After three years of service, teachers are eligible to apply for National Board Certification. Certification is granted to those teachers who can prove that they are highly competent in several areas of teaching. The application process is grueling; it requires lots of paperwork, videos of self- teaching, self-reflection and analysis, several tests, and many other time consuming tasks. The process takes a full year and then your application is presented to a group of judges who will decide if the teacher is qualified enough to be Nationally Board Certified. The goal is to award those excellent teachers who go above and beyond their standard call of duty in the education world.
The rewards for becoming certified are significant. In addition to a $3000.00 per year bonus from The District, the government annually awards National Board Certified teachers another $7000.00. Certified teachers can also teach in any other state within the United States, without being required to become recertified in that state- hence National Certification. (Usually, teacher certification is specific from state to state and you must take new certification tests if you move.) National Board Certification expires after ten years.
Several teachers from our school have pending applications to become National Board certified. Today is the day that their results came out. Today is the day that I learned that National Board Certification is a big fat joke on the American Public School System. Despite the program’s ambitious aim to reward stellar teachers, I realized today that lousy teachers can easily become certified, while great teachers can be rejected and ignored.
You don’t have to be an excellent teacher to become National Board Certified; you just have to create an excellent application portfolio. You can be a loser teacher and become certified! All you need is one good buddy who passed in a previous year to hand over their old portfolio, and then- voila! Throw in a few good videos of yourself teaching a lesson, rewrite your old buddy’s information to match your own, and there you have it- the prestige of being a National Board Certified teacher. What bullshit!
Mrs. Frankenstein, who thinks that Alaska is a part of Canada, passed the National Boards today. Esther, who confuses her students with stories of Harriet Tubman building a railroad and thinks that the word legal is a noun, has been a National Board Certified teacher for years. What a joke! On the other hand, wonderful teachers like Caroline, who engage their students on a regular basis and teach phenomenal lessons, are rejected for certification. How ridiculous! I can’t believe that the National Board Certification committee doesn’t realize the holes in their program.
I have lost all respect for those who brag about being certified. Losers can get certified and master teachers can be rejected. The title holds no true standard of excellence.
Of course, now that I have figured out the system, I will definitely apply for National Board Certification. (If I am still a teacher in three years!) Not for the prestige of the award, but because I want the money.
A hard day's work...
About Me
- The Cupcake Laws
- I teach at a small school, in rural South Carolina, where over 85% of the students come from families of poverty. The demands put on my everyday schedule can be tough, but my heart is in it for the children. I don't know how I feel about the administration, but I love those kids!
26 comments:
It's probably the biggest waste of money out there. If you want to improve your craft, go for a master's or doctorate. At least those don't have to be renewed every ten years.
I can't think of anything more idiotic than "national board certification." Good or great teaching is in the eye of the beholder. It can't be quantified in any way.
I love you for writing this post. My kid's 2nd grade teacher struts around school with his embroidered "National Board Certified" messenger bag like he's God's gift to the school and all I can think of is how many tens of thousands of dollars is this costing us taxpayers, multiplied by the hundred teachers in the district that are currently milking this program. I'm glad to hear a teacher call BS on this because it's an obvious fraud that depends more on putting together an impressive application package than being a good teacher. It's like all the schools in the district brag about being a blue ribbon school or a national school of distinction or some other title that you know has nothing to do with academics and everything to do with filling out a bunch of paperwork and checking all the right boxes.
Yeah but I know even more crap teachers with masters and degrees beyond. It's not a perfect system, nothing is. But it is a decent process if you put yourself in it. Just like anything, you only get out what you put in. As to the machiavellian fraudsters, well I'm sorry you have to witness it. Rather than go on anecdotal evidence, it would be nice if people judged the process with larger datasets. Like if you take 1000 random national board certified teachers and 1000 random un-national board certified, which group would have the greater amount of good/crap teachers? This whole "I know a guy" methodology that blogsters are jumping on only makes teachers look worse.
I was a Math Coach for a few years and worked at a school with two NBC teachers. One was excellent. The other was dismal. Of course, she was the one who wanted to go on to get an Admin credential.
When I asked the good teacher how in the world the other could have gone through the program, he replied that the whole thing is self reported. There is no validation of what is turned in.
Who pays for this? Any taxpayer money used?
