Upcoming National Board Sessions

National Board Renewal Workshop - This session is designed for NBCTs completing their 7th or 8th year of certification. During our time together, we will discuss the renewal process including timelines for registration and entry submission and the current legislation governing renewal.

• Monday, January 28th, 2013 - REGISTER TODAY

Writing for National Board - As a National Board candidate you will be expected to provide clear, consistent, and convincing evidence demonstrating that you are an accomplished teacher.  This workshop will help you learn to unpack the National Board prompts and differentiate between the types of writing required for the various parts of your entries.  We will review descriptive, analytical, and reflective writing and relate these to the instructional context, planning for instruction, analyzing instruction, and reflecting components of your entries.

• Thursday, January 17th, 2013 - REGISTER TODAY

National Board Support: Student Assessment - National Board values student assessment because it informs what is taught next and the instructional methods used.  In this webinar we will discuss formative and sumative assessment, multiple intelligence theory, and how this all relates to your work as a National Board candidate.  

• Thursday, January 24th, 2013 - REGISTER TODAY

Documented Accomplishments: Entry 4 for all NB certificates asks candidates to document their accomplishments beyond the explicit instruction that occurs in their classroom. Candidates should discuss their role as a learner, collaborator/partner, and leader with families, other professionals, and the community. During the webinar, we will discuss the requirements for this entry and the share hints and suggestions for selecting appropriate accomplishments.

• Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013 - REGISTER TODAY
• Thursday, January 31st, 2013 - REGISTER TODAY

2013 PSTA Candidate Support Workshops

Once again, PSTA will offer professional development workshops for the National Board Certification candidates across the Palmetto State. These workshops are designed to support first-time candidates and National Board Certified Teachers who have applied to renew certificates. All workshops will be led by Brett DeLoach Vaugh, who achieved certification in 2001 and has renewed her certificate. She has conducted candidate support workshops and trainings for candidates, district liaisons, and candidate support providers in South Carolina for ten years. She administered the NB Loan Program at CERRA from August 2007 until she returned to the classroom  in August 2009.

All workshops will be held on Saturdays (10:00am-2:00pm) in Columbia, SC

PSTA Members: $25   Non-members: $50   Includes registration, resources, and lunch

Register EARLY online: www.palmettoteachers.org (Seating limited)

 

Date	Topic	Materials Needed*	Registration Deadline
January 5, 2013 (ReTake Candidates Only)	Understanding the Retake Process	Portfolio Instructions, Videotaping Instructions Scoring Guide	December 18, 2012
January 26, 2013	Student Assessment; Analyzing Student Work	Portfolio Instructions, Scoring Guide	January 2, 2013
March 2, 2013	The Home Stretch, Final Tips as you complete the portfolio	Portfolio Instructions, Scoring Guide	February 16, 2013
April 27, 2013	Preparing for the Assessment	Assessment Center Scoring Guide, Assessment at Glance, Standards	April 13, 2013

Quick Notes

I wanted to share a few random thoughts.

First, I spoke with NB on Tuesday and they confirmed that they will NOT accept VHS tapes this year.  All videos must be submitted in DVD format.  Please refer to your portfolio instructions for specific information related to formatting DVDs.

Second, NB has stated that the authorization to test (ATT) document, which you need in order to schedule your assessment center exercises, will be mailed in mid-February.  Please make sure you look at this document carefully.  Your name must match your license exactly.  Take some time to ensure that the certificate area listed on the ATT is correct as well.

Third, NB has not been able to release any money to help candidates cover the cost of retakes this year.  The state of SC has never covered retakes for candidates - we have always made the Federal Subsidy money from NB available to candidates.  Unfortunately, I do not know of any funding sources for retake at this time.

Finally, please understand that your district is given the right to make the final decision about how and when your supplement will appear in your paychecks.  For the 2012 NBCTs, NB just released names publicly on January 8th.  The state is sending money to your district.  Your district will decide if they will back pay to the beginning of the year or divide your supplement among the remaining paychecks.

Keep working everyone!

Message from National Board

Dear National Board candidate,

In mid December, we notified you that My Profile would be unavailable for system testing and upgrades beginning December 21, with an expected reopening on January 7.  While we will begin processing all payments and materials received during the outage the week of January 7, we will not open My Profile externally until January 14. This means that when you access My Profile on January 14, your account will reflect the most current payment and eligibility status.

For candidates who need to make a payment or submit an application, know that we have adjusted all deadlines to accommodate the outage.  

Submission	Published Deadline	Extended Deadline
Applications for anyone interested in applying for National Board Certification or Take One!	December 31, 2012	January 31, 2013
Applications for NBCTs applying to renew	January 31, 2013	February 28, 2013
Initial Payment for first-time candidates	December 31, 2012	January 31, 2013
Eligibility verification forms for first-time candidates	January 31, 2013	February 28, 2013
Full payment for National Board Certification and Advanced candidates, Renewal and Take One! participants	January 31, 2013	February 28, 2013

The Customer Support team at 1-800-22TEACH will be available during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., CST.  As always, we remain at your service and look forward to assisting you in any way possible.      
    

