What a Travesty: State Ed. Extends COVID-19 Teacher Certification Emergency Measures Due To "Ongoing Staffing Challenges"

While firing hundreds - maybe thousands - of excellent, dedicated professional educators who could not, would not, or did not get vaccinated with the COVID vaccine in September 2021, the NYC Department of Education was not thinking about the future....the time when schools had no teachers. The NYC Department of Education is not known for making great future-thinking decisions that benefit children, cause it's always about the budget. Everything is about money - getting it, taking it, spending it.

Betsy Combier

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State Education Department Acknowledges “Ongoing Staffing Challenges” with Extension of COVID-19 Teacher Certification Emergency Measures

In two notices published this week in the New York State Register, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) proposes extending emergency measures first introduced in 2020 to address teacher shortages. The reason given for both extensions is a need to address “ongoing staffing challenges.”

One of the measures extends the validity of Emergency COVID-19 Certificates. In May 2020, the New York State Board of Regents amended state regulations to create the certificates, which allowed teachers who received them to work in public schools without having taken the exams that are otherwise required for certification in specific subject areas. Teachers had to have completed required coursework and met all other requirements for certification in order to receive the emergency certificates.

At its July 2024 meeting, the New York State Board of Regents voted to extend the COVID-19 certificates that expire on August 31, 2024 or January 31, 2025 by pushing the expiration date of those certificates to August 31, 2025. The public notice in the state register explains: “This extension will allow candidates additional time to meet requirements for the next level certificate and give the Department time to complete certification reforms.”

The other emergency measure being extended is a regulatory change that allows teachers to give instruction in subjects that they do not have certification for. In the state of New York, public school teachers receive certification to teach in specific subject areas for which they have met requirements. Teaching outside of one’s area of certification is referred to as “incidental teaching.”

The state register notice explains the regulatory change:

At its December 2020 meeting, the Board of Regents permanently adopted regulatory amendments to increase the amount of incidental teaching permitted in schools from up to five classroom hours a week to up to 10 classroom hours a week during the 2020-2021 school year in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through incidental teaching, certified teachers can teach a subject not covered by their certificate when no certified or qualified teachers are available after extensive and documented recruitment.

The emergency measure was extended several times, and the new extension will allow it to continue through the coming school year, per the public notice:

The Department now proposes to extend the flexibility for incidental teaching again through the 2024-2025 school year. This proposal enables school districts to address ongoing staffing challenges by providing them with flexibility in making teaching assignments.

No public hearings on the extensions are scheduled, but both of the proposals have a public comment period of 60 days. Details about the rule proposals and how to submit comments are provided in the state register notices.

From NYSED:

Emergency COVID-19 Certificate

At its July 2024 meeting, the New York State Board of Regents voted to extend the validity period of COVID-19 certificates that expire on August 31, 2024 or January 31, 2025 by changing the expiration date of such certificates to August 31, 2025. This amendment only affects certificates with those specific expiration dates; it does not apply to previously expired COVID-19 certificates or those with expiration dates after 1/31/25. As of today, the TEACH system has been updated to reflect the updated expiration dates for these certificates.

The deadline to apply for the Emergency COVID-19 certificate was September 1, 2022. The application for this certificate is no longer available.

Candidates who are seeking certain certificates and extensions may be eligible for the Emergency COVID-19 certificate, allowing them to work in New York State public schools or districts for two years while taking and passing the required exam(s) for the certificate or extension sought.

