The CTLE Resource Page Last Updated: Spring 2025 | BMUST’s New Teacher/100 Hour Committee Anthony Brandofino | Catherine Arresto | Lauren Beinert | Meg Billia | Catrina Christensen | Carla Petroro
Welcome to the BMUST New Teacher/100 Hour Committee sup-page regarding CTLE requirements. Please peruse this page for frequently asked questions on the topic. Should you have any additional questions about CTLE, please contact your building’s committee representative.
This page covers many FAQs pertaining to CTLE broken down into sections.
This page covers many FAQs pertaining to CTLE broken down into sections.
SECTION 1 - The logistics: What is CTLE and who is required to obtain hours
What are CTLE hours?
CTLE stands for “Continuing Teaching and Leader Education.” In essence, these are hours accumulated through various professional development opportunities. The completion of CTLE hours is a New York State requirement for professional certificate holders. Thankfully, most, if not all of these hours can be acquired through our professional responsibilities as teachers in our district. Please remember, ultimately it is the certificate-holder who is responsible for keeping CTLE records in order so that you may maintain your certification.
Who is required to maintain CTLE Hours? How many do I need?
According to the NYSED website as of February 2025, educators who hold one or more of the following certificates must obtain a total of 100 CTLE hours every five years:
You need not maintain CTLE hours if:
If I hold multiple professional certificates (i.e. certificates in different subject areas), does this mean I must acquire 100 hours per certificate?
No. Regardless of how many professional certificates in different areas an individual holds, there is only one CTLE requirement per educator (e.g., a maximum total of 100 clock hours) every five years.
What if I began my career with a permanent certificate but acquired a professional certificate in a different subject area later on?
An individual in this scenario would be responsible for acquiring 100 CTLE hours in order to maintain the professional certificate.
Where do I submit my records of CTLE hours when the clock runs up?
Believe it or not, nowhere. Found on NYSUT’s website: “At the end of a five year registration cycle, CTLE holders will attest to completing 100 CTLE hours on their TEACH accounts. SED may randomly audit both CTLE sponsors and CTLE certificate holders to ensure compliance with regulations.”
Wait, so then why am I taking the time to accrue and log these hours?
Even if the state is not requiring proof of completion of 100 CTLE hours upfront (though, keep in mind you will have to attest that you have done so by checking a box when you renew your certification), NYSED reserves the right to audit individuals’ CTLE completion. In this scenario, any individual will want to have hard copies of their Certificates of Completion for that five-year cycle.
In fall of 2023, BMUST’s New Teacher/100 Hour Committee met with a representative with the state who shared that no audits were performed in the months and years following the Covid pandemic. However, we cannot know what the future will hold, whether or not NYS will audit CTLE hours, or to what extent. Thus, it is important to be safe rather than sorry. So as to ensure that each professional certificate holder maintains licensure requirements, it is of great importance for each individual to maintain their own records of CTLE hours, and to keep it readily available (again, hard copies are recommended in addition to digital record).
CTLE stands for “Continuing Teaching and Leader Education.” In essence, these are hours accumulated through various professional development opportunities. The completion of CTLE hours is a New York State requirement for professional certificate holders. Thankfully, most, if not all of these hours can be acquired through our professional responsibilities as teachers in our district. Please remember, ultimately it is the certificate-holder who is responsible for keeping CTLE records in order so that you may maintain your certification.
Who is required to maintain CTLE Hours? How many do I need?
According to the NYSED website as of February 2025, educators who hold one or more of the following certificates must obtain a total of 100 CTLE hours every five years:
- Professional certificate in the classroom teaching services
- Professional certificate in the educational leadership service (i.e., School Building Leader, School District Leader, and School District Business Leader)=
- Teaching Assistant Level III certificate
You need not maintain CTLE hours if:
- You hold only the permanent certificate(s)
- Hold a Statement of Continued Eligibility (SOCE) and permanent certificate, and does not also hold a Professional or TA Level III certificate; and have "Registered - Inactive" status (e.g., not practicing in an applicable school) need not complete the CTLE requirement. Additionally, NYSED’s website states that “the registration and CTLE requirements do not apply to educators who hold a certificate in the pupil personnel service (e.g., School Attendance Teacher, School Counselor, School Psychologist, School Social Worker) or hold a Teaching Assistant Level I or Level II certificate.”
If I hold multiple professional certificates (i.e. certificates in different subject areas), does this mean I must acquire 100 hours per certificate?
