New York's recurring educator requirement combines certificate status, registration, and Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE). They are related but are not the same transaction. First identify the certificate type and current TEACH registration status, then calculate the CTLE requirement for the years you practiced in a covered school.
Who must register, and who must complete CTLE?
Professional classroom-teaching and educational-leadership certificate holders, Level III teaching assistants, and (effective October 1, 2025) Professional Teaching Assistant certificate holders are subject to registration rules. To practice in an applicable school, an educator generally needs Registered–Active status. If not practicing, eligible educators can choose Registered–Inactive; CTLE is not required for inactive years.
The groups do not all have the same requirements. A Permanent classroom-teacher or school-leader certificate holder who practices must keep registration active but is not subject to CTLE. Professional pupil-personnel-services certificates (such as school counselor, psychologist, or social worker) and Teaching Assistant Level I or II certificates are not subject to registration or CTLE. Initial and provisional certificates also follow different rules. NYSED's chart separately excludes charter schools and 4410 schools from registration and CTLE requirements under these regulations.
One CTLE requirement applies per educator, even if the educator holds several covered certificates. Content-area CTLE can relate to any certificate held, including one that is not itself subject to CTLE.
| Certificate and current practice | Registration | CTLE for the period |
|---|---|---|
| Professional teacher/leader or Level III / Professional TA; practicing | Registered–Active required | 100 hours for full practice; generally 20 per practice year for a partial period |
| Covered Professional or TA holder; not practicing | May choose Registered–Inactive | No CTLE for inactive years; report accurate practice history |
| Permanent classroom teacher/leader; practicing | Registered–Active required | Not subject to CTLE |
| PPS certificate or TA Level I/II | Not subject to registration | Not subject to CTLE |
| Charter or 4410 school employment | Registration not required under these rules | CTLE not required under these rules |
Use the certificate and work setting together. Professional status does not mean every certificate holder owes the same CTLE total.
Calculate the hours from practice and certificate type
The full requirement is 100 acceptable CTLE clock hours in a five-year registration period for a covered educator who practices throughout the whole period. NYSED uses a reduced calculation when practice covers only part of the period: generally 20 hours for each year practiced in an applicable school. For example, three practice years normally mean 60 hours, not 100. If a Professional certificate is added after the period began, only practice years while holding a Professional or Level III TA certificate count under the chart.
For this calculation, “practicing” generally means employed for 90 or more days in a school year by a single applicable school in New York. A day can count if any part of it was worked or if it was paid even though not worked. Check NYSED's current registration chart against your TEACH history if you changed schools, took leave, or received a Professional certificate mid-cycle.
Choose a CTLE activity that actually counts
Hours must come from an NYSED-approved CTLE sponsor and acceptable activities related to the content you teach, pedagogy, leadership, and/or language acquisition addressing English language learners. Ordinary district professional development does not count merely because it has a completion certificate; confirm that the district or provider was acting as an approved CTLE sponsor for that activity.
College coursework counts only when the higher-education institution is an approved CTLE sponsor and awards CTLE clock hours for the course. For an eligible credit-bearing course, one semester credit equals 15 CTLE hours and one quarter credit equals 10. Keep the sponsor number and the CTLE hours actually awarded; do not convert transcript credits yourself unless the sponsor has designated the course for CTLE.
Reserve the language-acquisition portion
The language-acquisition component is part of—not additional to—the overall CTLE total. Most covered Professional teachers and school leaders, and Level III teaching assistants, need 15% of their CTLE hours on language acquisition and the needs of ELLs. A covered Professional ESOL certificate holder or Bilingual Education extension holder needs 50%. Professional School District Business Leaders also need 15% focused on ELL needs and applicable mandates. For a full 100-hour period, those minimums are 15 and 50 hours respectively.
A district may receive an exemption for a year if it has fewer than 30 ELLs or ELLs are less than 5% of its total enrollment. The district obtains the exemption; the teacher does not self-declare it. An exemption removes that year's language-acquisition component only—it does not reduce the overall CTLE total. Check whether the district exemption applied in each practice year in your registration period.
| Covered certificate holder | Minimum language-acquisition share | Example at 100 CTLE hours |
|---|---|---|
| Professional teacher/leader (most areas), Level III TA, Professional SDBL | 15% | 15 hours |
| Professional ESOL certificate or Bilingual Education extension | 50% | 50 hours |
| District-approved exemption for an applicable year | No language-acquisition component for that year | The total CTLE requirement still applies |
The language-acquisition share is contained within the overall CTLE hours. A district exemption applies only to that component and does not lower the total.
Keep an audit-ready record
At re-registration, educators attest to completing applicable CTLE; NYSED does not ask them to upload every certificate routinely. Keep the documentation for at least three years after the end of the registration period. Each activity record should let you show total hours and their content, pedagogy, and language-acquisition breakdown; sponsor name and number; your identifying information; attendance; date; location or delivery details; and completion evidence.
A brief LMS summary may not be enough if NYSED requests proof. Save the CTLE completion form or equivalent certificate, attendance verification, course description, and sponsor details. The educator is responsible for having the records even when the district sponsors the activity.
When and how to re-register
TEACH opens re-registration six months before the current period expires. The period's end date is shown in the account and generally falls on the last day of the month before your birth month in the fifth year. NYSED sends email reminders at six, three, and one month before expiration, so use a verified personal email and update name or address within 30 days of a change.
In TEACH, confirm the certificate list, practice years, registration status, CTLE total, and language-acquisition hours, then attest and complete the re-registration. Keep the confirmation and check that the next period appears. Registration is a recurring five-year step; it is not a new certificate application each time.
If you will be short at the deadline
A covered educator who has not completed CTLE may request conditional registration in TEACH starting six months before expiration. It allows up to one additional year from the registration-period end date to finish the original CTLE requirement. It is not automatic, cannot be renewed or extended without good cause, and does not replace the unfinished hours. NYSED also describes an adjustment process for particular circumstances; confirm eligibility with the state instead of relying on an old COVID-era FAQ that describes conditional registration only for the first cycle.
Keep the current registration and CTLE requirement separate from Initial-certificate completion. An Initial certificate's route to Professional certification involves degree, experience, and other requirements; simply collecting 100 CTLE hours does not upgrade it.
A practical annual TEACH check
- Record your certificate type, registration start/end dates, and current Registered–Active or Registered–Inactive status.
- Count the years you practiced in applicable schools and estimate the matching 20-hours-per-year requirement.
- Confirm each activity's sponsor approval and save its awarded CTLE hours, especially the language-acquisition share.
- Compare your file with the TEACH requirement at least six months before expiry; re-register or request conditional registration if needed.
- Keep the confirmation and preserve records for three years after the period ends.
A complete hour total is not enough if the sponsor or required language-acquisition share is missing. Use NYSED's current chart and your TEACH record to settle certificate-specific edge cases before making the attestation.
