Professional Development
NYSUT is committed to meaningful and
appropriate professional development for
members throughout their careers. NYSUT
provides and supports a wide variety of
resources to enhance your professional learning:
NYSUT Education & Learning Trust
The NYSUT Education & Learning Trust (ELT)
is the professional learning source for NYSUT
members. The ELT offers courses, seminars and
educational programs for teachers and School-Related Professionals across the
state for professional growth, to meet certification requirements and to obtain
new certificate titles or extensions. ELT’s courses may also help you earn salary
differentials, depending on your district contract.
Ninety percent of individuals who have completed an ELT course or
seminar rank them among the best they have ever had. ELT programs are
modeled on best practices, current research-based strategies and real-life
applications. They are taught by current educators and offered in your own
district, a teacher center site, a nearby school or online.
NYSUT ELT offers:
- Graduate and in-service courses. Courses address topics such as
classroom management and discipline, literacy, special education and
inclusive classrooms and working with diverse learners; - Partnership programs with colleges that lead to master’s degrees;
- Undergraduate courses, seminars and test preparation programs to help
teaching assistants earn degrees and meet state certification requirements; - Free courses for new members;
- SRP seminars for members who provide instructional support,
transportation, secretarial, custodial, medical and security services for
schools. Workshops include: ABC’s: An Introductory Guide to Being a
Professional; Supporting Students with Autism; Managing Student
Behavior; School Secretary: First Contact/First Impression; and Classroom
Partners: The Team Approach. - Online learning;
- A variety of programs that meet Continuing Teacher & Leader Education
(CTLE) state requirements;
15 - Annual Professional Performance Review
programs to help prepare teachers to
proactively navigate the teacher evaluation
process, including evidence presentation and
implementing the NYS Learning Standards; - Training for administrators and teachers
implementing the Teacher Evaluation and
Development system and NYSUT Teacher
Practice Rubric; - Mentor and coaching training.
For more information or to register for a course, visit www.nysut.org/elt.
Contact ELT at 800-528-6208 or ELT@nysut.org.
Department of Research and Educational Services
NYSUT’s Department of Research and Educational Services provides
up-to-date critical information on educational issues. The department regularly
conducts member phone surveys and publishes fact sheets on emerging educational
issues from pre-K through post-grad. Research and Educational Services
information can be found at the NYSUT website, www.nysut.org, by clicking
on the resources link. The department oversees committee work and sponsors
statewide and regional meetings and conferences.
The department offers a NYS Learning Standards resources page with
lesson plans and accompanying videos. Teachers demonstrate how to incorporate
instructional shifts into their practice, describing what has worked as well
as the challenges.
Resources to support the needs of English Language Learners
The NYSUT Statewide English Language Learner Committee has developed
resources to assist educators working with ELLS, which can be viewed at www.nysut.org/ell.
Certification
Certification is a requirement for continued employment as a teacher or
teaching assistant in a public school district or BOCES in New York, and it is
the member’s responsibility to maintain it. Certificates are issued by the State
Education Department’s Office of Teaching Initiatives. If you have questions
about certification in general, visit the Office of Teaching Initiatives website at
www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/. If you have questions specific to your situation,
log in to your TEACH account to check the status of your certificates. Members
can also access regional certification specialists at most of the BOCES across the
state. Go to www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/certificate/regionalcenters.html.
In managing your certification status, it is imperative that you keep your
own records on all of your efforts to obtain and keep certification. If you have
certification issues that you cannot resolve, contact your local union leadership for support and assistance. Problems with certification lead to problems with
your employment.
Members can access NYSUT Fact Sheets on specific certification topics
at www.nysut.org/certification. These Fact Sheets use everyday language to
explain state regulatory requirements and address the most often-asked
questions from members regarding state certification.
Maintaining Teacher Certification — Registering with SED
Beginning July 1, 2016, all permanently, or professionally certified teachers or
educational leaders and Level III teaching assistant certificate holders working
in a NYS public school or BOCES are required to register with SED’s TEACH
system. In 2016-17, individuals can register at any time yet SED has asked
for individuals to register in the month of their birth to limit the stress on the
TEACH system. Registration with SED is required every five years for certificate
holders who continue to work in NYS public schools or BOCES. There is no fee
for registration and during 2016-17 SED will not be implementing a late fee for
individuals who register after their birth month.
Professionally certified classroom teachers/educational leaders and Level III
Teaching Assistants are required to complete CTLE hours during each five-year
registration period.
While school districts and BOCES are required to report CTLE hours to
SED for employees who work more than 90 days in a school year, the new
regulations also require certificate holders to maintain a complete record that
includes: the title of the program, total hours completed, number of hours
targeting the needs of ELLs, the providing sponsor’s name (district, BOCES,
teacher center, etc), attendance verification, and date/location of program.
These records are to be kept for three years after the five-year cycle in which
they were applied. While members were always advised to keep their own
records, now you are required to do so.
