Updated April 2025
Certification Programs
Our graduate and undergraduate programs are recognized by New York State Education Department (NYSED) as “approved teacher preparation program(s)” and as such prepare students to meet the requirements of Initial Certification in Visual Art, Grades Pre-K-12. This page directs students to certification information but does not replace the State website on certification. It is a student’s responsibility to visit the New York State Office of Teaching Initiatives website to keep abreast of changes to certification requirements and to visit the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations website for all test and submission dates and fees. Pratt Institute’s Teacher Certification Packet is available here.
Certification Requirements
In order to be recommended for NYSED Initial Certification in Visual Arts, Pre-K–12, students must have completed an “approved teacher preparation program” and the following curricular and non-curricular requirements, workshops and tests. We recommend that those are completed as you move through the program so that by the time you have finished your last semester, you will have completed everything you will need to apply for certification.
Complete the Following Workshops:
Child Abuse Identification Workshop (register)
School Violence Prevention and Intervention Workshop (register)
DASA: Training in Harassment, Bullying, Cyberbullying, and Discrimination in Schools (6-hour workshop)
The DASA workshop will be offered at Pratt Institute every Fall for current students only. Contact hjeon110@pratt.edu for the date of the next scheduled workshop and to register. If you take the DASA workshop outside of Pratt it must be taken with a provider approved by NYSED and it will be at your own expense.
Earn a Passing Score on the Following Exams:
Educating all Students (EAS)
Content Specialty Test (CST)
*Note: The test and test score dates are available from the NYSTCE website. Test Preparation Guides are also available from NYSTCE.
Successful Completion of Teacher Performance Assessment (TPA):
Teacher Performance Assessment (TPA)
All students in the certification tracks are required to complete and pass TPA before graduation to be recommended for certification.
New York State Education Department (NYSED) Teach Account: Initial Certification
Students must apply for Initial Certification through the New York State Education Department TEACH System. Log into your TEACH account, select “TEACH online Services”, Under the heading “Online Applications”, choose “apply for Certificates”, choose Initial Certification in Visual Art, all grades (Pre-K-12), follow the steps to apply, pay the $50 fee. You are responsible for regularly monitoring your TEACH accounts for accuracy. The TEACH account records and verifies your progress towards certification. Instructions for using TEACH online are available here.
Interstate Agreement on Certification
Further information: Visual Arts Certification
- Graduates of Pratt Institute’s programs in art and design education satisfy the educational requirements for certification in New York State (Visual Arts, all grades).
- As of March 2022, the following states and jurisdictions have signed the NASDTEC Interstate Agreement, which makes it possible for an educator who completed an approved program and/or who holds a certificate or license in one jurisdiction to earn a certificate or license in another state or jurisdiction: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
- Receiving states may impose certain special requirements which must be met in a reasonable period of time. Information about specific state-by-state requirements can be found through NASDTEC.
- A determination has not been made for any states not listed above.
What’s Next?
Complete the Institutional Recommendation Form
In order to be “recommended” for certification, students must have completed all graduation requirements and complete an Institutional Recommendation Form (IRF). These forms are available from the ADE office (contact Louise Butler at lbutle41@pratt.edu). Completed forms must be submitted to the ADE office either in person or by mail at the completion of the program/graduation.
Once the completed IRF forms and all supporting documents are received and approved by the ADE Office, the student is then “recommended” for certification.
N.B. Students who are NOT currently in one of our “approved programs” leading to certification, should contact NYS Office of Teaching Initiatives directly for more information.
Questions?
Louise Butler
Assistant Chair of Art and Design Education
Certification Officer
lbutle41@pratt.edu
Juniper Jeong
Assistant to the Chair of Art and Design Education
hjeon110@pratt.edu
Art and Design Education
Main building, room 202
Pratt Institute
200 Willoughby Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11205
718.636.3637