Lodi Teachers Use Teamwork, Patience to Earn National Board Certification
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| Lodi Elementary School teacher Chris McNeill leads his class in
a lesson on measurements. McNeill achieved his profession's highest
honor, National Board of Professional Teaching Standards certification.
|
By Sarah Jancich
Assistant Editor
When Linda Brokish, a library media specialist at
Lodi Middle School, saw the subject line of an e-mail sent by a colleague,
she knew instantly the day she'd be waiting for had arrived.
It said simply, "I passed."
Brokish was attempting for the second time to earn the prestigious
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification. On
her first try, she missed passing by the razor-thin margin of two-tenths
of a point.
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Linda Brokish |
After receiving the e-mail, she immediately opened her Internet browser
and pulled up the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
Web site, where candidates could see whether they passed, to see if
she was successful this time.
Her colleague, the sender of the e-mail, "probably heard my reaction
all the way down the hall," Brokish said. Her reaction? "Ah
yes!" She passed.
In 2003, more than 130 Wisconsin teachers attempted to achieve their
profession's highest honor, National Board of Professional Teaching
Standards certification. Brokish is among the 70 teachers who were successful.
A rigorous process
Teachers seeking one of the National Board's 24 certificates must meet
three criteria before beginning the process. They must possess a valid
teaching license, have three years of experience and be currently employed
as a classroom teacher.
Then teachers complete a series of six written assessments to demonstrate
depth of knowledge in their subject areas, and submit a portfolio documenting
their practice. The portfolio contains three entries that illustrate
classroom teaching methods and student learning. A fourth entry requires
teachers to document their work outside of the classroom with families
and the community, and with colleagues and the profession as a whole.
For each portfolio entry, candidates submit "evidence" --
student work samples or videotapes of themselves teaching. Then they
write a 10- to 12-page commentary that describes, reflects upon and
analyzes that evidence.
A group of teachers who have received special training by the National
Board serve as assessors and evaluate the work of certification candidates.
The group assigns point-based scores for each assessment and the portfolio
entries. Teachers who earn at least 275 points out of a possible 400
points achieve certification.
Candidates, like Brokish, who are not successfully certified on their
first attempts can "bank," or save, their scores for up to
three years. They can retake one or all of the assessments, and rework
their portfolio entries in an attempt to earn enough additional points
to become certified.
Safety in numbers
Brokish said it's important to seek support from other teachers going
through the certification process. She teamed with three teachers from
the Lodi School District.
The teachers helped each other by proofreading portfolio entries, bouncing
possible assessment questions off each other, and making sure all of
the required elements were present.
"Everything has to be in the right spot. Working together provided
a safety net for me," 3rd- and 4th-grade multilevel teacher Chris
McNeill said. McNeill is in his eighth year at Lodi Elementary School.
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Jacqueline Martindale |
High school English teacher Jacqueline Martindale was also part of
the group. Like Brokish, McNeill and Martindale didn't pass on their
first attempts, but earned certification this fall. "I think part
of the reason why I didn't pass the first time is because I didn't make
time to connect with my peers," she said. "I think I may have
missed insights that might have helped me."
Family ties
Brokish, McNeill and Martindale agree they couldn't have survived the
process without the support of their families. The teachers estimate
they spent 300 to 400 hours working on their portfolio entries and assessments,
and more than $2,000 in application fees.
McNeill said he spent most of his school holidays working on certification
instead of staying at home with his young daughter. "It was very
difficult," he said. "There were times when I wondered if
I was doing what was best for my family."
"My wife was my biggest supporter," he said. When he didn't
earn certification on his first try, his wife encouraged him to try
again. But "it was very tough on her and my daughter."
McNeill borrowed money to cover the $2,300 in application fees he paid
during his initial attempt at board certification from the National
Education Association's National Board Certification Loan Program. When
he didn't pass, he increased the loan to cover the costs associated
with trying again. Candidates who have banked scores pay $300 per assessment
or portfolio entry to resubmit them to the National Board.
Martindale said she incurred more costs than just the application fees.
She also needed to purchase a new computer so she could work on her
portfolio entries from home, and videotaping equipment. "Luckily,
my children are out of college," she said. "I was able to
wing it without borrowing money."
| Advice from the Lodi teachers
1. Make connections with other teachers who are also going
through the NBPTS certification process or who have already completed
it. "Have a support system to encourage you along the way,"
Brokish advised. "Because it can be very discouraging." 2. Start as early as possible. "You have to assess
your practice and its results over a period of time," Martindale
said. "The more time you have, the better you can assess
results." 3. Make time for the process. McNeill said teachers should
be prepared to put other commitments on the back burner. "Board
certification can really consume your life." 4. Set a timeline. "Make goals of when you want
to have certain pieces done," McNeill said. 5. If at first you don't succeed, try again. "Don't
take it too hard if you don't pass the first time," McNeill
said. He said that when he eventually became certified, he appreciated
it more. |
State, district and WEAC support
Wisconsin's Department of Public Instruction reimburses teachers who
successfully complete board certification up to $2,000. Board-certified
teachers can also apply to DPI for annual grants of $2,500. National
board certification is valid for 10 years, and certified teachers are
eligible to receive the grants during the second through tenth years.
Under the new teacher licensing law, PI 34, teachers who achieve certification
may apply to receive the state's highest level of teaching license,
Master Educator. Like the board certificate, the Master Educator license
is valid for ten years and can be renewed.
WEAC Teaching and Learning Consultant Ron Jetty said the DPI recognizes
a teacher's completion of the certification process -- whether a candidate
certifies or not -- as equivalent to completing six credit hours. In
other words, currently licensed teachers can renew their teaching licenses
while pursuing National Board certification. "Some universities
and colleges are also looking for ways to integrate the certification
process into the curriculum," he said.
The Lodi teachers also had the support of their school district as
they sought board certification. Thanks to special contract language
bargained by the Lodi Teachers Association, the district provides two
paid days out of the classroom for board candidates. Lodi is one of
only a handful of districts in Wisconsin that provides a benefit to
teachers seeking board certification.
Brokish used a portion of the time at the start of the certification
process to get organized and start on her first portfolio entry. "It
was a good way to kick-start the process," she said. She used the
rest of the time near the end to edit her entries and fully focus on
writing her fourth portfolio piece.
Jetty said WEAC offers training to teachers seeking certification during
its annual convention. "We'll continue to examine other ways to
provide support to candidates through cooperation with UniServ offices,"
he said.
'Best professional development I've ever done'
Though the Lodi teachers characterize the certification process as difficult
and emotionally trying, they agree they've benefited from the process.
Martindale, who is eligible for early retirement in two years, said
she attempted certification at the height of her career to validate
her practice. "I have always done a lot of self-reflection,"
she said. "But the process, especially the videotaping, gave me
a chance to really analyze my practice in-depth."
She said the process helped her discover who she is as both a teacher
and a learner.
Brokish agreed. "This has been the best professional development
I've ever done," she said. "You have to reflect on how you're
impacting student learning. You have to ask yourself, 'what effect am
I really having on students?'"
McNeill decided to seek board certification because he thought it would
make him a better teacher and an asset to his district, and he said
that to a certain extent, it has. It's changed the way he teaches and
communicates with parents.
Most of all, he sought certification because he wanted a challenge,
and the process delivered. "I have never gone through anything
like this," he said. "This was the most challenging thing
I've ever done: professionally, intellectually and emotionally."
"It was helpful to know I wasn't going through it alone."
Posted December 10, 2003