Types of New York State Certificates the College Recommends

The types of certificates Lehman's School of Education submits an institutional/ college recommendation for qualified students depends on the specific criteria needed and completed as well as the type of certificate sought. All certificates have their own set of requirements. Some certificates are only available to a specific type of program.

Below are the types of certificates tied to the college for qualified students:

Initial Certificate: Click hyperlink to read more about the state terms for this type of certificate. The Initial Certificate is the entry-level base certificate that all new teachers begin their careers with after completing all state requirements (see previous page) including officially graduating from their teacher preparation program. Valid for 5 years during which working teachers should accumulate a minimum of 3 years of full-time teaching experience in the same area/grade levels within the state of NY to prepare for the next level of certification; the professional certificate.

Professional Certificate: Click hyperlink to read more about the state terms for this type of certificate. The Professional Certificate is the highest level base certificate for teachers. Applicants who have accumulated 3 years of full-time classroom teaching experience in the same subject area/ grade level under a valid base teaching certificate within the state of NY and has a master’s degree can apply for this certificate.

Extension: Click hyperlink to read more about the state terms for this type of certificate annotation. An Extension is an added subject area or "attachment" like Bilingual or Gifted Education to an issued base certificate like an initial certificate or professional certificate. After an applicant meets the requirements for an extension, the state will only issue an extension to an applicant who already possesses a valid base certificate and in the appropriate certificate level (initial extension or professional extension, etc).

Internship Certificate: Click hyperlink to read more about the state terms for this type of certificate. This is an optional temporary certificate available for actively enrolled graduate students that have completed 50% of their program coursework and either already has a full-time teaching position in their area of study OR have an offer to teach in their area of study from a school Principal. For students who match these requirements click the following link to get more information on the other criteria and required documents: InternCertReqForm-Lttrhd-2022Update

Transitional B Certificate: Click hyperlink to read more about the state terms for this type of certificate. This is a temporary certificate available exclusively for candidates enrolled in an alternative certification teacher preparation program or a designated Transitional B program. Students who enroll into the college through these types of programs are usually affiliated with the NYC Dept. of Education like NYC Teaching Fellows or Teaching Collaboratives, must meet the requirements (pre-training hours, exams, workshops, fingerprints) for this certificate at the beginning of their program.

Provisional Certificate: The provisional certificate is currently being phased out by the NYSED. It will no longer be available after February 2024. School Counselors may apply for the provisional after they officially graduate from their program up until that date. It is the first level of certification and School Counselors must accumulate a minimum 2 years of full-time work experience under this certificate in preparation for the permanent certificate. The provisional is valid for 5 years.

Permanent Certificate: Click hyperlink to read more about the state terms for this type of certificate. The permanent certificate is also being phased out by February 2024. It is the highest level of certification for School Counselors and can be applied for after 2 years of work experience as a School Counselor under a valid provisional certificate.

Again, for students seeking any of the above certificates, they must meet the requirements before requesting a college recommendation submission to their state TEACH Online account.

For additional questions about any of these certificates, please email the Lehman Certification Office at: teacher.certification@lehman.cuny.edu