Teaching Assistant Certification Hillary Brewer WSWHE BOCES Regional Certification Officer Supervisor, Teacher Registry

Regulations of the Commissioner of Education Teaching Assistant Description- A teaching assistant is appointed by a board of education to provide, under the general supervision of a licensed or certified teacher, direct instructional service to students. Duties- Teaching assistants assist teachers by performing duties such as: Working with individual pupils or groups of pupils on special instructional projects Providing the teacher with information about pupils that will assist the teacher in the development of appropriate learning experiences Assisting pupils in the use of available instructional resources, and assisting in the development of instructional materials Utilizing their own special skills and abilities by assisting in instructional programs in such areas as: foreign languages, arts, crafts, music and similar subjects; and assisting in related instructional work as required.

Levels of Teaching Assistant Certification Level I- valid for 3 years Level I Renewal- valid for 3 years Level II- valid for 3 years Level III- no expiration date attached Must complete 75 hours of Professional Development each 5 year period to maintain validity

Requirements of Teaching Assistant Certification Level I Education - High School Diploma or GED New York State Teacher Certification Exam - ATAS Workshop - Child Abuse Identification Workshop - School Violence Intervention and Prevention Workshop- DASA (Dignity for All Students) Fingerprint Clearance

Requirements of Teaching Assistant Certification Level I Renewal The Level I Renewal is only for those people that held a Level I TA certification, but were unable to obtain the 1 year of TA experience to qualify for the Level II or Level III Education - High School Diploma or GED New York State Teacher Certification Exam - ATAS Workshop - Child Abuse Identification Workshop - School Violence Intervention and Prevention Workshop- DASA (Dignity for All Students) Fingerprint Clearance School District Recommendation- A NYS public school would enter this when hiring a TA that qualifies.

Requirements of Teaching Assistant Certification Level II Education - High School Diploma or GED College Coursework - 9 S.H. New York State Teacher Certification Exam – ATAS Experience as a NYS Licensed Teaching Assistant - 1 Yr. Workshop - Child Abuse Identification Workshop - School Violence Intervention and Prevention Workshop- DASA (Dignity for All Students) Fingerprint Clearance

Requirements of Teaching Assistant Certification Level III Education - High School Diploma or GED College Coursework - 18 S.H. New York State Teacher Certification Exam - ATAS Experience as a NYS Licensed Teaching Assistant - 1 Yr. Workshop - Child Abuse Identification Workshop - School Violence Intervention and Prevention Workshop- DASA (Dignity for All Students) Fingerprint Clearance

Completing the Requirements Education Requirements High School Diploma or GED Submit a photo copy of document College Coursework 9 s.h. or 18 s.h. Submit official college transcript from college Official transcripts are sent directly by a college in a sealed envelope All documents must list at least the last 4 digits of individuals Social Security number. If high school diploma lists maiden name and maiden name is not listed in your TEACH account, please also include a copy of your marriage certificate showing last name matching TEACH account.

Completing the Requirements Assessment of Teaching Assistant Skills (ATAS) Exam All test information including preparation materials on-line at www.nystce.nesinc.com Register for exam on-line Exam fee is $79 Test is only available through an appointment for computer based testing Results go directly to TEACH account 4 weeks after exam Once exam result is entered in TEACH it will remain valid

Completing the Requirements Child Abuse Recognition and Reporting , School Violence Prevention & DASA All workshops required for anyone seeking certification through the NYS Education Department Child Abuse and SAVE can be completed on-line in 2 hours each at www.childabuseworkshop.com Child Abuse is $39.95, SAVE is $50- complete both for $74.95 DASA training is a new requirement. See http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/certificate/dasa-applicant.html for a list of approved providers. Cost will vary by provider. Will receive Certificate of Completion that will be signed and submitted to NYSED Once workshops are entered in TEACH they remain valid

Completing the Requirements Fingerprint Clearance Apply Online for Fingerprint Clearance & Appointment at www.IdentoGo.com Make Payment through account-$102 fee. Use ORI Number- TEACH Schedule Appointment at nearest location In some cases hiring school district will pay for associated fees. Process is slightly different. Once Fingerprints are cleared through the FBI and DCJS- clearance will be listed in TEACH Clearance remains valid

Completing the Requirements 1 Year Experience as a NYS Licensed Teaching Assistant Work 1 year as a Teaching Assistant under a valid Teaching Assistant certificate List experience in personal TEACH account and submit completed Verification of Teaching Assistant Experience document.

Application Process All Teaching Assistant applications are completed through the NYS TEACH system www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert Applications can be assigned to either the NYSED office or to a BOCES Regional Certification Officer Applications processed by BOCES RCO are generally expedited in a more timely fashion. BOCES will charge a $25 fee for this service.

Application Process www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert Website will bring you to this page Self-Register with TEACH first if you have not set up a TEACH account Then click Login to TEACH

Enter Username & Password to Sign In On the following Screen click TEACH Online Services

TEACH Home Page Check on personal information or status of applications by going to Account Information Choose Apply for Certificate to begin application Level III TA’s can view their PD hours by clicking here Can submit a payment here if began an application and needed to come back for payment

Read through information & then select Next

Once you have updated your Personal Information if necessary Entered or updated education information Entered or updated employment information Then click Next You will almost always get the message below Hit Next until you are allowed to the following screen

Select certificate areas as above Choose the Level that is appropriate for you Then Click Add

Select the circle for Individual Evaluation Pathway Then Select Next

After adding certificate- system will take you back to add another certificate Click Next at the bottom of the page Then system will ask you to assign to SED or BOCES RCO Choose BOCES RCO

Finish Certification Application Sign Affidavit Confirm and Sign Application Make Payment Send all Documentation Attention: Hillary Brewer Regional Certification Officer 1153 Burgoyne Ave. Suite 2 Fort Edward, NY 12828