No. Regardless of how many professional certificates in different areas an individual holds, there is only one CTLE requirement per educator (e.g., a maximum total of 100 clock hours) every five years.
What if I began my career with a permanent certificate but acquired a professional certificate in a different subject area later on?
An individual in this scenario would be responsible for acquiring 100 CTLE hours in order to maintain the professional certificate.
Where do I submit my records of CTLE hours when the clock runs up?
Believe it or not, nowhere. Found on NYSUT’s website: “At the end of a five year registration cycle, CTLE holders will attest to completing 100 CTLE hours on their TEACH accounts. SED may randomly audit both CTLE sponsors and CTLE certificate holders to ensure compliance with regulations.”
Wait, so then why am I taking the time to accrue and log these hours?
Even if the state is not requiring proof of completion of 100 CTLE hours upfront (though, keep in mind you will have to attest that you have done so by checking a box when you renew your certification), NYSED reserves the right to audit individuals’ CTLE completion. In this scenario, any individual will want to have hard copies of their Certificates of Completion for that five-year cycle.
In fall of 2023, BMUST’s New Teacher/100 Hour Committee met with a representative with the state who shared that no audits were performed in the months and years following the Covid pandemic. However, we cannot know what the future will hold, whether or not NYS will audit CTLE hours, or to what extent. Thus, it is important to be safe rather than sorry. So as to ensure that each professional certificate holder maintains licensure requirements, it is of great importance for each individual to maintain their own records of CTLE hours, and to keep it readily available (again, hard copies are recommended in addition to digital record).
SECTION 2 - Acquiring hours
What types of events count for CTLE Hours?
Ultimately, the content we cover in our district’s faculty meetings, department meetings, and district and building professional development meetings meets the requirements for CTLE. Additionally, activities such as being a new teacher mentor, pertinent university classes, and taking on a student teacher can also count toward your CTLE accrual.
If you’re curious, here are the guidelines present on the NYSED website:
“Acceptable CTLE activities are designed to improve the teacher or leader’s pedagogical and/or leadership skills and are targeted at improving student performance, including but not limited to formal CTLE activities. Such activities also shall promote the professionalization of teaching and educational leadership, as applicable, and be closely aligned to district goals for student performance.
“Acceptable CTLE includes activities: Content area(s) of the certificate(s) held, and/or pedagogy, and Language Acquisition addressing the needs of English language learners.
“The CTLE in the content area can be in the content area of any certificate held, including certificates not subject to CTLE (e.g., Initial, Permanent certificates). CTLE activities in pedagogy could be appropriate general pedagogy or pedagogy specific to the content area of the certificate(s). The CTLE language acquisition requirement is described here.”
Still curious? Please consult New York State’s Office of Teaching Initiatives’s webpage on the topic:
https://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/resteachers/ctle-acceptable.html
Should we be seeking out PD outside of the district?
The district should be giving us enough opportunities to complete our 100 hours within our contractually-obligated time at no cost to us. If you have missed those opportunities and feel you need more hours you can seek those opportunities.
Local districts determine what counts toward the 100 hours. See the following link for more details:
https://elt.nysut.org/professional-learning
I’ve read or heard that faculty meetings, department meetings, and superintendents days may not count for CTLE. Is this true?
The state’s guidance is that these meetings, in and of themselves, do not count. However, they do count if topics of professional development occur within the meetings. This is the case for the events and meetings through which we accumulate CTLE hours.
After thorough investigation and raising questions with multiple parties, we as a committee have been reassured by local leadership as well as our NYSUT liaison that our record-keeping is in compliance with the state. As Bellmore-Merrick CHSD is an approved CTLE-sponsor, our district has reassured us that they take copious notes on the topics held at each meeting. Should anyone be audited by the state in the realm of CTLE accrual, it is our understanding that our members are protected.
I’ve read or heard about a “Language Acquisition Requirement.” How does this fit in with the hours I need to accumulate?
*As of Fall 2024, BMCHSD has met the requirements for this exemption each year. Thus, professional certificate holders outside of ESOL and bilingual subject areas need not meet the 15 hour language acquisition requirement during their time working in Bellmore-Merrick*
It is however, important to note the following, particularly for ESOL and bilingual education teachers. According to the NYSED website, ESOL and bilingual education teachers “...must complete a minimum of 50 percent of their required CTLE clock hours in a language acquisition aligned with the core content area of instruction taught, including a focus on best practices for co-teaching strategies, and integrating language and content instruction for ELLS. So, individuals who hold ESOL certification or bilingual extension need 50 of their 100 hours every five years to meet the criteria listed above.
