New York CTLE Hours Requirements: What Every NY Teacher Needs to Know

Last updated March 2026

If you hold a New York professional teaching certificate or a professional certificate in educational leadership, you're required to complete Continuing Teacher and Leader Education — better known as CTLE. New York replaced its previous professional development requirement with CTLE in 2016, and while most of the basics have stayed the same, there are some important details (especially around English Language Learner requirements) that trip up even experienced teachers.

This guide covers everything you need to know about New York CTLE hours requirements, including the 100-hour rule, the 15-hour ELL mandate, how the TEACH system works, and where to find approved sponsors.

New York CTLE Requirements: The Essentials

Requirement type: Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE)
Hours per cycle: 100 CTLE hours
Cycle length: 5 years
ELL sub-requirement: 15 hours in ELL/multilingual learner instruction (for most teachers)
Governing body: New York State Education Department (NYSED)
Tracking system: TEACH (Teacher Education And Certification) online system
Applies to: Holders of New York professional certificates who are employed in a New York public school or registered private school

Who Has to Complete CTLE?

CTLE applies to anyone who holds a New York professional certificate — not an initial certificate — and is employed in a school setting that requires certification. Specifically:

Teachers with a professional teaching certificate
School leaders with a professional certificate in educational leadership (principal, superintendent, etc.)
School counselors and other pupil personnel services professionals with professional certificates

If you still hold an initial certificate (not yet converted to professional), you don't complete CTLE — you complete the requirements to convert to professional status instead.

The 100-Hour Requirement in Detail

New York requires 100 CTLE hours per 5-year registration period. That's 20 hours per year on average.

Your registration period runs for 5 years from the date of your professional certificate's registration. You can check your registration period by logging into the TEACH system.

What Activities Count as CTLE?

CTLE activities must be offered by a NYSED-approved CTLE sponsor. Accepted activity types include:

Courses and workshops from approved sponsors
College and university coursework — graduate-level credit courses from accredited institutions (1 credit = 15 CTLE hours)
Conferences and institutes from approved organizations
Online courses and webinars from approved sponsors
Study groups and professional learning communities facilitated by an approved sponsor
Mentoring — serving as a mentor teacher through an approved program
National Board Certification — All NBPTS activities count as CTLE

The 15-Hour ELL Requirement

Here's the detail that catches many New York teachers off guard: at least 15 of your 100 CTLE hours must specifically address the instruction of English Language Learners (ELL) or multilingual learners.

This sub-requirement applies to most classroom teachers and applies regardless of whether you currently have ELL students in your classroom. NYSED takes the position that all teachers should be prepared to serve multilingual learners effectively.

Who Is Exempt from the ELL Sub-Requirement?

A few categories of educators are exempt from the 15-hour ELL sub-requirement:

Teachers who hold a New York ESL/ELL certificate (they're already specialists)
Educators working in settings without ELL students (very limited exceptions)
Certain educational leaders in specific administrative roles

If you think you might qualify for an exemption, contact your district's professional development coordinator or NYSED directly — don't assume.

What Counts for the ELL 15 Hours?

Workshops specifically on ELL instruction strategies
Training on language acquisition and development
Courses on sheltered instruction techniques
Cultural responsiveness training focused on multilingual communities
ESL/bilingual education coursework

The activity must clearly address ELL or multilingual learner instruction — not just general culturally responsive teaching. Check that your sponsor labels the activity as ELL-qualifying.

The TEACH System: Your CTLE Tracking Hub

New York uses the TEACH online system for all certification and CTLE-related actions. Here's what you need to know:

Logging in to TEACH

Access TEACH at nysed.gov/teach. You'll need your TEACH account login — if you don't have one, you can create one on the site using your certificate information.

How CTLE Hours Get Recorded

This is important: CTLE sponsors are responsible for reporting your completed hours to TEACH. When you complete an activity with an approved sponsor, they submit a report to NYSED, and the hours appear in your TEACH account.

However, not all sponsors report promptly. It's good practice to:

Request a certificate of completion from every sponsor after completing an activity
Check your TEACH account periodically to confirm hours were recorded
Follow up with the sponsor if hours don't appear within 60 days

What TEACH Shows You

Once logged in, your TEACH dashboard shows:

Your professional certificate(s) and registration dates
Your CTLE hours recorded to date in the current registration period
The breakdown of ELL vs. non-ELL hours (if your sponsor coded them correctly)

Finding NYSED-Approved CTLE Sponsors

Only activities offered by approved CTLE sponsors count toward your requirement. Approved sponsors include:

Your school district — Districts are approved sponsors. Staff development days and district-organized PD are the most common source of CTLE hours for most teachers.
BOCES (Boards of Cooperative Educational Services) — BOCES organizations across the state offer hundreds of approved CTLE activities.
Colleges and universities — All accredited institutions offering graduate-level education coursework.
Teacher unions and professional organizations — NYSUT, AFT, and many subject-area professional organizations are approved sponsors.
Private PD organizations — Companies and nonprofits that have applied for and received NYSED approval.

How to Verify a Sponsor

NYSED maintains a searchable list of approved CTLE sponsors on its website. Before registering for a paid PD activity, confirm the provider is on the approved list. A quick search on the NYSED sponsor database by organization name will tell you if they're approved and what types of activities they can offer.

Does CTLE Affect Certificate Renewal?

New York's professional certificates don't "expire" in the traditional sense — they are "registered" for 5-year periods. Completing your CTLE requirement is what allows you to re-register your certificate for the next 5-year period.

If you don't complete your 100 CTLE hours (including the 15 ELL hours) by the end of your registration period, NYSED will not re-register your certificate, and you will not be able to teach legally in New York.

Common CTLE Mistakes to Avoid

Using non-approved sponsors. The biggest mistake. Verify every provider before registering.
Not tracking the ELL sub-requirement separately. You might have 100 hours but only 8 ELL hours — which means you're not done.
Assuming your employer tracks everything. Your district reports hours, but errors happen. Monitor your own TEACH account.
Waiting until the last year of your registration period. Sponsors can be slow to report. Give yourself a cushion.
Letting your TEACH account credentials lapse. Log in at least once a year to keep the account active.

Registration Cycle Timeline

Timeline	Action
Start of cycle	Log in to TEACH and note your registration end date
Each year	Complete ~20 hours of CTLE; confirm hours recorded in TEACH
Year 4 of cycle	Check total hours and ELL sub-requirement progress
6 months before end	Confirm you have 100 hours, including 15 ELL hours
End of cycle	NYSED re-registers your certificate for next 5-year period

Your CTLE Checklist

Log in to TEACH and find your registration period end date
Set a calendar reminder 12 months before your registration ends
Check your current CTLE hour total in TEACH
Confirm ELL hours are being tracked separately
Plan activities to reach 100 hours total, with at least 15 ELL hours
Save certificates of completion for every activity
Periodically verify hours appear correctly in TEACH
Contact sponsors immediately if hours are missing from your account

Stay on Top of New York CTLE Requirements

NYSED has updated CTLE requirements before and may do so again. Requirements around ELL instruction, technology integration, and special education have all evolved in recent years.

For a full breakdown of New York certificate types, CTLE requirements, and approved sponsors, visit the ChalkReady New York page.