For the Professional certificate in the classroom teaching service, individuals must complete at least three years of acceptable teaching experience or its equivalent (540 full-time days). Full-time and part-time experiences are acceptable. Once an individual has been issued a Professional certificate, the experience requirement will be satisfied for any future Professional classroom teaching certificate applications. Descriptions of acceptable and unacceptable teaching experiences are provided below.
Certification During the Experience
For certain experiences, a valid and appropriate teaching certificate must be held during the experience. An appropriate certificate is a certificate that matches the grade levels and subject area of the teaching assignment.
Experiences that require a valid and appropriate certificate include, but are not limited to: employment in a public school, BOCES, Early Intervention provider, or other position that requires certification in New York State; and employment in a public school in another U.S. state or U.S. territory. Please see the following list of acceptable teaching experiences for examples.
Substitute Teaching Experience
Substitute teachers in New York State who hold a valid teaching certificate or are working towards certification (i.e., completing at least six semester hours of college coursework per year), and are employed by a school district or BOCES for more than 40 days, must be employed in the area that they are certified or seeking certification, respectively.
Substitute teachers in New York State who do not hold a valid certificate, and are not working towards certification, cannot have more than 40 days of acceptable experience in a school district or BOCES in a school year except as described on the Substitute Teaching webpage.
Acceptable Teaching Experience
Experience for the Professional certificate may be gained in the following settings.