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Exams

We’ve compiled the latest New York State Teacher Certification Exam (NYSTCE) requirements for each of our approved certification programs.

Most students complete their exams before applying for certification. You may register for all NYSTCEs online.

Academic Literacy Skills Test is no longer a requirement for any certification in the State of NY. NYSED has eliminated the ALST as a requirement for teacher certification.

NYSTCE Passing Scores and Additional Information for Exam Preparation

Education All Students (EAS) 
Passing Score: 520
Typically taken upon completion of pedagogy coursework and field experiences.

The Educating All Students test consists of selected-response items and constructed-response items. Each constructed-response item will share scenario-based stimulus material with several selected-response items. The EAS test measures the professional and pedagogical knowledge and skills necessary to teach all students effectively in New York State public schools. 

Educating All Students (EAS) Frameworks and Preparation Materials can be found here

NOTE: The Educating All Students (EAS) (201) test and corresponding preparation materials will be replaced in the Fall of 2018 with a redeveloped test. This new test will be called Educating All Students—Literacy (EAS–L) (203). 

To register for the EAS

Content Specialty Test – Multi-Subject (CST – Multi-Subject)
Passing Score: 520 for each of three parts.
This exam must be completed at the grade level of the program and the level of certification sought: Birth-Grade 2, Grades 1-6, or Grades 7-12.

Content Specialty Test – Students with Disabilities (CST-Students with Disabilities)
Passing Score: 520

The Board of Regents has recently approved a temporary Safety Net for those candidates who have taken and failed Part Two: Mathematics of the Multi-Subject: Secondary Teachers (Grade 7–Grade 12) Content Specialty Test (CST). For complete details, please visit:  http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/certificate/multi-subsecteachgrade7-12safetynet.html

The CSTs (except those for languages other than English) consist of multiple-choice questions and a written assignment. The CSTs for languages other than English include recorded listening and/or speaking components and writing components. The American Sign Language CST includes video-recorded signing components. CSTs measure knowledge and skills in the content area of the candidate's field of certification. Refer to "Tests" for information about specific CSTs. 
CST Frameworks and Preparation Materials can be found here

To register for a CST

(Education) Teacher Performance Assessment – EdTPA
Currently, Touro graduate education and special education students are doing the special education Teacher Performance Assessment, which has a passing score of 41. This is the only state certification exam that is not a sit-down exam but a project that has to be completed over a period, typically, of two or three months and then submitted for scoring.

edTPATM is a nationally available teacher performance assessment developed by Stanford University. edTPA is a multiple measure assessment of teaching focused on student learning. Evidence of candidate teaching performance is drawn from a subject-specific learning segment: 3–5 lessons from a unit of instruction for one class of students. Teacher candidates submit authentic artifacts (lesson plans, video clips of instruction, student work samples) from their actual teaching during a clinical field experience. Candidates also submit commentaries that provide a rationale to support their instructional practices based on student learning strengths and needs. Candidates' evidence is evaluated across five scoring components of teaching: Planning, Instruction, Assessment, Analysis of Teaching, and Academic Language. 
EdTPA Preparation Materials from NYSED 

To register for the edTPA and for additional resources

Bilingual Education Assessment (BEA)
Passing Score: Pass
Can be taken at any time, once the candidate has achieved fluency in the language.

The BEAs consist of multiple-choice questions and constructed-response assignments. They include recorded listening and speaking components in English and include listening, speaking, reading, and writing components in the target language. The BEAs are required of candidates seeking a bilingual education extension to a certificate. Refer to "Tests" for information about specific BEAs. 
Bilingual Education Assessments (BEAs) Frameworks and Test Preparation materials can be found here

To register for a BEA

School Leadership Assessment (SLA)
School Building Leader Passing Score: 520
School District Leader Passing Score: 220

The NYSTCE program includes tests for school leadership (formerly administrator) certification. The purpose of these School Leadership Assessments is to help ensure that certified school- and district-level leaders have the essential knowledge and skills necessary to provide effective educational leadership in New York State public schools. 
Each of the School Leadership Assessments consists of two individually administered tests called "Parts." Each part consists of both selected-response questions and performance tasks. 
Refer to "Tests" for detailed information about each of the School Leadership Assessments. 
School Leadership Assessment Frameworks and Test Preparation materials can be found here

To register for a School Leadership Assessment

Required Exams by Program

Early Childhood Education and Special Education, Birth-Grade 2, Childhood Education and Special Education, Grades 1-6, and Students with Disabilities, Generalist, Grades 7-12

  1. Educating All Students Test (EAS)
  2. Content Specialty Test – Multi-Subject (in the specific grade level of the program)
  3. Content Specialty Test – Students with Disabilities
  4. (Ed) Teacher Performance Assessment -- (EdTPA)