As much as I enjoyed your wit throughout this post, I have to say that you should take action to correct this "bullshit" certification. I am currently one week away from submitting my portfolio, and I am horrified that after hundreds of hours of portfolio work, someone out there is just copying someone else's entries. There is a reporting line for people like you to call, but you must have firsthand knowledge of the offense. Both teachers referred to in your post would lose their certification in this case, as all sign a document swearing never to discuss or share the content of their entries. I know of a principal who has firsthand knowledge of an NBPTS teacher who actually wrote her colleague's entries for her. Why not report this? Then, teachers like myself who have put their whole lives on hold to endeavor toward certification can not be ridiculed and assumed to be milking the public education system. It is true that good teachers can fail and lousy teachers can pass. It is all about how you "present" your teaching. I can assure you that, if taken seriously, this program does improve one's teaching. I am in my 6th year teaching, and this program has exposed so many of the things I need to improve. I am not perfect, but I want to be better. I think that it was national certification is all about--realizing your strengths and weaknesses, reflecting on how to more effective, and putting change into action. The teachers who are excellent educators yet fail certification are in a troubling spot. They either don't test well (you have to take 6 tests back to back, and you don't get to know what is being tested other than a general category name), aren't answering the questions specifically enough, or haven't done enough outside the regular school day to prove clearly and convincingly that they are a teacher leader in their building. They can always bank their top scores and redo a smaller portion. Please don't be so hard on the program, because it is very discouraging to the teachers who really deserve their certification. Also, report the scammers to keep the program reputable!
This year is the 1st year they are all submitting boards portfolios online. If the government is smart, they will bank all entries in a database so all future candidate papers will be cross-referenced for plagiarism.
Certification in every field is a money making business and they will "make up" a certification in pretty much any type of job you want. It does NOTHING.
Nurses are some of the best customers for "certification." We all take the same National test to become RN's and then you basically end up in the field you're attracted to. One of the biggest lies is that you need a bachelors degree to get anywhere, where it's published, very well, that a BSN nurse makes about a thousand dollars more on average than an Associates Degree nurse. And you can still get an RN without a college education by attending a hospital based program.
As a Nationally Board Certified teacher who put in many extra hours of work to earn the designation, I challenge you to attempt certification yourself before you make judgments. You will soon see the process is much more difficult than you think it is.
I recently applied for renewal and was denied. I am shocked. 97% pass rate, and I am of the 3% that failed?!?! Is there anyone out there that has ever appealed a NB decision?
I agree with Erin. I'm in my 6th year of teaching high school. I just received my certification (announced on 11/23). I put in a ridiculous amount of time and work. I didn't make it the first time. I attempted it again and made it the second time. The process is arduous but worth it if YOU are willing to put in the time and effort. For me it wasn't about the money - it was a goal I set for myself. Now I'm on to my master's degree.
I can't believe the amount of bureaucracy and flaming hoops you need to jump through in the education field. It's almost as if you need to get a signature from Jesus Christ in order to receive certification. And I'm sick of hearing teachers claiming how "easy" it is to become a teacher and how teachers are in such "high demand." They don't know what the h.e. double hockey sticks they're talking about!
I merely came across the page looking for something else related to National Boards and the whole post just makes me sad. I'm sorry that you have had an unpleasant experience working with National Board Certified Teachers. I have had the complete opposite experience. I just submitted my portfolio after working (blood, sweat, and tears) all year with an inspiring cohort of teachers from my school. Are they all "stellar" teachers? No. And I'll be the first to admit I certainly am not, either. But what this process did for me (besides, yes, being a bullshit amount of paperwork) is help me reflect on my teaching, hold me accountable for what I do in my classroom everyday, and give me a new amount of respect for anybody (good or bad) who goes through the process. It's grueling, there's a lot of details, but it is what you make it! I wouldn't trade the epxerience. But a bit of advice: while the money is a nice perk, this is DEFINITELY NOT WORTH IT. Do it because you want to TAKE BACK OUR PROFESSION. WE are the professionals, WE are the leaders in the field....I remember my first years when I was equally as jaded as you seem to be. Stick it out, ride the wheel, make a change.
