Urban Teacher Residency – Adolescent English (MA)

The Urban Teacher Residency program at Hunter College is a NYS certification program for Adolescent English (MSEd) and you will apply for your certification through the New York State Education Department (NYSED).

You will apply for a Transitional B at the beginning of the program and will apply for Initial Certification upon graduation. Once you have completed three years of full-time paid teaching experience you can apply for your Professional Certification

The School of Education reserves the right not to recommend for certification any student who has committed a serious breach of professional ethics or behavior.

Transitional B Certificate

A Transitional B certificate is a provisional certificate that you must hold while enrolled in an alternative certification program such as the Urban Teacher Residency program. It is valid for three years or the amount of time it takes you to graduate from Hunter College, whichever is shorter.

Initial Certification

When you graduate from the Urban Teacher Residency program you will be recommended for both initial and professional certification in Adolescent English. You must apply for the initial certificate when you are preparing to graduate from Hunter College in order for the state to issue your initial certification. Once issued, your initial certificate is valid for five years.

Professional Certification

The Professional Certificate is an advanced certification. Once you have completed three years of full-time, paid teaching experience (including one year of mentored teaching), you can apply for professional certification. Your professional certification will be continuously valid with completion and documentation of required professional development hours within a five-year professional development cycle as determined by New York State.

If you have a valid transitional B certificate but will not graduate in time to meet the master’s requirement before your Transitional B certificate expires, you may be eligible for an extension through NYSED’s TEACH Online Services. Create/Log in to your TEACH account and select “Apply for a Time Extension.”

Transitional B Requirements

You must fulfill the following certificate and exam requirements to be eligible for the Transitional B certificate.

1. Pass required New York State Teacher Certification Exams

Educating All Students (EAS)
Content Specialty Test (CST): English Language Arts (test code 003)

Need help preparing? The Hunter College School of Education Center for Career, Professional & Partnership Development (CPPD) conducts test preparation workshops regularly. Learn about upcoming Test Preparation Workshops.

For information regarding exam safety nets consult the New York State Education Department (NYSED).

2. Complete NY State Certification required workshops and submit to the Office of Academic and Students Affairs (OASA)

All applications for NY State certification require that candidates take and complete the workshops listed below. If you have completed these workshops for a prior certification, you do not need to take them again.

School Violence Intervention & Prevention

You may take this workshop with any NYSED approved provider

Child Abuse Identification & Reporting

You may take this workshop with any NYSED approved provider

Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) Workshop

You may take this workshop through Hunter College’s Continuing Education department or with another NYSED approved provider.

3. Submit Exam Scores and Workshop Certification(s) to the Office of Partnership Program

You must submit copies of exam scores and workshop certification(s) to Office of Partnership Programs.

4. Clear fingerprints with the New York State Education Department (NYSED)

All students in programs leading to NYS certification need to have their fingerprints cleared by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) for NYS certification.

Visit PETS: Fingerprinting for Fieldwork and Student Teaching to learn how to obtain fingerprint clearance.

Initial Certificate Requirements

As you prepare to complete your program, you must meet the following requirements to be eligible for the Initial Certification:

Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA). Consult with your program coordinator about when to start and submit for the edTPA.
Apply and pay for Initial Certificate through your TEACH account.
Graduate

Professional Certificate Requirements

Once you have completed three years of full-time, paid teaching experience (including one year of mentored teaching), you can apply for professional certification.

You will apply for certification through the New York State Education Department (NYSED) TEACH Account.

How to Apply for Certification

The following is a step-by-step guide to apply for certification through the New York State Department of Education’s TEACH Account.

1. Create/Log in to your TEACH Account

Students must create/log in to their New York State Education Department (NYSED) TEACH Account.

2. Verify/Update Profile

The Verify/Update Profile section will ask for education and employment history. For educational history, provide information from bachelor’s degree to present. For employment history enter all full-time, paid teaching experiences in both public and private schools.

Hunter College is an approved New York Teacher Certification Program. When prompted provide the following information:

Award Title: Master of Arts
Program Code: 31814 – ALT CERT: ENGLISH 7-12 (TRANS B)
Major: Education
Enter all full-time, paid teaching experience (in both public and private schools).

3. Select Certificate(s)

Enter the following information for the certificates section.

Trans B

Select your Area of Interest: Classroom Teacher
Select your Subject Area: English
Select the Grade Level: Adolescent – Grades 7-12
Select the Title: English Language Arts 7-12
Select your Certificate Type: Transitional B

Initial Certificate

Upon graduation, when you apply for Initial Certification complete this section as follows:

Select your Area of Interest: Classroom Teacher
Select your Subject Area: English
Select the Grade Level: Adolescent – Grades 7-12
Select the Title: English Language Arts 7-12
Select your Certificate Type: Initial

Professional Certificate

After three years of full-time paid teaching when you apply for your Professional Certification complete this section as follows:

Select your Area of Interest: Classroom Teacher
Select your Subject Area: English
Select the Grade Level: Adolescent – Grades 7-12
Select the Title: English Language Arts 7-12
Select your Certificate Type: Professional

On the next page, enter the Program Code 31814.

4. Sign Affidavit

5. Confirm and Sign Application

6. Make Payment

We recommend paying by credit card for ease of tracking.

7. Review Application Transaction Summary

This will help you keep track of what you need to do in order to obtain your certificate.

Upon completion of required workshops, students must submit their workshop certification(s) to Office of Partnership Programs.

Submit Workshop Completion Form

Transitional B Certificate

We will submit your institutional recommendation after you have completed all Transitional B certification requirements. New York State will then review your application and if you have met all requirements issue your Transitional B certificate. Please note that New York State does not issue paper copies of Transitional B certificates. You must check your TEACH account for your certification status.

Initial Certificate

If you have applied for a certificate but have not yet graduated, the status of your certificate application will be “Not Ready for Review”. Once your graduation is posted, have met all the requirements and have institutional recommendation, your status will change to “Ready for Review” and NYSED will then review your application.

Students applying for certification or licensure in states other than New York must complete the Out of State Certification and Licensure Form.

If you have questions regarding certification, contact Lucia Rutter for support.