Certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

UPDATE

The governor approved an NBPTS program as part of the 1998 budget adjustment bill. His 1999-2001 budget expands the program by awarding individuals $2,000 towards the cost of the certification and a $2,500 bonus for every year a teacher is nationally certified

Background:

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) is an independent, nonprofit, non-partisan organization governed by a 63-member board of directors. Most of the directors are classroom teachers. The others are school administrators, school board leaders, governors and state legislators, higher education officials, teacher union representatives, and business and community leaders.

The NBPTS mission is to establish rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do, to develop and operate a national, voluntary system to assess and certify teachers who meet these standards, and to advance related education reforms for the purpose of improving student learning in American schools.

The goal of the NBPTS is to improve student learning by strengthening teaching. Until recently, the teaching profession had never defined the knowledge, skills and accomplishments that add up to teaching excellence. In contrast, physicians, architects and other professionals work under clear and objective standards for accomplished practice and must demonstrate their accomplishments on challenging sets of assessments.

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards reliably identifies teachers who meet high and rigorous standards and communicates what accomplished teaching looks like.

The NBPTS currently offers certification in seven categories. These seven certificates reach about half of the nation’s teaching population and range from early childhood/generalist age 3-8 to adolescence and young adulthood/ mathematics or science age 14-18. An additional five certificates are under development and will be available December 1, 1998.

Candidates for certification participate in a two-part assessment based on the standards and reflecting varied aspects of teaching. This process includes creating a portfolio as well as participating in assessment exercises taken at a NBPTS center.

The portfolio is about a teacher’s classroom environment and includes student work, video tapes and other teaching exhibits.

The assessment center exercises are designed to complement the portfolio and are organized around challenging teaching issues.

During the assessment center phase, teachers demonstrate knowledge, skills and abilities in situations across the age range and topics of the certificate field.

Work for NBPTS certification takes the better part of an entire school year. Teachers report spending about 120 hours on the assessment process.

Legislative History:

WEAC has pursued state support for NBPTS certification as a key part of its legislative agenda for more than two years.

The governor’s 1998 budget adjustment bill contains language to establish a state grant to help individual teachers pay for the certification process. The bill also gives a one-time salary bonus of $3,000 to any teacher who achieves NBPTS certification.

Senator Peggy Rosenzweig (R-Wauwatosa) introduced 1997 Senate Bill 493 in response to a WEAC request. The bill provides that:

1. DPI may award up to 20 grants in the 1998-99 school year for teachers seeking NBPTS certification;
2. Each grant award shall be $2,000 in the year the teacher successfully achieves NBPTS certification; and
3. An additional salary benefit of $2,500 shall be awarded for eight years thereafter, covering the remainder of the NBPTS certification.

Senate Bill 493 was recommended for passage by the Senate Education Committee on March 19, 1998. The bill was referred to the Joint Finance Committee where no further action was taken.

WEAC/WFT Position:

The Wisconsin Education Association Council supports expanding opportunities for teachers to acquire NBPTS certification.

Talking Points:

• The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards works to strengthen the teaching profession and to improve student learning in America's schools.
• The NBPTS is establishing high standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do, and is developing a new system of advanced, voluntary certification for teachers. The aim of the NBPTS is to certify all teachers who meet the standards.
• The NBPTS has received support from organizations such as the American Association of School Administrators, the National School Boards Association, the Association of Colleges and Schools of Education in State Universities and Land Grant Colleges, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association.

For Additional Information:

Contact Bob Burke in the WEAC Government Relations Division at 800-362- 8034 ext. 254 or by e-mail at burkeb@weac.org with any questions, comments or reactions.