National Board certification suggested
pre-candidacy activities
- Read the Guide for National Board Certification at http://www.nbpts.org/candidates/guide/.
In this guide there are descriptions of certification areas, as well
as outlines of the standards for those areas. The guide also lists
application deadlines, fees, and resources.
- Download the standards document for your certificate area
at http://www.nbpts.org/standards/stds_framework.cfm.
This document will detail what a National Board certified teacher
in your field should know and be able to do. Read it carefully and
use it as a guide to evaluate your current practice.
- Keep a journal and use it to reflect on how your practice
meets the standards. Reflection is an important part of the NBPTS
certification process. Your journal will assist you in identifying
evidence that your practice meets the standards. For instance, you
could write about a certain lesson and analyze what worked and what
did not. Or, you could write once a week about how well you are creating
a learning environment in your classroom. You could also write about
areas that you think you need to improve on and how you will try to
do so. All of these kinds of journaling are practices that required
in the portfolio.
- Videotape your classroom in both whole-group and small-group
situations. Two portfolio entries require videotapes of teaching.
Although the tapes you make before your certification year cannot
be used for your portfolio, the practice of looking at yourself will
get easier the more you do it. Use these videotapes as you do the
journal. Search for evidence of how well you meet the standards and
which areas need improvement.
- Gather evidence of contributions you have made to the profession.
National Board candidates are asked to give evidence of contributions
and reflect on how those activities have improved their teaching and
their student's learning. Some examples of this might include serving
on building or district committees, serving as a mentor or cooperating
teacher, facilitating workshops, receiving awards, or serving on state
and national committees. The evidence can take place in the five years
previous to your application year.
- Gather evidence of how you communicate with parents and the
community to facilitate student learning. This evidence should
demonstrate two-way communication between school and home and it must
be beyond the routine of your normal job expectations. You may wish
to keep a log of parent contacts that are written, in person, over
the phone, or even through e-mail. Other examples could include hosting
family math night, or inviting community members to speak in your
classroom.
- Investigate sources of help in your candidacy year. The
NBPTS Web site will provide information
and people to contact. Candidates can post comments, questions, or
requests for assistance to a message board. NBCTs and candidates read
these posts and respond to you. You can attend sessions at state and
national conventions about National Board certification. You might
request that your school or CESA provide an in-service on NBC. Check
for district support from a curriculum director or principal or contact
WEAC (jettyr@weac.org) regarding
support information in your area.
- Review your knowledge of the content of your certificate
area. The knowledge you need to demonstrate may be broader than the
curriculum you are currently teaching. Certificate areas many encompass
many grade levels and areas. For example, high school teachers in
science must demonstrate knowledge in biology, physics, earth science,
and chemistry. An elementary generalist must demonstrate knowledge
of developmental stages for a range of grades.
- Apply to be an assessor of National Board certfication entries.
Following a rigorous training by the National Board, teachers with
a minimum of three years experience in a certificate area can serve
as assessors. Assessment is done in the summer. Grading entries will
give you a good understanding of the process, as well as what evidence
meets the standards.
- Download the Scoring Guide for your certificate area at
http://www.nbpts.org/candidates/scoringguides.cfm.
In this guide you will find scoring guidelines for each certificate
entry. This will give you a feel for the level of rigor expected in
the process and help you to read the directions to pre-plan your portfolio
entries.
Back to NBPTS Resource Page
Developed by WEAC Teaching and Learning with Wisconsin Nationally
Board Certified Teachers
Updated July 21, 2004
