Certification and ELLs

Graduation Requirements and FERPA Form

• Graduation Filing (SOLAR):

  • Students must apply for graduation through their SOLAR account to have their degree conferred.

  • Deadlines:

  • For Spring/Summer graduation: Application is typically open between $January\ 1$ and $March\ 1$.

  • For Fall/Winter graduation: Application is typically open between $August\ 15$ and $October\ 1$ .

  • Graduate students must follow filing instructions from the Graduate School or the School of Professional Development (SPD).

• Teacher Education Program (TEP) FERPA Form:

  • In addition to standard graduation filing, students must complete the TEP Data/FERPA Form provided by the D-TALE office.

  • This form is mandatory as it gives Stony Brook University permission to access the student's TEACH account and submit the Institutional Recommendation for certification.

Fingerprinting Update

• Fingerprinting Process:

  • Fingerprinting is managed through the Office of School Personnel Review and Accountability (OSPRA).

  • Provider: New York State uses IdentoGO (MorphoTrust) for digital fingerprinting.

  • Service Code: Candidates must use the specific service code 14ZGQT to ensure results are sent to the New York State Education Department (NYSED).

  • Cost: The total fee is approximately $\$102.00$.

• Clearance and Portability:

  • Once fingerprinted for NYSED, candidates do not need to repeat the process for public schools in New York State, excluding NYC.

  • Those fingerprinted for the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) must submit an OSPRA 103 form to transfer their prints to the state TEACH account.

Graduation Timeline and Degree Clearance

• Conferral Process:

  • The official end of the semester is $May\ 18$.

  • Degrees are not awarded immediately. The Registrar's office reviews academic records for "Degree Clearance" once all grades are posted.

  • This clearance usually occurs in the first week of June for Spring graduates.

  • Institutional Recommendation: After the degree is officially posted on the transcript, the TEP office will upload the recommendation to the student’s TEACH account (provided the FERPA form is finished).

Teacher Certification Process

• TEACH Online System:

  • Students must create a TEACH account via the Office of Teaching Initiatives (OTI) website.

  • Ensure your name and SSN exactly match university records to avoid delays in recommendation matching.

• Required Workshops:

  • Candidates must complete three mandated workshops for certification:

  1. Child Abuse Identification.

  2. School Violence Intervention and Prevention (SAVE).

  3. Dignity for All Students Act (DASA).

• Certification Exams:

  • Candidates must pass the Educating All Students (EAS) exam and the relevant Content Specialty Test (CST) for their specific subject area.

Documentation and Application

• Education and Employment Profiles:

  • The Education section must include all degrees in sequential order (Associate, Bachelor, Master).

  • Only professional teaching experience (e.g., substitute teaching) should be logged in the Employment section.

• Substitute Teaching Log:

  • Maintain a log including dates, school districts, teacher names, and subjects taught to resolve any discrepancies with district records during the Professional Certification application.

• Program Codes:

  • Application for certification requires a specific 5-digit Program Code corresponding to the student's major and degree level. These codes are provided on the Stony Brook D-TALE website.

Certification Tiers

• Initial Certificate:

  • The first certificate issued, valid for $5$ years.

  • Requirements: Completion of an approved teacher prep program, passing exams, workshops, and fingerprinting.

• Professional Certificate:

  • The advanced certificate.

  • Requirements: A Master’s degree, $3$ years of full-time teaching experience, and $1$ year of mentored experience.

Additional Opportunities and Marketability

• Extension and Second Certifications:

  • Candidates can obtain extensions (e.g., Grades $5-6$ for secondary teachers) or secondary certifications (requires $18$ semester hours in the new subject area) to increase employability.

  • Reciprocity: NYS certification is widely respected and typically transferable to other states through interstate reciprocity agreements.

Classroom Dynamics for ELL Students

• Supportive Culture: Foster risk-taking in linguistic development.

• Scaffolding: Use visuals, sentence starters, and translated glossaries ($L1$ to $L2$) to assist English Language Learners (ELLs).

• Trauma-Informed Care: Utilize school counselors and social workers to support students facing emotional or displacement-related trauma.