Sincerely,

National Board Customer Support 

Congratulations to the new cohort of NBCTs!

Editors Note: Additional data can be found at http://www.cerra.org/nationalboard/data.aspx

291 SC educators earn National Board Certification

ROCK HILL — South Carolina remains third in the nation for the total number of National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) after 291 South Carolina educators representing 39 school districts earned National Board Certification (NBC) in 2012, according to data released today by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).

There are now over 100,000 NBCTs in the United States. With the addition of this new group of NBCTs, South Carolina increases its total to 8,436, trailing only North Carolina and Florida.

Richland School District Two set the pace for the state with 35 teachers achieving National Board Certification in 2012. Richland School District One had 25 and Horry and Greenville tied at 21 to round out the top three. Richland Two now leads the state for the most NBCTs all-time with 654. Greenville is a close second at 646. Other state leaders include Charleston (488), Lexington Five (431) and Horry (418).

Teachers seeking National Board Certification undertake a two-part process that takes from one to three years to complete. The process requires candidates to reflect on their classroom practices, assess their understanding of subject material and examine their preparation techniques. In addition to preparing a portfolio with videotapes of classroom teaching, lesson plans, student work samples and reflective essays, teachers must complete assessment center exercises based on content knowledge that prove they have mastered the subjects they teach and also possess the skills to teach them.

“I feel the NBC process is a wonderful professional development opportunity and that all teachers should go through it. The hope is that every teacher will succeed and receive certification, but the process is definitely a time of growth for all that participate,” said Michelle Stempniak, a new NBCT who teaches music at Midway Elementary School of Science and Engineering in Anderson School District Five.

The Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA) provides numerous National Board awareness sessions and an array of candidate support workshops to assist educators in the process of certification. Their infrastructure of support also includes a district liaison in each of the state’s 84 school districts and collaboration with other state agencies including the State Department of Education, The South Carolina Education Association, and the Palmetto State Teachers Association.

“The NBC process was a very intense time of self-reflection and evaluation. It was a lot of work, but the support system was incredibly helpful including the NBC printed material, NBPTS home office and the CERRA office,” Stempniak added.

“The process helped me to be even more intentional and focused in knowing my students, planning, instructing, assessing, evaluating and setting new goals. It forced me to analyze and critique every aspect of my teaching. It encouraged me to strengthen my weaknesses by searching out materials to read and people to talk to so I could gain better insight and new ideas to meet the needs of the children in my classroom.”

According to information provided by NBPTS, a recent report by Harvard’s Strategic Data Project found that NBCTs in Los Angeles public schools, the nation’s second-largest school district, significantly outperformed their peers with the same level of experience.

“These latest data illustrate what education policymakers already know. Teachers who become National Board Certified are highly effective and strengthen student achievement,” said National Board President and CEO Ron Thorpe. “They demonstrate the powerful impact that accomplished teachers have daily in their classrooms.”

In 2000, CERRA was charged by the South Carolina General Assembly to administer the South Carolina National Board Certification Loan Program for teachers choosing to pursue National Board Certification. The loan program was disbanded three years ago, however, private and federal funds with minimal cost to the applicant were available to this year’s cohort. Teachers interested in pursuing the certification for the 2013-14 National Board cycle can access further information on the CERRA Website at www.cerra.org.

About the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards:

The mission of the National Board is to advance student learning and achievement by establishing the definitive standards and systems for certifying accomplished educators, providing programs and advocating policies that support excellence in teaching and leading, and engaging National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) and leaders in that process.

The National Board seeks to elevate the status, voice, and role of accomplished teachers in shaping a true profession. This includes: 1) raising public awareness with respect to the cognitive complexity, collaborative, and expertise-driven nature of teachers' work; 2) setting higher standards for entry, advancement, and leadership in the profession; and 3) recognizing accomplished teaching through a rigorous professional certification process comparable to those found in other professions such as medicine, engineering, and law.

Since 1987, more than 100,000 teachers have achieved National Board Certification.

About the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, & Advancement:

CERRA, an independent state agency located on the campus of Winthrop University, is the oldest and most established teacher recruitment program in the country. The purpose of CERRA is to provide collaborative leadership in the recruitment, retention, and advancement of outstanding educators for all children in South Carolina. CERRA’s programs have been adopted at school, district and state levels in more than 30 states in the United States. More information about the Center and its programs is available at www.cerra.org. You can now follow CERRA on Facebook (cerrasc), Twitter (cerrasc) and YouTube (cerrasc).