National Board Professional Teaching Certification: Should You Do It?

January 30th, 2009 By: Diane Trim in Articles

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Is it your New Year’s Resolution to learn more about the National Board Professional Teaching Certification (NBPTC)? Are you tempted to join 74,000 of your colleagues in that elite group of highly qualified, effective teachers?

Are you prepared to spend $2,500 up front and 200-400 hours next school year to receive this professional achievement?

I had considered National Board Certification when I was teaching and even ordered the first round of materials. However, I had to balance my husband’s unpredictable, long work hours, my daughter’s child care, and my own co-curricular activities. I was tempted, but I couldn’t squeeze the time out of my already hectic schedule. Well, not and still find time to sleep.

That’s O.K., says National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) Andy Kuemmel (AYA Math, 1998). “If this isn’t the time for you to do it, that doesn’t mean you can’t start thinking about it and reading about it,” Kuemmel said.

Money is an object. The financial barrier is a tough one to breach, but some states offer grants to help teachers with the initial costs of certification, Kuemmel said. It’s a good idea to check with your teacher’s association and state education department before you write the big check.

In addition, some districts and states offer reimbursement for expenses related to certification, so Kuemmel advises keeping track of receipts. Many school districts offer additional incentives or annual stipends for NBCTs as well, so investing in the certification might pay off in years to come.

NBCT energizes teachers. Every year Kuemmel mentors teachers through the NBCT process. “There are days when you come home from school and you say I’m glad I’m a teacher,” Kuemmel said. “The Board Certification improves your teaching. You’ll have more good teaching moments, good teaching days.”

Recent research bears this out. A study from the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academies found that teachers who have been through the NBC process reported that it was an effective professional development experience that positively affects their teaching practice.

The Center for Teacher Quality published a report from ten NBCT teachers, including Kuemmel, to clarify the teachers’ stance about the NBCT process and how it is helpful to both teachers and students. The report’s team wrote, “we all benefited from internal changes – from new understandings about our own practice.”

Kuemmel said that teachers who are Board Certified realize the impact for many years in their teaching. “Most consider it the best professional development of their career.”

NBCT benefits students. The NRC study found that students taught by NBCTs make higher gains on achievement tests than those taught by teachers who have not applied and those who did not achieve certification. However, it’s important to note, too, that many of these NBCTs teach higher-level students in more affluent areas.

To be fair, the NBPTS folks recommend that these highly effective teachers work with underserved populations, but that isn’t how it always shakes out.

It is true, though, that four of the last eight national teachers of the year have been NBCTs and that NBC teachers are highly represented among state teachers of the year, too.

Prework. If you decide to pursue your NBC, you should complete some prework first, Kuemmel recommends. “Attend sessions at state teaching conventions. The NEA has a nice Web site with testimonials from NBC teachers, too.”

You also might consider volunteering to be an assessor for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). Kummel said that anyone with three years of recent teaching experience can volunteer to review NBC candidates’ entries. You’d need to travel to the assessment site at your own expense, but if you live in a city where the assessors meet, this is a great way to get a feel for the process.

Talk to your NBC colleagues about their experiences with the process. You can look over their materials and make a better decision about how your next teaching year would look if you went through the process.

Colleagues don’t make good mentors for the process, Kuemmel warns. They’re not objective and they are less likely to be honest with you about your progress. You can find local mentors online or by contacting the NBPTS.

The bottom line. Should you do it? NBC is an investment in money and time, but you’re likely to gain back the cash outlay in stipends, grants, and reimbursements. As far as the time goes, the 200-400 hours you put in might be an investment in smoother teaching years as time goes on.

If I were still in the classroom, I’d sign up.

Resources:

“Measuring What Matters: A TeacherSolutions Report by 10 National Board Certified Teachers.” Center for Teaching Quality, 2008. http://www.teachingquality.org/legacy/MeasuringWhatMatters.pdf

“Assessing Accomplished Teaching: Advanced-Level Certification Programs.” National Research Council, 2008. http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12224

Tags: National Board Certification, NBCT, professional development

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