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Duane Simmons, a counselor at Lincoln High
School in Manitowoc, works with a student on his class schedule.
Simmons is the only person in Wisconsin who is nationally certified
in school counseling. |
By Sarah Jancich
Assistant Editor
Thanks to a groundbreaking contract bargained five years ago by the Manitowoc Education Association, the Manitowoc Public School District now has seven nationally certified teachers—more than most districts in the state.
The contract, which provides a 13% pay raise to teachers who become certified, convinced Lincoln High School counselor Duane Simmons to undergo the process by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. By the end, he said, it made him richer in more ways than one.
"This is the best professional development I've undergone," he said. "It makes you take a strong, hard look at how you do what you do. It changes the way you think. It makes you ask yourself, 'What's the ultimate way to practice?'"
Simmons said his school district should consider it money well spent. "The district is getting a return on its investment," he said.
Award-winning contract
As the Manitowoc Education Association bargaining team negotiated its
1999-2001 contract, its goal was to create a salary schedule that would
attract and retain high-quality teachers, said Jim Carlson, executive
director of the Kettle Moraine UniServ Council. "The premise was
that highly qualified and skilled teachers have a positive impact on
the students they teach."
To achieve that goal, the contract focuses on professional development and rewards teachers who acquire new skills and knowledge, he said.
The contract, which earned the MEA bargaining team WEAC's Paul Bierbrauer Award for Excellence in Bargaining, offers teachers additional compensation for participating in professional development. To qualify for the salary increases, teachers can earn National Board certification or doctorate degrees, complete 12 graduate-level credits, or partially complete the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay's Professional Development Certificate.
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Chris Lehrer-Rosenberg |
Manitowoc English teacher Chris Lehrer-Rosenberg, who earned National Board certification this year, said she is grateful that the school district acknowledges her achievement. She said she may not have pursued it otherwise. "That was the carrot I needed. The little piece of paper that says I'm certified is an honor and the financial reward makes all the hard work worthwhile."
'It took a lot of time and energy'
The process to become board-certified is time-consuming and involves
a lot of work, said WEAC Teaching and Learning Consultant Ron Jetty.
The National Board estimates that certification candidates will spend
200 to 400 hours preparing their entries.
Simmons said that estimate is accurate. He sometimes devoted entire weekends to complete the certification requirements. "It took a lot of time and energy. My wife was a widow for awhile," he joked. "You need a really supportive family."
Board certification is voluntary and open to any state-licensed teacher with a bachelor's degree and three years of experience. There are two major components of the certification process: the portfolio and written assessments.
For the portfolio, candidates complete four entries that measure their practice against five core standards. Three of the entries require candidates to scrutinize their teaching methods and student learning. The fourth entry requires documentation of work outside of the classroom with families and the community, and with colleagues and the profession as a whole.
For each entry, candidates submit evidence, including videotapes of themselves teaching, and student work samples. Then they describe, analyze, explain and reflect on their practice in a 10- to 12-page written commentary.
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Pam Aikins |
Certification candidates also complete six written assessments, which are based on the subject area in which the candidate is seeking certification. The National Board offers certification in 24 areas.
The National Board trains teachers to serve as assessors of the portfolio and assessments who assign point-based scores for each. Teachers who earn at least 275 out of a possible 400 points achieve certification. Roughly 60% of teachers who seek certification will be successful.
Worth more than six credits
There are more costs associated with board certification than just time
and effort. Candidates also pay $2,300 in application fees. The Department
of Public Instruction reimburses successful candidates up to $2,000
to cover the fee and gives grants of $2,500 to board-certified teachers
through the last nine years of the 10-year certification term.
DPI views the certification process—whether a candidate is successful or not—as equivalent to six credit hours for purposes of renewing teaching licenses. "Regardless of whether they are certified, the process in itself is a positive experience for teachers," Jetty said.
Under PI 34, the teacher licensing law, teachers who earn certification may apply to receive the state's highest level of license, Master Educator. Like the board certificate, the Master Educator license is valid for 10 years and can be renewed.
All four Manitowoc teachers who received National Board certification this year said the experience was intense, and in some cases, was more rigorous than earning a master's degree. "The DPI says certification is worth six credits," Simmons said. "I say it's worth a degree. I feel like I've received the next level of graduate training."
Washington Junior High School reading teacher Pam Aikins found the process complemented her master's degree. "With my master's, I learned new skills and methods that improved my teaching," she said. "The National Board looks at what you've already accomplished and makes you reflective of your practice."
Aikins said earning certification also improved her confidence and made her a better teacher. "Whenever you're reflective of your practice, it's got to improve your teaching," she said.
Lehrer-Rosenberg agrees. She said National Board certification is the best professional development she has received. "It's a very in-depth look at your teaching," she said. "It puts it all together. It looks at teaching as a profession and at teachers as professionals."
Resource page on National Board certification
63 Wisconsin teachers achieve
profession's highest certification
Posted December 9, 2004