Mathematics Education

  1. Educating All Students Test (EAS)
  2. Content Specialty Test (CST) - Mathematics
  3. edTPA - Secondary Mathematics

Instructional Technology

  1. Educating All Students Test (EAS)
  2. Content Specialty Test (CST) - Educational Technology Specialist

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

  1. Educating All Students Test (EAS)
  2. Content Specialty Test (CST) - ESOL

Teaching Literacy

  1. Educating All Students Test (EAS)
  2. Content Specialty Test (CST) - Literacy

School Leadership

  1. School Building Leadership Assessment (Part I and Part II) [Revised Sept. 2013]
  2. School District Leadership Assessment (Part I and Part II)

Bilingual Education
BEA - Your Target Language

To earn certification you must also have everything on file with NYSED that they require:
FINGERPRINTS

DASA (Bulling and Harassment Workshop) (copy of certificate must be mailed to NYSED)
Autism Workshop (copy of certificate must be mailed to NYSED)
Child Abuse and School Violence Prevention seminars are required by virtually every district, including the NYC DOE that hires teachers. If taken at Touro, have Touro send an official transcript to NYSED once your P (for pass) grades have been entered for these seminars.

Safety Nets EXTENDED for Educating All Students test (EAS), and certain redeveloped Content Specialty Tests (CSTs) and edTPA safety nets

At its April 2016 meeting, the Board of Regents, by emergency regulation, extended the safety nets for Educating All Students test (EAS), edTPA, certain redeveloped Content Specialty Tests (CSTs) and the new Multi-Subject: Secondary Teachers Grade 7 - Grade 12 Content Specialty Test

Any exam requirement to be satisfied by one of the safety nets must be satisfied on or before June 30, 2017. For example, a candidate who has failed the edTPA  may use applicable safety nets. However, all the requirements for the edTPA Safety Net must be met on or before June 30, 2017; the candidate will then have one additional year, until June 30, 2018, to complete all other requirements (example: coursework; DASA training).

Educating All Students test (EAS) Safety Net

The Department to amended the passing standard for the EAS to establish a temporary "Safety Net passing score" which, was applied retroactively to candidates who had taken the EAS since it became operational. The Safety Net passing score for the EAS has been set to 500. The original passing score was 520. The passing status has been adjusted in TEACH for those candidates that had a score between 500 and 520.

Candidates taking the EAS through June 30, 2017 will be evaluated under the Safety Net passing score automatically.

After June 30, 2017, the original EAS passing score (non-Safety Net) will be used to determine if a candidate has passed the assessment.

edTPA Safety Net

A candidate who applies for and meets all certification requirements for the initial certificate on or before June 30, 2018, except he/she took and did not receive a passing score on the required edTPA prior to June 30, 2017, may either:

  1. use a passing score on an ATS-W taken on or before April 30, 2014 (before the new certification examination requirements became effective), or
  2. use a passing score on an ATS-W taken prior to June 30, 2017 and after receipt of a failing numeric score on the edTPA or an "Incomplete" (I) with a numeric score on one or more task totals.

Content Specialty Tests (CSTs) Safety Net

Candidates who take and receive a failing score on one of the eligible redeveloped CSTs, will have the option of taking the corresponding predecessor CST (the Safety Net CST) in lieu of retaking the redeveloped CST on or before June 30, 2017. The redeveloped CST must be taken and failed first. Candidates who take a Safety Net CST without first taking the corresponding eligible redeveloped CST may not use that Safety Net CST for certification. In that instance, the candidate will have to retake the Safety Net CST after receiving a failing score on the redeveloped CST.

* Candidates who take one of the following Multi-Subject CST exams must complete all three parts of the Multi-Subject CST and receive a status of "Fail" on the assessment before they are eligible to take the Safety Net CST:

  • Teachers of Early Childhood (Birth – Grade 2)
  • Teachers of Childhood (Grade 1 – Grade 6)
  • Teachers of Middle Childhood (Grade 5 – Grade 9)

Consistent with the Redeveloped CSTs, the Safety Net CSTs are now computer based. The Safety Net CSTs will continue to be offered through June 30, 2017. Candidates will be able to register and pay for the Safety Net CST through the NYSTCE website.

Multi-Subject: Secondary Teachers (Grade 7 -12):

For information regarding the Safety Net for Part 2 of this CST, refer to: http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/certificate/certexamsafetynetmst.html

For further guidance, please contact your advisor and check the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations (NYSTCE) website. For out-of-state certifications, please contact your program chair and refer to specific state guidelines. 

 

Liberal Arts Requirements

All applicants to the MS program in Education leading to Initial Certification should be able to demonstrate the following:

  • A baccalaureate degree with 30 credits in relevant content area.
  • Liberal arts and sciences coursework in the following areas:
    • English Composition/Literature/English Language Arts – 2 courses (above remedial/developmental)
    • History/ Social Sciences – 2 courses
    • Language other than English (Including American Sign Language) – 1 course, (12 Credits for TESOL only)
    • Science/Scientific Processes
    • Mathematics/ Mathematical Processes – (above remedial/developmental math)
    • Speech/Communication
    • Art/Artistic Expression
    • Computer Literacy/Information Retrieval