The public TEACH Certificate Holder Lookup asks for a first name, middle initial and last name, and requires at least a last name or a first name. Entering both narrows the results, and prefixes and suffixes should be left out of the name fields. No account, certificate number or fee is needed for this search. A district or another state's certifying body sees a fuller record through direct TEACH access, and the certificate holder sees their own record by logging in to TEACH Online Services.
A New York result lists the certificates the person holds. Each certificate is identified by its title, which names the subject and grade level, and by its type, and the type sets how long it lasts: an Initial certificate is the entry-level classroom teaching certificate and is valid for five years, a Professional certificate follows it and stays valid subject to five-year registration and continuing education, and a Permanent certificate is good for life unless revoked. Time-limited certificates are not printed at issuance, so the online record is the authoritative copy. The Office of Teaching Initiatives does not publish a list of the exact columns its search screen shows, and this guide does not assert one.
The Office of Teaching Initiatives does not provide letters verifying New York State teacher certification status, highly qualified status, or good standing. When another state requires an official licensure form, the applicant identifies the form, completes the section authorizing release of their licensure information, and submits it to the Office through its contact form; the Office completes and sends it. All official verifications are otherwise obtained online through TEACH Online Services, and other U.S. states can verify disciplinary actions through the NASDTEC Clearinghouse.
The most common reason a real New York educator does not appear is the age of the record. New York computerized its certification records in 1983, and anyone certified before then may not appear in this search at all; the Office of Teaching Initiatives will research such a record and enter it into TEACH on request. Otherwise, check the spelling, leave out prefixes and suffixes, and try a last name alone before concluding that no certificate exists.
New York gives other states' and jurisdictions' certifying bodies direct access to the TEACH Online Services system so they can verify New York certification for someone seeking certification elsewhere; the Office does not issue written verification for that purpose. Coming the other way, an out-of-state certificate is one of the documents the Office evaluates when it reviews an application for a New York certificate, and applicants must still hold a New York State certificate to work in the state's public schools.
The educator has told the Department through TEACH that they are not currently practicing in an applicable school. An educator who is practicing while inactive, or who willfully fails to register, may be subject to moral character review.
The entry-level New York certificate for classroom teachers, issued in a specific subject and grade title, and the entry-level certificate for a School Building Leader. It is valid for five years and leads to the Professional certificate. A first or second reissuance of an expired Initial certificate is also valid for five years. Initial certificates are not printed when issued, so the online record is the copy that exists.
A Permanent certificate is valid for life unless revoked for cause. Holders have no continuing teacher and leader education requirement but are subject to registration.
The certificate that follows the Initial. Classroom teacher, administrator and pupil personnel service Initial certificates are valid for five years, and within those five years the holder must complete three years of experience, one of them mentored if they work in a public or charter school, and a Master's degree that is related to the certificate or leads to additional certification. A Professional certificate holder is then subject to five-year registration and continuing teacher and leader education.
The educator holds a certificate subject to registration and is registered as practicing in an applicable New York school. This status is required to practice in a school district, BOCES or nonpublic school in New York State, and the registration period runs five years, ending on the last day of the month before the educator's birth month.