See www.nysut.org/certification for additional information.
NYS Teacher Centers
NYSUT strongly supports the network of teacher centers
created through our legislative efforts and funded by New York
State. Teacher centers provide high quality, research-based
professional development programs and services for teachers
that are developed and implemented by teachers. Each teacher
center is governed by a policy board that includes a majority
of teachers appointed by the union president. Teacher centers
form partnerships with colleges, state and county agencies,
local businesses, and numerous institutions and organizations
to provide opportunities for new learning for educators. The State Education
Department has focused the work of teacher centers to align with current state
and federal initiatives, including implementation of the Common Core State
Standards, using data to inform instruction and implementing teacher
evaluation systems. For more information on the statewide network of teacher
centers and the programs they offer, go to www.teachercenters.org.
National Board Certification
Created by teachers, for teachers, National Board Certification is recognized
as the profession’s national mark of accomplished teaching. In 1987, the
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Board was created as an
independent, non-profit, non-partisan, non-governmental body with a
majority of teacher members. It is a voluntary, rigorous, peer-reviewed process
for certifying educators in 25 certificate areas. The National Board application
process consists of four components: Content Knowledge; Differentiation in
Instruction; Teaching Practice and Learning Environment; and Effective and
Reflective Practitioner. Components can be completed in a year or over
three years, along with three portfolio entries (submitted online) and one
computer-based assessment (administered at a local testing center).
The NYS Albert Shanker Grant Program, named after the legendary union
leader who first suggested the idea of National Board Certification, covers the
entire $1,900 fee for all 4 components. The program also provides up to $500
per candidate to districts for supportive activities. Funding for the Shanker
Grant is limited and awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. www.highered.nysed.gov/kiap/ashanker/albertshanker.html
Currently there are more than 1,780 NBCTs in NYS. More than 300 locals
have negotiated financial and support incentives for teachers to seek National
Board Certification.
NYSUT supports teachers pursuing National Board Certification by
providing funding opportunities for New York State Teacher Centers to support
a National Board Certification Writing Institute.
NYSUT Education & Learning Trust offers seminars
and courses to assist members pursuing national
certification. NYSUT ELT offers three graduate credits
through Empire State College for each completed
component. NYSUT also advocates with the state
Legislature and governor for continued funding for
Shanker grants.
For more information, go to www.nysut.org/nbpts.
The National Board Council of New York State is a
network of NBCT’s; www.nbcny.org offers workshops, cohort, summer
institutes and other activities in support of candidates. You may also
contact the National Board at http://boardcertifiedteachers.org/for-candidates
or 1-800-22TEACH (800-228-3224).
NYSUT subject area committees
NYSUT established content area committees
to assist the Board of Directors in developing
policy regarding the New York State Learning
Standards and Assessments as well as on the
implementation of the Common Core Learning
Standards. To meet the needs of NYSUT constituents,
these committees have been realigned to
include English language learners; career and
technical education; special education; early childhood;
education technology; math, science and technology;
social studies; ELA; languages other than English; health and physical
education; family and consumer sciences; and the arts — music, dance, theater
and visual arts. In addition to reviewing State Education Department documents
pertaining to curriculum, instruction and assessments, the committees
have developed, with the PTA, parent and family brochures on foreign language,
health, physical education, and family and consumer sciences.
Many of the committee members serve on various academic and assessment
committees for the state, NYSUT, AFT and NEA.
Additional professional development resources
Members who help their local union in the areas of leadership, public
relations, communications, finances, record-keeping, negotiations, contract
enforcement, school restructuring and reform or data processing can take
advantage of workshops and material from NYSUT on each of those topics.
NYSUT also sponsors statewide conferences for members of constituent groups
within the union, including community colleges, SRPs, health care and retirees.
The sessions focus on issues and concerns unique to each group.
On-the-job safety and health concerns such as indoor air pollution, asbestos
hazards, toxic chemicals, and the importance of local safety and health
committees are addressed in NYSUT seminars and literature. NYSUT also
offers workshops and training programs that are of special interest to SRPs.
Your NYSUT labor relations specialist is the local union’s source for
information about training on union topics and other workshops, including
assertiveness training, conflict resolution and other subjects.
Our national affiliates, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the
National Education Association (NEA), are sources of training and information.
They make available to members videos and other materials on many topics
and offer courses, workshops and conferences for members. Ask your local
president if your local participates in these programs. If not, you can inquire
about these offerings through your regional office or the AFT PSRP division at
800-238-1133.
Share My Lesson, developed for teachers by teachers, is a site where
educators create and share their work. The platform also provides an online
community for collaboration. Topics include all aspects of the Common Core
Learning Standards, as well as advice
and guides. Share My Lesson was
developed by the American Federation
of Teachers and TES Connect, the
largest network of teachers in the world. See www.sharemylesson.com.
What Every NYSUT Member Should Know About…