Requirements for Bilingual Extension

Requirements for Bilingual Extension Certification Pathway

New York State offers a number of pathways to teacher certification. One pathway is the: "Individual Evaluation for Additional Certificate Pathway". It is designed for teachers who hold a valid New York State Teaching Certificate and wish to earn an additional certification, such as, Bilingual Extension Certification, without having to earn an additional degree. Candidates for NYS certification through this "Individual Pathway" must meet certain Content Core and Pedagogical Core requirements and must also meet any non-coursework requirements, such as the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations and fingerprint clearance, as specified. These requirements are outlined below:

NYS Certification Requirements Pathway: Additional Classroom Teaching Certificate                  
The following is the list of requirements from the New York State Office of Teaching Initiatives website on approved pathway:

• Pathway: Individual Evaluation
  • Existing Valid Base NYSED Certification
  • Content Core - Bilingual Education - 12 S.H.
  • College Coursework - Theories of bilingual education
  • College Coursework - Multicultural Perspectives
  • College Coursework - Sociolinguistics or psycholinguistics
  • College Coursework - Teaching English to English language learners
  • College Coursework - Teaching native language arts to English language learners
  • College Coursework - Teaching content to English language learners using native language and English
  • Bilingual Education Assessment (BEA)
  • Workshop - Child Abuse Identification
  • Workshop - School Violence Intervention and Prevention
  • Workshop - Dignity For All Students Act
  • Fingerprint Clearance

The number of courses that you may need can be confusing. Since this is an individual pathway to certification and does not lead to a degree, the only definitive answer about how many courses that you may need must come from NY State because you may have taken courses in your past that satisfy course requirements. We suggest looking at the courses that you have taken to see if any of those courses are similar to what is required by NYS. If any course that you've taken sounds similar, I would suggest holding off taking that course or courses until you receive the official notification from NYS.

To have a definitive answer as to how many courses you may need you must actually apply for certification by going to the following webpage: NYS Office of Teaching Initiatives  and file for TESOL certification (listed as English to Speakers of Other Languages on the NYS web page) to find out which courses that you have taken before may qualify. Do this as soon as possible - even before you enroll in any courses! You will be notified of anything additional you need to take or any missing requirements.  Your credits don't "expire", so as long as you can produce a college transcript for the courses and the courses match the NYS requirements, you will be able to get credit for them. Therefore, send all your college transcripts to NYS for evaluation. You have nothing to lose. The evaluation process can take up to 3 months or more, so you should start the process right away. There is a $100 fee to apply for TESOL certification, but once you've paid the fee you do not have to pay it again as long as you complete the process within two years and do not ask for more than two evaluations.

Bilingual Education Assessment

As one of the prerequisites for this program candidates must  take and pass the Bilingual Education Assessment (BEA). The test is available in many languages. For a list of the available tests, testing dates, study information and registration, please visit: https://www.nystce.nesinc.com/PageView.aspx?f=GEN_Tests.html 

If you are seeking a bilingual education extension for a language not listed on this website, call Evaluation Systems to request an eligibility form. You must submit the completed eligibility form to Evaluation Systems approximately 12–14 weeks before the published scheduling deadline for the testing window during which you would like to test (specific deadlines are listed below).

Approved tests may be taken during the published testing windows in February, April/May, and June/July 2020. Score reports for unlisted BEAs may be sent up to two weeks after the score report dates.

* Test appointments may be scheduled on specific dates during the testing window. Please note that there is a scheduling deadline for this test. The scheduling deadline is the last date by which you can log in to your account to schedule a test appointment for the testing window listed. If you cancel or wish to change the test date, test center, or test time of your test appointment after the scheduling deadline, you will not be able to reschedule within the same testing window.

For additional information, e-mail Krista Lombardo at: klombardo@molloy.edu