We're here to support you in meeting two security clearance requirements with two separate agencies:

Most students will be able to address both fingerprinting requirements by following our Standard Fingerprinting Pathway, linked below.  This pathway allows you to get fingerprinted with the NYC DOE, for a student teaching placement, and then request a free transfer of your prints to the New York State Education Department, for certification.  

All New York State certification applicants must be cleared for fingerprints. Fingerprint clearance in other states will NOT be considered by the New York State Education Department.

You must have your fingerprints on file with New York State to obtain certification. In addition, some NYC schools request fingerprints as well. Many students choose to first have their fingerprints on file with the state and transfer them to the city if necessary.

Summary: Get your prints on file with the city, for student teaching, and then transfer them to the state, for certification. 

Cost: $101.75 (Fingerprinting at New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) + free OSPRA 104 transfer to the state)

Notes: This pathway can take several weeks from beginning to end.  You should plan to start it at least three weeks prior to your student teaching start date.  

Click here to download Standard Fingerprinting Pathway: Printable Instructions

Fingerprinting Procedures for Students without Social Security Numbers

The New York City Public Schools' Personnel Eligibility Tracking System (PETS) does not allow entries for individuals without Social Security numbers, nor does it allow the use of 9-digit proxy numbers.   As a result, students who do not have Social Security numbers must be fingerprinted TWICE: 

• at the New York City Public Schools, in order to begin student teaching
• at an Identogo location, for New York State certification.  

Cost: $101.75 (State fingerprinting through Identogo)

Click here to download Fingerprinting for Students without SSNs: Printable Instructions

Summary: Occasionally, we encounter students who will never complete a volunteer placement in a NYCPS school but do need to get their fingerprints on file with the New York State Education Department, for certification. If they have a Social Security Number, this is the pathway for them.

Cost: $101.75 (State fingerprinting through Identogo)

Click here to download Fingerprinting for NYS Certification ONLY: Printable Instructions

Sometimes, students recall that they have been fingerprinted with NYS or NYC in the past, for another job or university.  OTE does not automatically have access to this information.  It is important to determine which agency has your prints and then send proof to ote@tc.edu.   If your prints are on file with the NYCPS but not the New York State Education Department, OTE can help you with a transfer.  If your fingerprints are on file with the state but not the city, you will need to be fingerprinted at the city level.  

Check to see if your fingerprints are on file at the state level:

• Create or log into your New York State Education Department TEACH account at: http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/teach/
• Click “Teach Online Services”
• Click the “Home” button
• Under “Inquiry Links, click on “Account Information”
• Under “Select Information You Want to View, select “Fingerprinting”
• Press “Go”
• Above “Fingerprint Information,” it should say “Your DCJS and FBI results have been received.”

This means that you have met the fingerprinting requirement for your certification application.  However, to begin student teaching in a NYCPS school, you need to get your prints on file with the NYCPS.   Please follow steps 1-6 in our Standard Fingerprinting Pathway.

Check to see if your fingerprints are on file at the city level:

• Activate or log into your New York City Public Schools Applicant Gateway account at: https://www.nycenet.edu/Offices/DHR/agway/Start/Login.aspx
• Check your “Nomination Status”; if all components are marked “Complete,” then you have already met the NYCPS background check requirement. You can send a screenshot of this page to ote@tc.edu as part of your student teaching clearance process.

This is great news, because it means that you have met the background check requirement for student teaching!  However, to obtain a New York State teaching certification, you will need to have your prints transferred to the state.  Please send a completed OSPRA 104 form to HR Connect in order to request a city-to-state transfer; check the 2nd box, indicating that you are seeking certification.  You may include only the last four digits of your SSN if the email you share is an exact match for the email that is on file with your NYCPS Applicant Gateway account.