The website goes on to say that all other professional teachers and Level III teacher assistants must complete a minimum of 15 percent of the required CTLE clock hours dedicated to language acquisition addressing the needs of ELLs. However, if 5% or less of the district’s total student body is made up of ELLs, the district can apply for an exemption from this requirement each year.
The New Teacher/100 Hour Committee consults with the district’s Assistant Superintendent for Personnel and Administration’s office on an annual basis regarding this exemption. To restate, as of Fall of 2024, BMCHSD has met the requirements for this exemption each year. Thus, professional certificate holders outside of ESOL and bilingual subject areas need not meet the 15 hour language acquisition requirement during their time working in Bellmore-Merrick. Please note, this is subject to change from year to year.
How do I know when my clock runs out for accumulating CTLE hours?
Log into your New York TEACH account (URL below). Upon landing at your profile, click on the link labeled “View or Change Registration Status.” If you are listed as “Registered - Active,” there will be a date for when you are registered until. This is the deadline to accumulate your 100 CTLE hours for the current cycle. By and large, the current cycle will run out in 2027.
https://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/teach/
Ultimately, the content we cover in our district’s faculty meetings, department meetings, and district and building professional development meetings meets the requirements for CTLE. Additionally, activities such as being a new teacher mentor, pertinent university classes, and taking on a student teacher can also count toward your CTLE accrual.
If you’re curious, here are the guidelines present on the NYSED website:
“Acceptable CTLE activities are designed to improve the teacher or leader’s pedagogical and/or leadership skills and are targeted at improving student performance, including but not limited to formal CTLE activities. Such activities also shall promote the professionalization of teaching and educational leadership, as applicable, and be closely aligned to district goals for student performance.
“Acceptable CTLE includes activities: Content area(s) of the certificate(s) held, and/or pedagogy, and Language Acquisition addressing the needs of English language learners.
“The CTLE in the content area can be in the content area of any certificate held, including certificates not subject to CTLE (e.g., Initial, Permanent certificates). CTLE activities in pedagogy could be appropriate general pedagogy or pedagogy specific to the content area of the certificate(s). The CTLE language acquisition requirement is described here.”
Still curious? Please consult New York State’s Office of Teaching Initiatives’s webpage on the topic:
https://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/resteachers/ctle-acceptable.html
Should we be seeking out PD outside of the district?
The district should be giving us enough opportunities to complete our 100 hours within our contractually-obligated time at no cost to us. If you have missed those opportunities and feel you need more hours you can seek those opportunities.
Local districts determine what counts toward the 100 hours. See the following link for more details:
https://elt.nysut.org/professional-learning
I’ve read or heard that faculty meetings, department meetings, and superintendents days may not count for CTLE. Is this true?
The state’s guidance is that these meetings, in and of themselves, do not count. However, they do count if topics of professional development occur within the meetings. This is the case for the events and meetings through which we accumulate CTLE hours.
After thorough investigation and raising questions with multiple parties, we as a committee have been reassured by local leadership as well as our NYSUT liaison that our record-keeping is in compliance with the state. As Bellmore-Merrick CHSD is an approved CTLE-sponsor, our district has reassured us that they take copious notes on the topics held at each meeting. Should anyone be audited by the state in the realm of CTLE accrual, it is our understanding that our members are protected.
I’ve read or heard about a “Language Acquisition Requirement.” How does this fit in with the hours I need to accumulate?
*As of Fall 2024, BMCHSD has met the requirements for this exemption each year. Thus, professional certificate holders outside of ESOL and bilingual subject areas need not meet the 15 hour language acquisition requirement during their time working in Bellmore-Merrick*
It is however, important to note the following, particularly for ESOL and bilingual education teachers. According to the NYSED website, ESOL and bilingual education teachers “...must complete a minimum of 50 percent of their required CTLE clock hours in a language acquisition aligned with the core content area of instruction taught, including a focus on best practices for co-teaching strategies, and integrating language and content instruction for ELLS. So, individuals who hold ESOL certification or bilingual extension need 50 of their 100 hours every five years to meet the criteria listed above.
