Teaching Assistant Certifications: Changes on the Horizon

NYSED has adopted modifications to the Regulations governing Teaching Assistant certifications.

Previously, NYSED issues “Level I,” “Level II,” “Level III” and “Pre-Professional” Teaching Assistant certificates. Regardless of which level of Teaching Assistant certificate an employee may possess, a certified Teaching Assistant is authorized to instruct students under the general supervision of a certified teacher. It is important to remember that a certified Teaching Assistant, sometimes referred to a “licensed” Teaching Assistant or LTA, is distinct from a teacher aide. A teacher aide is an uncertified title under the jurisdiction of the local Civil Service Commission.

The new Regulations will create a Teaching Assistant certificate structure similar to that for teachers, in that it will eliminate the “Level I,” “Level II” and “Level III” certificates in favor of an “Initial” Teaching Assistant certificate, and a “Professional” Teaching Assistant certificate. The “Initial” Teaching Assistant certificate will be effective for five years, and could be renewed continuously every five years in perpetuity. A Teaching Assistant may, but is not required to, purse a “Professional” Teaching Assistant certificate. A “Professional” Teaching Assistant certificate will require additional coursework and professional experience beyond the continuing teacher and leader education (“CTLE”) required to continuously renew an “Initial” Teaching Assistant certificate.

Pre-Professional Teaching Assistant certificates will still be issued, with the intent of sustaining a pathway towards receipt of an initial teaching certificate. NYSED proposes that the experience gained as a Teaching Assistant may be used to satisfy the teaching experience requirements for an initial teaching certificate.

The Regulations are designed to simplify the process for obtaining a Teaching Assistant certificate and, if desired, a teacher certificate. School districts and BOCES should be prepared to address the existence of the new certificates during collective bargaining. Many collective bargaining agreements specify compensation based upon possession of a “Level I,” “Level II” and “Level III” certificate, and such provisions may need to be amended to reflect the terms and conditions of employment for individuals possessing the new “Initial” and “Professional” certificates. Notably, the changes do not include any modification to the Teaching Assistant instructional tenure area. This means that even with the new certificate structure, all Teaching Assistants will remain in a single tenure area for purposes of position abolishment and layoffs.