NEW YORK STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
OFFICE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
EDUCATOR PREPARATION NEWSLETTER
MAY 2021
The Office of Higher Education (OHE) newsletter describes the current and upcoming activities related to
higher education, with a particular focus on the preparation of educators. This newsletter, past
newsletters, and a subscription link are available online on the OHE website
.
BOARD OF REGENTS MAY ITEMS
Emergency COVID-19 Certificate. The Board of Regents
adopted an emergency measure to extend the validity
period of the Emergency COVID-19 certificate from one
year to two years in response to limited test center
availability for certification exams during the pandemic.
Individuals who currently hold an emergency certificate
will automatically have one year added to their certificate’s
expiration date in TEACH in the near future. They do not
need to take any action to have the expiration date
extended. Emergency certificates issued in the future will
be valid for two years. There is no longer an option for an
Emergency COVID-19 certificate renewal due to the
extension of the certificate’s validity period.
edTPA Passing Scores. At its January 2020 meeting, the Board of Regents decided to freeze the edTPA
passing scores recommended by a standard setting panel at the 2018-2019 levels and extend them from
January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2021. The Department presented an update
on the edTPA passing
scores, including the plan to extend the edTPA passing scores from December 31, 2021 through December
31, 2022. The extension overlaps with the
edTPA safety net that was created in response to the COVID-
19 pandemic and holds candidates harmless who choose to complete the edTPA while schools respond
to the effects of the pandemic.
The following chart shows the updated New York State edTPA passing scores through December 31, 2022.
Passing scores beginning January 1, 2023 will be determined at a later date. This information is also
available on the edTPA passing score webpage
. Information on the edTPA submission and score report
dates is available on the edTPA website.
Field
Score Release Date
September 2013 to
December 31, 2017
January 1, 2018 to
December 31, 2022
January 1, 2023 and
later
Elementary
Education
49
46
TBD
World Languages,
Classical Languages
35
32
TBD
All Other Fields
41
38
TBD
EMERGENCY COVID-19 CERTIFICATE
APPLICATION DEADLINE
The Emergency COVID-19
certificate application deadline is
September 1, 2021. Information
about the emergency certificate,
including the certification
requirements, is available on the
Emergency COVID-19 certificate
webpage.
School Counselor Bilingual Educa�on Extension. At its May 2017 meeting, the Board of Regents
established new Initial and Professional School Counselor certificates and the registration requirements
for school counselor programs that lead to the new Initial and Professional School Counselor certificates.
The Initial and Professional School Counselor certificates will be first issued on February 2, 2023.
The
Department proposed a regulatory amendment
to create the Bilingual Education extension and
Supplementary Bilingual Education extension for candidates who will hold the new Initial or Professional
School Counselor certificate and apply for the extensions on or after February 2, 2023. The proposal also
outlines the registration requirements for programs that would lead to the Bilingual Education extension
for Initial and Professional School Counselor certificates.
REQUEST FOR INFORMATION: SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER AND BILINGUAL SPECIAL
EDUCATION TEACHER/BILINGUAL PUPIL PERSONNEL PROFESSIONAL SHORTAGES
The New York State Educa�on Department (NYSED) is solici�ng informa�on about local and regional
shortages of special educa�on teachers, bilingual special educa�on teachers and teachers of students
with speech and language disabili�es (TSSLDs), and bilingual professionals in pupil personnel service (PPS)
�tles and gathering informa�on on school district and regional efforts to prepare, recruit, and retain
personnel with these cer�fica�ons.
Informa�on received will be used to prepare a Request for Proposals (RFP) focused on increasing school
district or regional capacity to serve students with disabili�es in grades 7-12 and students with disabili�es
who are English language learners (ELLs) in all grades, by increasing the number of cer�fied special
educa�on teachers, English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers for special educa�on, and
special educa�on teachers, TSSLDs and bilingual PPS professionals with a Bilingual Educa�on extension to
their cer�fica�on.
School districts, BOCES, ins�tu�ons of higher educa�ons, professional organiza�ons, researchers, or other
interested experts in personnel development are encouraged to help NYSED gain this valuable
informa�on by comple�ng a brief ques�onnaire
. This is not an RFP. No contracts or grant awards will
result from the submissions. Responses to this request for informa�on (RFI) are due no later than June 7,
2021.
TEACHING IN REMOTE/HYBRID LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
NYSED’s Teaching in Remote/Hybrid Learning Environments (TRLE) program has been supporting a rapid
infusion of professional learning to educators in New York State over the past several months. Our
website features a calendar of upcoming trainings developed and facilitated by our regional partners
throughout the state. All trainings are free to all educators, including those in public schools, charter
schools, non-public schools, and even pre-service teachers. Trainings will occur throughout the summer
of 2021 and can be accessed on our calendar here. Please stay tuned to TRLE activities by visiting our
website and signing up for our listserv.
NEW YORK STATE TEACHER CERTIFICATION EXAMINATIONS (NYSTCE) TEST DEVELOPMENT
ACTIVITIES
Theater Content Specialty Test (CST) Study Guide. The sample constructed-response items for the
Theater CST study guide are now updated on the NYSTCE website. The items reflect the
2017 New York
State P-12 Learning Standards for the Arts.
Recruiting Educators for Test Development
Committees. The Department is seeking educators
to participate in the following committees that will
meet in 2021. Higher education professionals,
including both higher education educator
preparation faculty and higher education faculty
who have content expertise, are encouraged to
apply for the committees by visiting the
Educator
Involvement Opportunities webpage and
completing the online application.
• Framework Review for the new Computer Science Content Specialty Test
• Framework Review for the new School Counselor Content Specialty Test
• Framework Review for the revised Physical Education Content Specialty Test
• Item Review for the revised Business and Marketing Content Specialty Test
• Item Review for the revised Bilingual Education Assessments
NEW YORK STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
Commissioner: Betty A. Rosa
Chancellor: Lester W. Young, Jr.
Board of Regents Higher Education Committee
Co-Chairs: Kathleen Cashin, Catherine Collins
www.nysed.gov
www.regents.nysed.gov
WEBSITES
Office of Higher Education
Certification
Office of College and University Evaluation
NYSTCE
Professional Standards and Practices Board