First Five Years
Pursuing Teaching Excellence

National Board Certification sets high standards and big rewards for teachers.

Bobbie Kilgore has teaching in her blood. Her mother, uncle, and sister all work as teachers, and all have received one of the profession's highest achievements: National Board Certification.

Kilgore, the youngest teacher in her family, didn't let them down. In November, the fifth-year teacher from Milford, Delaware, became the latest family member to meet the standard.

"Seeing them all go through it, I knew it was something I had to do," says Kilgore, a third-grade teacher at Lulu Ross Elementary School. "It's a very rewarding process, but I also got to see how much time and commitment it took to go through."

Teachers who achieve National Board Certification describe it as the most rewarding--and most demanding--professional development experience of their careers. The voluntary advanced credentialing process, offered by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), evaluates a teacher's content knowledge and skills in the classroom. National Board Certification does not replace a state license. Instead, it serves as a symbol of teaching excellence awarded to those teachers whose performance meets the National Board standards. NEA helped start the National Board in 1987.

But achieving National Board Certification is no easy task.

To apply, teachers must have at least three years of teaching experience, a bachelor's degree, and a state teaching license. They also pay a $2,300 application fee. Thirty states pay the fee in full for teachers who pursue the process, while several others cover half the fee. Teachers also can receive low-interest loans from NEA Member Benefits.

The certification process requires teachers to prepare a portfolio that includes student work, lesson plans, videotapes of class activities, recommendations from colleagues, and an in-depth analysis of the teacher's instructional strategies. Preparation takes anywhere from 200 to 600 hours.

Candidates also complete a written test on content specific to their fields.

"Doing the portfolio was much more grueling than I expected," says Kilgore. "It required hours upon hours of work and very concentrated reflection on my teaching. In comparison, I'm also working on my doctorate and the National Board Certification process was much more work."

The process can be exhausting, says Gayle Clark, a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) from Brandon, Florida, currently in her fifth year of teaching. But it helps teachers learn more about their students and themselves, she says.

"You're asked about your big ideas, goals, and objectives," says Clark, a fourth-grade teacher at Limona Elementary School. "It makes you focus on your kids as individuals and what has been accomplished, rather than looking at what your state or county says your curriculum should be."

The entire process can take more than 10 months to complete. Candidates who do not pass part of the assessment or portfolio have two years to retake the exercises.

Many state and local Associations offer workshops to support teachers during the process. Current NBCTs, like Clark, often mentor new candidates as well.

"Find that support network for yourself," Clark suggests. "People who have been certified are very happy to help you. It also puts you in connection with some really fine teachers."

Most teachers who attempt the process have more than 10 years of teaching experience. Although the candidate pool continues to broaden, teachers like Kilgore and Clark still are the minority.

"It was a little intimidating when you know teachers who are trying this process with you have been teaching for 10 or 15 years and some of them have difficulty," Kilgore says. "But if you are a good teacher and a reflective teacher, I think you will do well."

Even though National Board Certification demands a lot from its candidates, it offers significant rewards. More than 30 states, including Delaware and Florida, provide a salary supplement or bonus to teachers who receive the certification. Meanwhile, 35 states and the District of Columbia waive part of their licensing requirements for NBCTs. Several states also apply National Board Certification toward license renewal.

"It's a very satisfying process," says Kilgore. "And knowing that you've passed gives you that acknowledgment that others find you a good teacher."

--Kristen Loschert

Two-Minute Tips

Testing Tips
My students make posters with test-taking tips that I use to cover important information posted on the walls so no one can see it during test week. The posters say things such as "get a good night's sleep," "eat a healthy breakfast," and "read carefully." If you use construction paper and magic markers your room will be friendly and colorful while being free of potential cheat sheets. Afterward, I remove the posters to reveal the original information.

Sue Buzby
King George, Virginia

Magnetic Schedule
Using my word processor, I print the name of each subject on brightly colored paper. Then I cut each item into an individual strip and laminate it. I also print the names of special events onto different colored paper, cut them into strips, and laminate them as well. I glue magnets to the back of each strip. I use the strips to display the schedule of activities on the board. They are easy to rearrange. When there is a special event on the schedule, the students spot it right away because it is on a different color strip.

Mary Beth Zorger
Wilmington, Delaware

Have a great idea?

