reltionships with both children nd dults. Show helthy motivtion nd commitment to lerning nd to children. Degree Requirements Coursework Every progrm requires students to complete certin mount (usully between 30-45 credits) of clsses pertining to erly childhood development nd eduction. Alterntive progrms offer gret del of flexibility in the order, time of dy, time of yer, nd number of months or yers these courses my be completed, to ccommodte students lifestyles. Supervised Fieldwork / Student Teching / Advisement Every progrm contins fieldwork or student teching requirement to be done while students complete their coursework. This is done under the supervision of n dvisor or mentor, who my be professor in the Mster s progrm or mentor techer in the prtner school or center. This dvisement cn occur through on-site supervision, regulr mentoring sessions outside the clssroom, or some combintion. For lterntive certifiction progrms, the progrm will often llow students who lredy work in school or center to complete their fieldwork t their current position, provided they re ble to incorporte the dvisor or mentor into their work for the durtion of the fieldwork component. 23
Mster s Project/Thesis Most progrms require students to complete project or thesis, which consists of n independent study, mentor-directed reserch pper, seminr-bsed disserttion, or portfolio. This is generlly completed in conjunction with either the coursework or fieldwork. Types of Alterntive Certifiction Internship Certifiction To obtin the Internship Certifiction, progrms typiclly require tht students: Hve completed 50% of the coursework in their progrm Hve GPA of t lest 3.0 Pss the certifiction exms which pply to the desired initil certificte Complete the Child Abuse nd Violence Prevention Seminrs Hve fingerprint clernce from New York Stte (NYSED Requirement) Be employed or receive n offer for position from school. The position must be in the subject re nd grde level of the degree nd certificte sought. 24
List of NYC Erly Childhood Progrms (Colleges nd Universities) School Type of Certifiction INITIAL TRANSITIONAL B internship Bnk Street College of Eduction Brooklyn College City College of New York City College of New York Center for Worker Eduction College of Stten Islnd Columbi University Techer s College Fordhm University Hofstr University Hunter College Lehmn College Long Islnd University C.W. Post Long Islnd University Brooklyn Cmpus Medgr Evers College Mercy College New York University St. John s University St. Joseph s University Stern College for Women t Yeshiv University Touro College Queens College Wgner College 25
Appendix A Level Contct Informtion UNDERGRAD grd CONTACT INFO phone (212) 875-4467 (718) 951-5205 (212) 650-5490 (212) 925-6625 ext. 235 (718) 982-3719 (212) 678-3860 (212) 636-6450 (516) 463-5779 (212) 772-4679 (718) 960-8167 (516) 299-4123 (516) 299-4123 WEB www.bnkstreet.edu www.schooled.brooklyn.cuny.edu www1.ccny.cuny.edu www1.ccny.cuny.edu www.librry.csi.cuny.edu www.tc.columbi.edu www.fordhm.edu www.hofstr.edu www.hunter.cuny.edu www.lehmn.cuny.edu www.liu.edu (718) 488-1381 (718) 270-4911 (914) 674-7502 (212) 998-5460 www.liu.edu www.mec.cuny.edu www.mercy.edu www.steinhrdt.nyu.edu (718) 990-2000 (631) 687-1234 (212) 340-7768 (212) 463-0400 ext. 5790 (718) 997-5300 (718) 420-4082 www.stjohns.edu www.sjcny.edu www.yu.edu www.touro.edu www.qcpges.qc.edu www.wgner.edu 26
The development of this guide ws mde possible through the generous support of the New York Community Trust