For the 2022-23 school year, the New York City Department of Education is offering Extended Certification Programs, enabling qualified current DOE teachers to pursue a Students with Disabilities (grades B-2, 1-6, or 7-12) certification, or a Bilingual Extension (grades PK-12) through the completion of subsidized graduate-level coursework. By earning one of these additional licenses, teachers can increase their professional flexibility, while also gaining the skills and training to serve some of their highest-need students more effectively.
Accepted candidates will either enroll in a cohort through a partner college or university or will be a part of the NYC Specialized Teacher Enhancement Pathway’s (NYC STEP) school-embedded certification program. After completing their certification program, participants commit to teaching in their new certification area for the following two years.
Due to the added funding from the federal stimulus, program coursework will be fully subsidized for qualified participants for the 2022-23 school year.
- Participants will still be responsible for the cost of NYSED certification exams, and any missing prerequisite classes.
You can learn more about different program pathways below, and express your interest in participating in the Extended Certification Programs by clicking here and completing the Extended Certification Interest Form.
Extended Certification Programs Through Institutions of Higher Education (IHE)
Qualified applicants who are accepted to one of the New York City Department of Education’s Extended Certification Programs’ IHE cohorts will be assigned to a particular partner college or university’s certification program, based on their desired certification area, preferred starting point, and qualifications.
Participants will complete program coursework while simultaneously continuing to be a valuable member of their school’s teaching staff, and depending on their program, may be required to support students in their desired license area while completing their courses. IHE cohorts will last for either 2 or 3 semesters and will feature in-person, virtual, and hybrid classes.
NYC Specialized Teacher Enhancement Pathway (NYC STEP)
NYC STEP is designed to be a supportive and school-embedded training program for current teachers with an applicable base certificate to leverage their skills and experiences to meet the needs of students with disabilities and multilingual learners. Teacher participants will complete self-guided, graduate-level, online coursework, and receive coaching and support from high-quality NYC DOE teacher facilitators.
Participants will begin coursework and job-embedded training in the summer of 2022 and participate in training throughout the school year. Once a teacher completes the program, they can apply the credit equivalency towards an additional certification through the Additional Classroom Teaching Certificate Individual Evaluation pathway.