Teacher Certification

In order to obtain New York State teaching certification, you must complete all the requirements outlined here in addition to completing your degree.

Academic Requirements

The following academic requirements must be fulfilled prior to graduation and/or making an application for the Initial Teaching Certificate. The courses may be taken at Pratt or transferred from another school.

• College course in Child/Adolescent Development (3 credits)
• College level foreign language (6 credits).
• Workshop in Child Abuse Prevention
• Workshop in Life Safety and Violence Prevention (previously Fire and Life Safety)

Fingerprinting

You must get fingerprinted in order to be certified. If you are fingerprinted through the New York City Department of Education for student teaching, you will need to complete an OSPRA 104 form. If you are fingerprinted through NYSED, you may need to complete an OSPRA 103 to work in NYC.

If you were not fingerprinted for student teaching, you must apply and pay for fingerprinting online through TEACH and then go to 65 Court Street, Room 102, Brooklyn NY to be fingerprinted.

Both fingerprinting processes cost about $115.00.

NYSED Fingerprinting link

NYSED Examinations

There are three required exams for New York State Teacher Certification in Visual Arts.

• Liberal Arts and Sciences Test
• Assessment of Teaching Skills–Written (Elementary or Secondary),
• Content Specialty Test-Visual Arts Content.

Full descriptions of these exams can be found on the NYSTCE webstite at http://www.nystce.nesinc.com/NY14_teachercertification.asp

Test and Registration Dates can be found at http://www.nystce.nesinc.com/NY14_testdates.asp

Registration for the exams is done at http://www.nystce.nesinc.com/NY14_regoptions.asp

Each exam is $79.00 for paper-based testing or $149.00 for computer-based testing.

Visit the NYSTCE website for more information.

Institutional Recommendation

Obtain an Institutional Recommendation Request form appropriate to your degree in the ADE office. Complete the Institutional Recommendation Request Form and return it to the ADE Office in person or by mail along with an unofficial transcript from the Registrar's Office. Use your degree audit or your transcript to complete the Request Form. Make sure the transcript lists your DATE of GRADUATION in the upper right hand corner. If you completed your foreign language and/or child/adolescent development requirements at another institution, you must submit transcripts for those courses as well.

Application for Certification through TEACH

Complete the online application through NYSED at TEACH online services. Please self-report your education, teaching experience, and apply for an initial certificate as a classroom teacher of visual arts, K-12. You must pay a $50.00 fee to complete the application. Instructions for using TEACH Online are available in the ADE Office.

Questions?

Students should direct questions about certification to the ADE office. When you are ready to be graduate, you may mail your Institutional Request Form along with your final transcript to:

Pratt Institute
Art and Design Education
Main 227
200 Willoughby Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11205