• Certificates. The Emergency COVID-19 certificate is available for candidates who are seeking one of the following certificates that require exam(s): Initial or Professional certificate in the classroom teaching service^*, Initial or Professional certificate in the educational leadership service (School Building Leader, School District Leader, School District Business Leader), Initial Reissuance^*, Teaching Assistant certificate, School Administrator and Supervisor (SAS) Provisional Renewal, Supplementary certificate, Transitional A certificate through the Option B pathway, Transitional B certificate, Transitional C certificate, or Transitional D certificate.
• Extensions. The Emergency COVID-19 extension is available for candidates who are seeking the following extensions.
• Extensions that require an exam: Bilingual Education extension, Gifted Education extension, Subject in Grades 7-9 extension, or Subject in Grades 5-9 or 7-12 for Students with Disabilities extension.
• Extensions or annotations that do not require an exam, if candidates hold an appropriate valid Emergency COVID-19 base certificate (please see above bullet): American Sign Language extension, Coordinator of Work-Based Learning Programs for Career Awareness extension, Coordinator of Work-Based Learning Programs for Career Development extension, General Science in Grades 5-9 and 7-12, Grade Level Extensions to Teach Students with Disabilities, Language Other Than English – Early Childhood Education and Childhood Education Extension, Severe or Multiple Disabilities annotation, Specific Subject in a Special Class in Grades 7-12 Limited Extension, Subject in Grades 5-6 Extension, or Supplementary Bilingual Education extension.
• Deadline for Applications. Candidates must apply for the non-emergency certificate or extension sought on or before September 1, 2022 (e.g., Initial Childhood Education certificate). They must also apply for the Emergency COVID-19 certificate or extension, in the same title as the non-emergency certificate or extension (e.g., Childhood Education), on or before September 1, 2022. If candidates only have a disapproved or withdrawn application for the non-emergency certificate or extension on file (e.g., Initial Childhood Education certificate), they must submit a new application and fee for the non-emergency certificate or extension as one of the requirements for the Emergency COVID-19 certificate.
• Application Fees. There is no fee to apply for the Emergency COVID-19 certificate. Candidates must pay the application fee for the non-emergency certificate or extension sought.
• Application Process. To apply for the Emergency COVID-19 certificate or extension, select “Emergency COVID-19” as the certificate type during the application process in TEACH.
• Validity Period. The Emergency COVID-19 certificate and extension are valid for two years.
• Certificate Requirements. The requirements for the Emergency COVID-19 certificate and extension are described through the following links. They are also available on the Search Certification Requirements webpage.
• Emergency COVID-19 certificate
• Emergency COVID-19 extension
• Certificate or Extension Issuance. When candidates take and pass exams, the passing scores are posted in TEACH and the exam requirements are automatically marked as “Met” on the application of the certificate or extension sought. For candidates who hold an Emergency COVID-19 certificate in the same certificate title, the certificate or extension sought will automatically issue in TEACH when all exam requirement(s) are met.
• Eligible Candidates. Examples of candidates who may be eligible for the Emergency COVID-19 certificate include, but are not limited to, those who:
• Complete or completed a New York State registered teacher or educational leadership preparation program leading to Initial or Professional certification, or a registered extension program, prior to the Fall 2022 term, including traditional programs and Transitional B, C, and D programs;
• Graduate or graduated from an acceptable out-of-state teacher or educational leadership preparation program and have less than three years of acceptable experience in another state prior to the Fall 2022 term (e.g., not eligible for the “Endorsement of a Certificate” pathway);
• Are seeking Initial or Professional teacher certification through the "Individual Evaluation" pathway;
• Are seeking a Teaching Assistant certificate and have not passed the Assessment of Teaching Assistant Skills (ATAS);
• Are seeking a Transitional A certificate through the Option B pathway, or a Transitional B, C, or D certificate;
• Held an Initial teacher or school building leader certificate, have less than three years of experience, and are seeking an Initial Reissuance;
• Hold or held a Transitional G certificate, or have acceptable postsecondary teaching experience, and are seeking an Initial or Professional teacher certificate; and
• Hold a valid New York State teacher certificate and are seeking an additional Initial or Professional teacher certificate, Supplementary certificate, or certain extensions.

^* The Emergency COVID-19 certificate is not available for candidates who are seeking the following career and technical education (CTE) certificates because these certificates do not require a NYSTCE exam: Initial CTE certificates, Initial Reissuance CTE certificates, Professional CTE Certificate through the "CTE Certificate Progression - Initial/Transitional A Issued Prior to 5/9/2017" pathway, and Professional CTE certificate through the "CTE Program Certificate Progression - Initial/Transitional A Issued Prior to 5/9/2017" pathway.

Last Updated: July 19, 2024