Should You Try to Become a NBCT?
Pros and Cons for Obtaining National Board Certification
The rigorous process of completing the National Board process takes time and money. Is obtaining this title of distinction worth it?
Teachers have admitted to spending over 200 hours preparing the portfolio to complete the National Board process. NBCT (National Board Certified Teacher) is a nice distinction, but is the process worth it?
How Does a Teacher Become National Board Certified?
To become a National Board Certified Teacher, candidates must complete a thorough, performance-based assessment, which takes about one-to-three years to complete. Teachers build a four-part portfolio that includes classroom student samples, coursework examples, two videotapes and in-depth written analysis of classroom teaching. Also, teachers take six timed tests on their knowledge of their subjects area.
Requirements to Become a Candidate
To be considered as a candidate, teachers must
- Possess a bachelor’s degree
- Complete three full years of teaching/counseling experience
- Possess a valid state teaching/counseling license for that period of time, or, if teaching where a license is not required, have taught in schools recognized and approved to operate by the state
Pros of Becoming a National Board Certified Teacher
- In the report Can Teacher Quality Be Effectively Assessed by Dan Goldhaber and Emily Anthony, the researchers consistently found that “NBPTS certification is successfully identifying effective teachers: NBPTS-certified teachers are more effective than unsuccessful NBPTS applicants and generally more effective than teachers who never applied to the program.”
- Goldhaber and Anthony report that all 50 states recognize the certification as a mark of distinction.
- Goldhaber and Anthony report that NBCT’s raise the quality of teaching and learning, especially for minority children.
- Goldhaber and Anthony report that NBCT’s remain in the profession longer, go on to help mentor new teachers and get involved in professional development.
- Under NCLB, becoming a NBCT meets most state’s definition of highly qualified.
- NBCT’s receive additional financial gains, such as yearly stipends from the state education department or extra pay from individual districts. For example, in Ohio, teachers receive a yearly stipend of $2500 for ten years from the Ohio Department of Education.
- Completion of certification process counts towards re-certification/CEU requirements or can be used towards college coursework in some colleges.
- The certification gives greater mobility in the job market.
- In Bess Keller's article "National Board: Challenged by Success?" in Education Week, she reports that those who have earned the credential said overwhelmingly that undergoing the National Board Certification process improved their practice.
Cons of Becoming a National Board Certified Teacher
- The time commitment and work involved to complete the process is substantial.
- The 2007 fee to participate is $2565. (Many states do offer financial support.)
- Critics in the report Can Teacher Quality Be Effectively argue that "there is little quantitative evidence to support the program's effects and leaves policymakers questioning if NBPTS is a good signal of teacher quality or a productive way to build the human capital of teachers."
- Goldhaber and Anthony reported that in 1999 only about 50 percent of first-time NBPTS applicants became certified, while about 90 percent of teachers typically pass states’ licensure exams (e.g. Praxis I or II) on the first try.
- Keller reports that critics argue that financial incentives used to motivate teachers to complete the process is not an intrinsic motivation. Some teachers just want the pay increase.
Many Have Successfully Completed the National Board Process
Teachers have been volunteering to complete the National Board Certification process since 1987. Almost 20 years has netted more than 55,000 National Board Certified Teachers across America. If trends continue, Keller reports that 2% of the nation's teachers will be National Board Certified.
Sources:
(2007). A Research Guide on National Board Certification of Teachers. Arlington, VA: National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
Goldhaber, D. & Anthony, E. (2006, January 10). Can teacher quality be effectively assessed?. Urban Institute, Retrieved October 31, 2007, from Urban Institute.
Keller, Bess (2007, August 10). The National Board: Challenged by Success?. Education Week, 26, Retrieved October 31, 2007 from Education Week.