The website goes on to say that all other professional teachers and Level III teacher assistants must complete a minimum of 15 percent of the required CTLE clock hours dedicated to language acquisition addressing the needs of ELLs. However, if 5% or less of the district’s total student body is made up of ELLs, the district can apply for an exemption from this requirement each year.
The New Teacher/100 Hour Committee consults with the district’s Assistant Superintendent for Personnel and Administration’s office on an annual basis regarding this exemption. To restate, as of Fall of 2024, BMCHSD has met the requirements for this exemption each year. Thus, professional certificate holders outside of ESOL and bilingual subject areas need not meet the 15 hour language acquisition requirement during their time working in Bellmore-Merrick. Please note, this is subject to change from year to year.
How do I know when my clock runs out for accumulating CTLE hours?
Log into your New York TEACH account (URL below). Upon landing at your profile, click on the link labeled “View or Change Registration Status.” If you are listed as “Registered - Active,” there will be a date for when you are registered until. This is the deadline to accumulate your 100 CTLE hours for the current cycle. By and large, the current cycle will run out in 2027.
https://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/teach/
SECTION 3 - Keeping records of CTLE hours and other relevant HR-related question
How do I keep an accurate log of how many CTLE hours I have?
The district utilizes My Learning Plan to log professional development hours.
How can I find out how many CTLE hours we have at any given point?
Are my meeting hours being logged correctly in MLP?
It is our responsibility to double-check that our hours are being properly logged. If they are not, contact your chairperson or the person in your designated to upload the hours. Please also keep your building’s New Teacher/100 Hour committee rep looped in.
**If ever I must submit a record of CTLE completion, what exactly will I be expected to submit?**
MLP is an efficient way for us to log the hours, but that won’t be what the state will want to see. Should you ever be called upon by the state to submit records of CTLE hours (i.e. you are “audited”), what you will want to be prepared to submit are certificates of completion for each meeting or activity
(yes, you’ll ultimately need to submit 100 pages, though, keep in mind, this also may never happen).
Certificates of completion are issued by the provider of the activity (in our case, almost all from the district, but it may be a university should you take a class, etc.). In order to access the certificates for district CTLE events using My Learning Plan, follow these steps:
What if I have worked in multiple districts over the course of a five-year CTLE period? Do hours from a previous district roll over into my account/track for the current five-year mark?
If you are looking to use MLP as your record for the CTLE requirement, the hours from a previous employer will not roll over into our district’s My Learning Plan system. The hours from a previous employer will count in an audit if you have a record of them. If it isn’t too late for you to go back into the record keeping system your previous district used, you will want to print out those forms of completion. If you do not have access to those records, perhaps a former colleague or personnel department can share with you the meeting dates and offer access to those certificates. You may also wish to create a spreadsheet with the meetings, dates, number of hours and submit this should you get audited.
On a similar note, should you leave the CHSD to start a job teaching in another public school in New York, it is up to you to take record of the hours you have accumulated during the current five-year cycle in the event you are audited.
For how long should I hold onto records of my CTLE hours?
NYSUT’s website states that professional certificate holders are required to maintain records of their own CTLE hours for eight years- the five year registration cycle, plus three additional years.
The district utilizes My Learning Plan to log professional development hours.
How can I find out how many CTLE hours we have at any given point?
- Log into my learning plan
- Go to My Info on the left side of the screen
- Go to Portfolio and View By Purpose
- You will see your hours broken down by purpose and see the CTLE 100 PD records
Are my meeting hours being logged correctly in MLP?
It is our responsibility to double-check that our hours are being properly logged. If they are not, contact your chairperson or the person in your designated to upload the hours. Please also keep your building’s New Teacher/100 Hour committee rep looped in.
**If ever I must submit a record of CTLE completion, what exactly will I be expected to submit?**
MLP is an efficient way for us to log the hours, but that won’t be what the state will want to see. Should you ever be called upon by the state to submit records of CTLE hours (i.e. you are “audited”), what you will want to be prepared to submit are certificates of completion for each meeting or activity
(yes, you’ll ultimately need to submit 100 pages, though, keep in mind, this also may never happen).
Certificates of completion are issued by the provider of the activity (in our case, almost all from the district, but it may be a university should you take a class, etc.). In order to access the certificates for district CTLE events using My Learning Plan, follow these steps:
- Step 1: Log into MLP. Under “Navigation,” click “My Info.” Then, click “My Portfolio.”
