How to apply for a certificate in TEACH Log in to TEACH using your username and password. Please note that if you have forgotten either (or both) there are links below the box to help you! **If you are having trouble logging in, contact TEACH at (518) 486-6041 (M-F 8-5). PLEASE do not call the BOCES office as I will be unable to help you with this! You can also use https://portals.nysed.gov/tcert/technical.htm to report the problem, and someone will get back to you. Select “Apply for Certificate” from TEACH Home page Created by Mary Kay LaLonde, TST BOCES Certification office revised 2.15.12 You will see the following screen Read the entire screen, then hit Next button The next screen is the Update/Verify screen Edit/Update/verify your Personal profile. BE SURE TO SCROLL to the bottom of that screen and enter your citizenship status as well as your e-mail address. By clicking on the box “it is ok for NYSED to communicate with me via e-mail” and entering your e-mail in the space provided it will save a lot of time, paper, postage and money to communicate via e-mail. Then, hit Next button. You may have to update/verify your Education & work experience (even if what is there is all accurate) in order to progress to the next screen. Created by Mary Kay LaLonde, TST BOCES Certification office revised 2.15.12 The next screen will be where you want to enter a new certificate application. Make the selections from the pulldowns to enter the certificate you are seeking. This screen will show the applications or certificates you already have on file. It will show the certificate(s) you already have under the heading “Certificates and Applications on File”. Do not confuse that with the certificate you need/want to apply for now. Since you need a different level certificate (professional or maybe permanent) or a new certificate all together, you need to add the “new” certificate you are seeking. In this screen shot the Certificates and Applications on File does have them listed on the way bottom, but the screen shot cuts them off. Once entered, hit the Add button, then click “next” button If you are applying for a “certificate progression” for your present certificate, you need to click NO, I have not completed….University option, then click on the Next button. You may have received your Initial certificate by completing an approved teacher ed program, but it is very likely that the college has only “college recommended” you for your initial certificate only, and not the professional one as well. Created by Mary Kay LaLonde, TST BOCES Certification office revised 2.15.12 If you are not applying using the Interstate Reciprocity pathway, you must select No, I do not want to apply through the Interstate Reciprocity Pathway, then hit the Next button. ** For those applicants who are indeed applying using Interstate Reciprocity (who are moving or who have moved to the area, and have a valid out of state teaching certificate) you would select one of the two yes statements, then click next. If you are applying for the “next level” or progressing from an Initial certificate to a Professional one, you will see that the system “knew” that the pathway must be certificate progressions, which is what you want. You need not edit the pathway or anything. You want to hit the Next button. Created by Mary Kay LaLonde, TST BOCES Certification office revised 2.15.12 **If you are applying for certification and have not completed an approved teacher ed program in NY, and are not applying using Interstate Reciprocity… The next screen will ask you to make a selection of other possible pathways: The next screen will show if the certificate application can be reviewed by State Ed or by a BOCES Certification Specialist. If the certificate can be reviewed by either SED or BOCES reviewers, choose your reviewer. If BOCES review is selected, select the BOCES office by school district or county. Keep in mind that BOCES reviewers case loads are not as many as those of SED. Also, once a reviewer has been selected, it cannot be changed. After review type is selected, click Next o o o o o o o o Answer the affidavit questions and click “Sign affidavit” Click “Sign application” Select your method of payment. Please be advised that if you choose Money Order as your form of payment there will be a delay in linking payment of the application on your record until the Money Order is received by the bank, and your name appears on a report of payment with State Ed. If you choose Money Order, you will select the link “Mail in a Cashiers Check or US Postal Money Order”. You will also want to print the coupon, and include that with the Money Order. This will link the payment to the correct application. Read the relevant information, click Next If you choose to pay by Credit Card, click on “Pay online by a credit card” Enter credit card information, click Submit **do not hit this button more than one time as it will cause “double” billing!!! A confirmation will appear. Read this, click Next You may print a summary by clicking print. When complete, click Done Created by Mary Kay LaLonde, TST BOCES Certification office revised 2.15.12 After you complete the application process, you may see that the automatic checklist that you see does not credit you with all of the requirements that you have completed. DO NOT be alarmed – there is NO NEED to contact this office. Some requirement fields must be manually triggered. This is done during the evaluation process once the application appears in the work queue, and the appropriate documentation is provided. Send all required documents to TST BOCES Certification Office 555 Warren Rd. Ithaca, NY 14850 **Documents can be either mailed via US Mail, or if you work for a component district, they can be sent via interoffice/”bus” mail. All transcripts must be “official copies” (unless the State has an official copy already on hand) If the original was sent to the State more than 3 years ago, the transcript will have been archived, and a new official one will have to be obtained. FAQ's for TEACH may also be a helpful site to refer to! http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/teach/teachappfaq.htm If you find you made a mistake in the pathway you chose for your certification, simply e-mail me with the situation, and I will do my best to assist you in having the certificate pathway changed. If you assign TST BOCES as your evaluator/reviewer (you must live, work or attend school within the TST Certification Region) I will be able to make the change for you once you advise me of the error. If you do not live, work or attend school within the TST BOCES area, and choose TST as your reviewer, we will have to charge an “out of area” certification assistance fee. This fee will have to be paid to TST BOCES before any work can be done in your file. Questions?? Contact me at the TST BOCES Regional certification Office 257-1551x309 or tchrcert@tstboces.org (best) Created by Mary Kay LaLonde, TST BOCES Certification office revised 2.15.12