In 2001-2002 school year, I began the exciting process of becoming a
National Board Certified Teacher. Through this process, I analyzed and
reflected on my own practices to demonstrate that I met the standards of the
National Board. It was a challenging and exciting year! In November 2002,
after a six month waiting period, I received the news that I certified as an
Early Childhood Generalist. (Ages 3-8) One result of having gone through
this process is that to this day, I continue to question and reflect on my
teaching. My ultimate goal is to do all I can to impact and improve my
student's learning. As a certified teacher, I have mentored other
candidates, and hope to continue to work with other educators on a
professional level to improve the quality of education in our schools.
Currently I am a Boeing National board Ambassadaor, working with
administration and teachers in El Segundo, Wisburn and Torrance school
districts to share this amazing process with others.
What is National Board Certification? What value is it to
education and teaching? What is involved in the process?
Below find some excerpts from the NBPTS.org website that may answer some of
your questions. You may also want to visit the National Board Web site to
read more. If your are a candidate or prospective candidate feel free to e-
mail me. I'd love to hear from you.
"The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards® is rooted in the
belief that the single most important action this country can take to
improve schools and student learning is to strengthen teaching.
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is leading the way in
making teaching a profession dedicated to student learning and to upholding
high standards for professional performance. They have raised the standards
for teachers, strengthened their educational preparation through the
standards, and created performance-based assessments that demonstrate
accomplished application of the standards.
The 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.
-advocating related education reforms to integrate National Board
Certification in American education and to capitalize on the expertise of
National Board Certified Teachers.
National Board Certification® measures a teacher's practice against these
high and rigorous standards. The process is an extensive series of
performance-based assessments that includes teaching Portfolios, student
work samples, videotapes and thorough analyses of the candidates' classroom
teaching and student learning. Teachers also complete a series of written
exercises that probe the depth of their subject-matter knowledge, as well as
their understanding of how to teach those subjects to their students.
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."