Failure number two for me on National Board Certification. What follows will hopefully be viewed as cautionary words of advice and wisdom, not as sour grapes. I truly believe that passing or failing the hoop jumping nightmare of board certification is absolutely no indication of teaching aptitude, subject knowledge, Common Core Standard fidelity, teamwork, collegiality, leadership, love of the job or passion for and understanding of students. It is merely an indication that you have the ability to answer the myriad parts of the process in a way that the reader-of-the-day feels is "acceptable." Perhaps, with luck, you will pass this most un-noteworthy process with flying colors. Sadly, and unlike a few of you, I found this to be the opposite of a learning or growth experience. Time spent endlessly plowing through hundreds of pages of obtusely worded directions or trying to cram thoughts and ideas into x amount of words could have been so much more fruitfully spent developing lessons and units, attending worthwhile lectures or workshops, and taking a few well-earned evenings or weekends off to get together with loved-ones and friends. I am flummoxed, flabbergasted and quite literally gobsmacked that someone with 2 Masters Degrees (GPAs of 3.98 and 4.0), 14 years teaching experience, and countless letters of thanks and commendation from parents, teachers and administrators could have not passed. National Board Certification-deprived I may be, but I look forward to many more eventful and productive years of teaching. Thank goodness student respect and love of learning does not hinge on 4 more letters after my name.
These posts are very interesting. I just got my scores for my second attempt and failed again. This was after I had teachers who had passed read my entries before I submitted for the second time. They went through them with a fine tooth comb and made a lot of suggestions and I still didn't pass. I am considered a master teacher in my district after instigating growth in my area after many cuts had been made in my field in programs and personnel. I could not possibly be doing more for my district or field. Even the National Board Certified teachers who read my entries could not help raise my score significantly. My administrator thinks it is a scam.
Sour grapes from a failed hater. I got mine on the first try. Our district pays 5k. I did it for the money and the experience. Sorry you're not smart enough to put together a passable portfolio. Maybe if you spent less time blogging, and more time improving your practice?
My thoughts exactly.
I came out of the National Board process a much better teacher than I was before going into it. Also, the "bonuses" you speak of vary from district to district. And I'm not sure where your information concerning "the government awarding National Board certified teachers $7000 annually" comes from because that has never been true in my case.
I came across this post while trying to find some honest advice or opinions about getting certified. Here is some honesty....I am in my 8th year of teaching. I have to start thinking long term about my future as this is not my first career path. I'm in my 40's and I have to think about retirement and being able to LIVE on it. So, i'm trying to find a way to boost my salary. For all of you haters and trollers....I teach in NC which is statistically one of the lowest paying states in NC. So....National Board is definitely a way to boost my salary. It makes more financial sense long term than getting a Master's degree. Some of these comments scare me to death. If I understand the process correctly, you only have 3 attempts to resubmit a section and then you're out? And it boils down primarily to my ability to write? OMG....this isn't helping to ease my anxiety. I appreciate this person's honesty in showing her anxiety about playing the game to get certified. And it is exactly that.....a GAME.
I've been teaching for twelve years. I am highly regarded in my building and district as a professional; my students make higher than average gains in their proficiency levels. I have a master's degree and several certifications. I've invested, heavily, in my own professional advancement. Most importantly, my students make higher than average progress each year.
That being said, I did not pass my Boards. I tried twice. Other teachers in my district have passed, and many of them are highly proficient, exemplary educators. Others are not. My main fault with the process is the lack of feedback and generic rubrics. I would challenge the powers that be to defend their denial of my certification; however, I will not pay $500 for them to simply reject my appeal. I am suspicious of the process.
I too have colleagues who cajoled NBC teachers in my building into writing their submissions for them, hanging on them for every little detail to the point where I question the authenticity of their submissions.
My faith in the process is extremely low. I see it as a scam where they accept/pass only a specified percentage of applicants. Their process flies in the face of authentic learning. No worthwhile educator would provide the kind of feedback that the Board provides and expect improvement.
I do see value in the process. I did see improvement between my first submission and the second submission. The fact that my second submission still did not meet the cut off score is a red flag. Again, I think the Board should have to defend their reasons for scoring portfolios the way they do.
Could I be biased? Yes, I could be; however, I am also being reflective. At best, the screening process is extremely flawed and perhaps fraudulent to a certain degree; at worst, it's a scam. I can say for certain that I will not give the Board one more cent.
I am waiting for results to come in. I have spent a minimum of 400 hours on my portfolios this year. And I learned a lot.
If any have firsthand knowledge of cheating, please call the NBCT helpline to report it. 1-800-22TEACH.