- Step 2: Click on the event you need a certificate for. Toward the bottom, click “Print Certificate.” This will generate a PDF of the certificate you are looking for.
- Step 3: Print the actual certificate. Start a file for all certificates you have accrued over the course of the five-year cycle.
What if I have worked in multiple districts over the course of a five-year CTLE period? Do hours from a previous district roll over into my account/track for the current five-year mark?
If you are looking to use MLP as your record for the CTLE requirement, the hours from a previous employer will not roll over into our district’s My Learning Plan system. The hours from a previous employer will count in an audit if you have a record of them. If it isn’t too late for you to go back into the record keeping system your previous district used, you will want to print out those forms of completion. If you do not have access to those records, perhaps a former colleague or personnel department can share with you the meeting dates and offer access to those certificates. You may also wish to create a spreadsheet with the meetings, dates, number of hours and submit this should you get audited.
On a similar note, should you leave the CHSD to start a job teaching in another public school in New York, it is up to you to take record of the hours you have accumulated during the current five-year cycle in the event you are audited.
For how long should I hold onto records of my CTLE hours?
NYSUT’s website states that professional certificate holders are required to maintain records of their own CTLE hours for eight years- the five year registration cycle, plus three additional years.
SECTION 4 - The end of a five-year cycle and other relevant questions
There is a lot of reference to a five-year calendar. What happens at the end of five years?
In addition to meeting the 100 hour CTLE requirement, the end of one cycle means it is time to re-register on TEACH for the next five-year cycle. The TEACH system will send notices reminding educators to re-register at six months, three months, and one month prior to the expiration date of their registration period to the educator’s email address listed in their TEACH account. When renewing, educators will answer questions about their years of practice during their concluding registration period. Educators will attest that they did or did not complete the required CTLE clock hours during their registration period. Educators will indicate how many years they practiced in a school that had an exemption(s) from the CTLE Language Acquisition Requirements.
What happens if I take leave of absence during a five-year cycle?
By definition, the state counts a “year” if an individual is actively working for more than 90 days. If you work less than 90 days during a school year, you can render your account as inactive on the TEACH website. If you forget to do this while you are inactive, you can also address that time when you go to reregister.
If you have an inactive period during your 5-year cycle, you are required to complete 20 hours per active year. (Thus, if an individual takes two years of FMLA during a five-year cycle, they are responsible for accruing 3 years x 20 hours = 60 hours of CTLE for that cycle.)
This stuff is riveting. Where can I read more? 😛
Here is NYSUT’s page covering the CTLE requirement:
https://www.nysut.org/resources/special-resources-sites/certification/faq
Here is New York State’s page covering the CTLE requirement:
https://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/resteachers/ctle.html
In addition to meeting the 100 hour CTLE requirement, the end of one cycle means it is time to re-register on TEACH for the next five-year cycle. The TEACH system will send notices reminding educators to re-register at six months, three months, and one month prior to the expiration date of their registration period to the educator’s email address listed in their TEACH account. When renewing, educators will answer questions about their years of practice during their concluding registration period. Educators will attest that they did or did not complete the required CTLE clock hours during their registration period. Educators will indicate how many years they practiced in a school that had an exemption(s) from the CTLE Language Acquisition Requirements.
What happens if I take leave of absence during a five-year cycle?
By definition, the state counts a “year” if an individual is actively working for more than 90 days. If you work less than 90 days during a school year, you can render your account as inactive on the TEACH website. If you forget to do this while you are inactive, you can also address that time when you go to reregister.
If you have an inactive period during your 5-year cycle, you are required to complete 20 hours per active year. (Thus, if an individual takes two years of FMLA during a five-year cycle, they are responsible for accruing 3 years x 20 hours = 60 hours of CTLE for that cycle.)
This stuff is riveting. Where can I read more? 😛
Here is NYSUT’s page covering the CTLE requirement:
https://www.nysut.org/resources/special-resources-sites/certification/faq
Here is New York State’s page covering the CTLE requirement:
https://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/resteachers/ctle.html
What if I still have questions?
No worries- reach out to your building’s New Teacher/100 Hour Committee rep. As of April 2025, they are:
No worries- reach out to your building’s New Teacher/100 Hour Committee rep. As of April 2025, they are:
- Catherine Arresto - Calhoun
- Lauren Beinert - MAMS
- Meg Billia - GAMS
- Anthony Brandofino - Mepham
- Catrina Christensen - MAP
- Carla Petroro - Kennedy