NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION

COORDINATOR :: Dr. Sonja Brown

2012-2014 North Carolina Advisory Board Members


NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION

National Board Certification, offered by the National Board For Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), is a way to recognize the accomplished teaching that is occurring in North Carolina's classrooms. The certification process is based on high and rigorous a standards that evaluate teaching practice through performance-based assessments; the ultimate result is improved performance and achievement for North Carolina's students.

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards mission is to advance the quality of teaching and learning by:

  • maintaining high and rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do;
  • providing a national voluntary system certifying teachers who meet these standards; and
  • advocating related education reforms to integrate National Board Certification in American education and to capitalize on the expertise of National Board Certified Teachers.

At the core of the National Board certification process are standards that describe the highest level of teaching in different disciplines and with students at different developmental levels. These standards represent a consensus among accomplished teachers and other education experts about what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do. NBPTS Standards can be found at www.nbpts.org.

Teachers who have participated in National Board Certification have overwhelmingly stated it is the most powerful professional development experience of their careers. They say the experience changes them as professionals and that through the process they deepen their content knowledge and develop, master, and reflect on new approaches to working with their students.

According to research conducted by the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, teachers who have achieved National Board Certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) significantly outperform their peers who are not Board Certified on 11 of 13 key dimensions of teaching expertise, according to a study released by the National Board. Based on student work samples, the study's authors declared that National Board Certification "is identifying and certifying teachers who are producing students who differ in profound and important ways from those taught by non-certified teachers."


HOW DO TEACHERS ACHIEVE NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION?

The assessment process for National Board Certification requires candidates to complete two major components: a portfolio of classroom practice including samples of student work and videotapes of teacher instruction, and an assessment of content knowledge administered at a computer-based testing center. It is estimated that the process will take the better part of a school year and involve a total of 200-400 hours of work outside of the classroom.


NATIONAL BOARD TO REVISE CERTIFICATION PROCESS

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, announced it will revise its certification process. The changes to the process will begin in the 2014-2015 academic year. The revision is being made to incorporate the latest research - as certification was last updated in 2001 - and to reduce barriers so that more students can learn from Board-certified teachers.

You can read more at http://www.nbpts.org/newsroom/national-board-revise-certification-process.

To watch Ron Thorpe and Board-certified teachers discuss the new certification process, visit http://youtu.be/PJmqGhibXc8.


SUPPORT FROM THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

Loan and other Funding Sources
The state of North Carolina will loan the assessment fee to eligible teachers. Information regarding this loan and other funding sources can be found on this website.


ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR STATE FUNDING

The state of North Carolina will loan$2,500 to eligible candidates. Teachers will repay the loan over three years. Loan rules and procedures can be found by viewing the following document:

Candidates are eligible for the state loan program if they:

  • are paid entirely from state funds
  • have completed three full years in North Carolina Public Schools (This includes DOC, DHHS, Office of Juvenile Justice, and public charter schools)
  • hold a valid, clear, continuing North Carolina teaching license
  • have not previously received State Funds for participating in the NBPTS assessment. (If a candidate received funding, withdrew from the process and fulfilled the repayment obligation, s/he can be funded again.), and
  • engage in direct classroom instruction, library/media work, or school counseling 70% of the time over the course of the academic year.

IMPORTANT: If you do not meet the criteria listed above, please contact your local school system to determine additional steps needed to qualify for State funding.


WHERE TO GO TO LEARN MORE ABOUT NBPTS IN NORTH CAROLINA

  • For more information more about state assistance, completing the application, or candidate support contact Dr. Sonja Brown , the Program Coordinator for National Board Certification, at 919.807.3358.
  • North Carolina Association of Educators.
  • Elic Senter; Center for Teaching and Learning at 1.800.662.7924 x227.
  • Karen Garr, National Board Professional Teaching Standards, 919.637.8868.
  • NBC Coordinator in your school district.