I am also waiting to find out if I certified based on the new guidelines and cut scores this year. I agree that cheating should be reported so it can be addressed and monitored. No system is perfect. I have found the NB certification process helpful in refining my teaching, though not necessarily life-changing. That may be due to the many other experiences that shaped my 20 years as a teacher before I decided to go for NBCT. I have tried during this process to do what augments my lessons, to be true to my students first and to NB expectations second (for example, to avoid short-shrifting my students by asking myself "is this an educationally sound choice for them and also helpful to my NB portfolio entry?"). I don't want to hyperfocus on NB at the expense of my students, a concern I feel whenever I go on any of the NB facebook groups.
It was my choice to do NB, and I will make my next choice after the scores come out in December. Lot of hard work, some strong learning, and a healthy dose of concern about the integrity of the process.
If you know of any cheating, please help clean up the NB process and report it at 1-800-22-TEACH. If you're waiting for results, good luck, I am right there with you!
The National Board is not connected to the government.
must comment anonymously, because I work in a small rural district and my family name is uncommon.
I agree that the NBCT can be a total joke. This will sound very conceited, but most parents, admins, peers, and, most of all, students say I am their best and favorite teacher. I was was the graduation speaker four times in 26 years. I could give other examples of being a good teachers in many other areas; I am just trying to say that I am not what commenter called a "loser." And guess what? I failed the NBCT process the first time through.
I have to renew in the next two years and I am terrified of the process. Learning I failed was the third most devastating piece of news I ever received. Right now, I just saw the person who is widely acknowledged as the worst teacher in our district successfully renew her NBCT. What if I fail? I will not go in details about my professional outreach, since I can't take chances in being identified, but I am working and doing well in that area, while this teacher spends class time to shop on Amazon and post racists comments on Facebook, but now I must try to pass under her eyes and snide comments?
Yes, I feel that the NBCT process is not proof of quality. If you try hard at it you will learned valuable lessons; just don't be stupid like me and think passing or failing calibrates your qualities as a teacher.
There seems to be a great deal of misinformation here.
1. You can't share your work once you've submitted it. If you do, you can lose your certification - I've seen it happen. Once you've submitted work it becomes the property of NBPTS. If you know someone is doing this, it is your obligation to take the proper steps.
2. NOT every state / district gives stipends or salary bumps. In some states, it's district by district, others there may be a state benefit, others - nothing
3. The process is VOLUNTARY - So, if you think it's a sham, then don't go through with it.
4. Just because someone who achieved read your work and said it was great means nothing. Did you present EVIDENCE? Did you follow ALL instructions (including how to submit student work samples electronically? - I know a candidate that got a score of 1 - because directions weren't followed when submitting work) Did you answer the questions - even the ones they seem to ask over and over - with a twist. It's the twist that will get you every time.
5. The "reader of the day" of your work is a highly trained, low paid teacher in your certification area. So - be careful - that person scoring your entry could be sitting next to you at your next department meeting.
6. Just because parents and students think you are "all that" doesn't mean you are NB material. I have plenty of parents who request that I have their kids and plenty who request I don't have them - Because I will hold their child accountable and I won't fudge on grades etc. I'm sure some parents would love me if I changed the 50 to 70 at their request - But I won't.
7. The certification is based on the 5 core propositions. Learn them. Know them. Understand them in practice. Be able to identify them in the video you submit and the student work samples
8. The questions you will answer are based on your certification area standards - These are NOT state standards in your subject, but they are ARE teaching standards- written by teachers, for teachers. Know them, Understand them in practice. Be able to identify them in the questions so you know how to respond to those questions.
It took me more than once to certify in the older process. I was frustrated and angry. However, I pulled up by big girl pants and got my crap together and got it done.
I don't regret it. I now work with candidates and learn so much from them. I've met colleagues around the state and the country that amaze me. I've been given opportunities that never would have happened (writing next gen standards in my cert area for my state, sitting on state-wide committees, etc). I know that the process makes me think differently about my approach in the classroom - In a positive way.
NBCT is owned and operated by the Pearson Publishing. It's a cash cow for that conglomerate and after 16-yes- 16 years of teaching, I can tell you that it does NOTHING to help your practice. I went through the whole process and attest to the accuracy of the "bullshit" label. However, if you think letters after your name make you a better teacher, then this is for you. If you think writing on people's blog post about how much time you put into getting letters after your name makes you a better teacher, then this is for you. If you care about kids, your community and your career, you won't waste your money.
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