New York Adopts Praxis Test to Combat Teacher Shortage and Boost Mobility

By Stephanie Kelly

NEW YORK, NY – January 06, 2026 – In a significant policy shift aimed at bolstering its educator workforce, New York State has officially approved the Praxis® assessments as a valid option for teacher licensure. The move, confirmed by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), provides aspiring and current educators with greater flexibility and is expected to help alleviate the state's escalating teacher shortages by streamlining pathways into the classroom.

The decision marks a pivotal change for New York, which has historically relied on its own set of state-specific exams. By embracing the nationally recognized Praxis tests, now accepted in 43 states and jurisdictions, New York aims to attract a wider pool of talent, enhance teacher mobility across state lines, and offer more choices to candidates demonstrating their professional readiness.

"Expanding into New York is an exciting step forward for future teachers," said Vince Dean, General Manager of Praxis at ETS, in a statement. "It gives candidates more flexibility and support— strengthening the teacher pipeline and giving every qualified educator a clear path into the classroom."

A New Path in the Empire State

For decades, the primary route to teacher certification in New York involved passing the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations (NYSTCE), a suite of tests administered by Pearson. This series included Content Specialty Tests (CSTs) and the Educating All Students (EAS) exam. While effective, the state-specific nature of the NYSTCE created potential barriers for educators trained or certified elsewhere.

The new policy, formalized through amendments to the Commissioner's Regulations by the New York Board of Regents in February 2025, officially opens the door for alternatives. Aspiring teachers can now use qualifying scores on specific Praxis Subject Assessments to satisfy the content knowledge requirements for certification, providing a direct alternative to the NYSTCE.

This change is not just for new teachers. It also creates a crucial pathway for the thousands of provisionally or emergency-certified educators currently working in New York schools. These teachers, often hired to fill immediate vacancies, can now use the flexible, research-backed Praxis assessments and its associated preparation tools to meet the requirements for full, permanent licensure.

Confronting a Critical Teacher Shortage

The policy change arrives at a critical moment for New York's education system. The state is grappling with a severe and deepening teacher shortage that threatens educational quality and equity. Projections indicate a staggering need for over 180,000 new teachers within the next decade to keep pace with retirements and attrition.

Recent data paints a stark picture of the challenge. Enrollment in New York's teacher education programs has plummeted by 53% since 2009, drastically shrinking the pipeline of new educators. Simultaneously, teacher turnover has surged, with New York City public schools reporting their highest attrition rates in a decade in 2022. Compounding the issue, nearly 35% of the state's current teaching force is expected to be eligible for retirement in the next five years.

The shortages are not evenly distributed. High-poverty rural schools and urban districts bear the brunt of the crisis. New York State currently identifies 18 critical shortage areas, a six-fold increase from just a decade ago. Subjects like special education, bilingual education, math, and science are chronically understaffed, limiting student access to essential programs. By accepting a nationally portable exam like Praxis, state officials hope to significantly widen the recruitment net, making it easier for qualified candidates from across the country to consider a career in New York's classrooms.

Opening Doors Across State Lines

A key benefit of adopting the Praxis is the immediate enhancement of teacher mobility. New York's decision is expected to streamline the certification process for thousands of educators in neighboring states like Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, where the Praxis is already the standard for licensure.

Previously, while New York had reciprocity agreements, out-of-state teachers often faced a cumbersome credential review process by the Office of Teaching Initiatives (OTI). Now, a teacher certified in New Jersey who has already passed the required Praxis exams can have their scores sent directly to the New York State Education Department (NYSED), simplifying a major step in the application process.

This newfound portability is designed to make New York a more attractive destination for experienced educators looking to relocate, bringing their valuable skills and experience into districts with the greatest need. For a teacher in Connecticut, the prospect of moving to a district in Westchester or on Long Island becomes far less daunting without the requirement of studying for and passing an entirely new set of state-specific exams. This interoperability is a strategic move to make the tri-state area's educator labor market more fluid and responsive to regional needs.

Shifting Tides in the Assessment Market

The approval of Praxis also signals a major shift in the educational assessment landscape within New York. For years, Pearson's NYSTCE exams held a near-monopoly on the state's teacher certification testing. The introduction of ETS's Praxis as a direct competitor introduces choice not only for teacher candidates but also for the state as it evaluates assessment tools.

This move aligns New York with a national trend toward greater flexibility in licensure. By allowing multiple high-quality assessment options, states can cater to a more diverse pool of candidates and avoid over-reliance on a single testing framework. Some educators have anecdotally reported finding the study materials for the nationally-used Praxis to be more abundant and accessible than those for the state-specific NYSTCE, potentially lowering another barrier for aspiring teachers.

As ETS expands its footprint into one of the nation's largest markets, the increased competition could spur innovation and responsiveness from all assessment providers. Ultimately, the state's goal is to leverage these tools to build a robust, qualified, and diverse teaching workforce capable of meeting the needs of every student, a mission that now includes more pathways to the front of the classroom than ever before.