You can pass along your tip to NEA Today's 2.7 million readers in one of five ways:

• By mail: NEA Today, 1201 16th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20036
• By phone: 202/822-7201
• By fax: 202/822-7206
• By e-mail: Ideas@neatoday.nea.org
• Through the Web: www.nea.org/neatoday

[Dilemma]
How do you help a student who enters your class in the middle of the year?

Instead of just assigning a new student to any empty seat, I announce that it is time for a new seating chart. Then I place the new student with friendly students who can help make the new student comfortable.

Lisa McBride
Secondary social studies teacher
Owasso, Oklahoma

I review our classroom rules and procedures. This helps the new student understand the expectations for the class and gives the others a refresher course. I also schedule a group activity to help the new student get acquainted.

Lila Gisler
Special education teacher
Salt Lake City, Utah

I give the student a short quiz to determine the student's weak points. I let the student work on weak points in class and work on his or her strongest points at home for extra credit.

Lorraine Ellerbe
Middle school English and math teacher
Wadesboro, North Carolina

I introduce the new student to my class and find out which students have classes with their new classmate. I also find out who has the same lunch period as the new student and ask those children to invite the new student to their table.

Linda Kelty
Middle school art teacher
Muscatine, Iowa

I contact the student's previous teacher to learn about the student's personality and learning style. I also send home pertinent information, such as class rules and class newsletters, so the child's parents know what has taken place during the year.

Kelly Curtin
First-grade teacher
Freehold, New Jersey

I keep extra class folders assembled with a welcome letter, class and lab rules, and a course syllabus. When a new student enters my class I give him or her a folder. This saves me time and allows me to help the student adapt to the new class.

Leslie Dalbey
Middle school science teacher
Nampa, Idaho

I buddy the new student with a friendly student in my classroom who helps the new student with school and classroom procedures. I also meet with the parents to explain any questions or concerns they may have.

Carla Young
Primary teacher
Mount Washington, Kentucky

My students make a "Welcome to Our Class" banner. The students paste photographs of themselves on the banner and sign their names under their pictures. During this process, they brainstorm ways to make the new student feel comfortable.

Barbara Herbert
First-grade teacher
Wayside, New Jersey

I have several activity packets that students complete during the semester. When new students arrive I give them the packets we have completed, mark the most important assignments, and ask them to complete them.

Gerda Mullen
High school ESOL Teacher

Nobody Ever Told Me

What an Appetite
Every afternoon I complimented this one particular student who always began her homework while she waited for her bus; but I never could understand why she never had her homework the next day. Every day she said, "Ms. Averett, my little brother ate my homework." I had been teaching for only a month, and I had heard myriad excuses from students for not turning in their homework. I thought this excuse was the most ridiculous one yet. It was not until I walked this student to the bus ramp one day that I discovered the truth for myself.

As the student talked with her friends, her five-year-old brother took her homework out of her book bag. The student quickly noticed what her little brother had done and screamed, "Ms. Averett, look! Look! He is eating it!" Seeing was believing. I turned and saw her little brother sitting on the pavement, leaning against a pole, and stuffing his sister's homework into his mouth and eating it.

Shavondra Averett
Fifth-grade teacher
Savannah, Georgia

Got a Story?
E-mail kloschert@nea.org.

Resources

National Board Certification
Be sure to visit the website for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards at www.nbpts.org/. The site includes information on the National Board standards and National Board Certification (NBC). The Candidate Resource Center offers information for new and retake NBC applicants, assessment center dates, portfolio instructions, and payment and scholarship information. The News Center includes relevant articles organized by state. You also can track your progress online and find information on becoming an assessor.

Candidate's Guide
If you're looking for additional information on the National Board Certification process, check out A Candidate's Guide to National Board Certification 2002-03, a joint project of the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers. The guide, available online at www.nea.org/nationalboard/images/03NBCGuide.pdf, includes tips for staying organized, creating a schedule, understanding the National Board standards, assembling your portfolio, creating your videotapes, and documenting your accomplishments. The guide also includes exercises designed to help you practice the skills you will need to complete the National Board Certification Process. You also will find hints and advice from National Board Certified Teachers.

NBC on the Web
Check out NEA's website on National Board Certification at www.nea.org/nationalboard/. The site includes background information about the history of National Board Certification and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, as well as answers to frequently asked questions, research on the performance and contributions of National Board Certified teachers, and links to other resources. You also will find a list of the various certificates available and the names of NEAmembers who serve on the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.