631/549-4900, ext. 257
The State Education Department has authorized this office to evaluate and recommend certification for most areas of the professional service.聽 Professional employees referred by participating districts receive prompt responses to questions concerning certification status.
NOTE:聽 Applicants聽from other states applying for New York State聽teacher or administrator certification cannot use the services of a BOCES certification office.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Regional Certification Office evaluates transcripts and processes applications for certification from employees of school districts and residents of the Western Suffolk region. The region encompasses the 18 school districts in the towns of Huntington, Smithtown, and Babylon. Western Suffolk BOCES is authorized as a regional office by the New York State Education Department.
- Be 18 years of age
- Be a citizen, or have filed a Declaration of Intention, or be prohibited from filing for statutory reasons,
- Hold a baccalaureate degree
- Hold a valid New York State teaching certificate
- What are the requirements for a NYS teaching certificate?
For the most up-to-date information, go to the NYSED Office of Teaching Initiatives and complete the online search feature to identify the specific requirements you must meet for any given certificate. Western Suffolk BOCES offers the DASA workshop. Dignity Act – Training in Harassment, Bullying, Cyber bullying, and Discrimination in Schools: Prevention and Intervention (DASA Training)- Register online only at /webreg. You are not required to be employed by a school district to register. Questions- 631-595-6843.
Any New York State public school, PreK – 12th grades
Note: Employment criteria for private schools are determined by the individual educational institutions.
No. 聽All applications must be submitted electronically using the New York State TEACH online services website at . The NYS Education Department Office of Teaching Initiatives describes the process Certification from Start to Finish including how to apply for certification through TEACH Online.
Most assistance can be provided via the telephone. The Regional Certification Specialist is available Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday during July and August from 8:30 am to 2 pm and during Sept. through June from 9 am to 4 pm. You will be informed if there is a need to schedule an appointment.
Yes. You must hold a valid and appropriate New York State teacher certificate. For information for applicants from other states, go to
No. The Interstate Agreement of Qualification of Educational Personnel is limited to course work and certain certificate requirements only! You must still complete the required workshops and the appropriate NYS Teacher Certification exams.
No. The Regional Certification Office does not have the authority to issue certificates. 聽The Office of Teaching Initiatives discontinued the printing of time-limited certificates (those certificates for which there is an expiration date assigned). Certificates that do not expire (Professional, Permanent and Teaching Assistant III) will continue to be printed and mailed to applicants from the Office of Teaching in Albany. 聽The Regional Certification Office will work with you to ensure that your application for certification is appropriately completed and that it includes all necessary supporting documents and fees. The Regional Certification Specialist will process your application and forward it to the NYS Education Department.
The amount of time varies depending on the volume of applications being processed in the Office of Teaching in Albany. Applications sent to the Office of Teaching can take 2 to 3 months to be processed. The Regional Certification Office has no control of the actual length of time between the submission of your application and the receipt of a certificate. You can contact the Regional Certification Office at (631) 549-4900, ext. 257 to check the status of your application since the office has access to the computer network of the NYS Education Department’s Office of Teaching.
You may contact them by calling (518) 474-3901, emailing email@example.com or visit the Office of Teaching Initiatives website www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert
NOTE:聽 If you are having technical problems with SED’s TEACH Online process, you may either email the Office of Teaching Initiatives or call the TEACH Helpline at 518-486-6041.
If your question is not given here, contact the Certification Office at firstname.lastname@example.org
through the NYS Education Department.