Hints for Writing for National Board

This blog post comes from Virginia Bartels.  Virginia is a renewed NBCT who works with me with the National Board Program.  Virginia was a high school English teacher so she is a great resource for hints and suggestions about writing National Board entries.  

When working on your written commentaries for National Board, it might be helpful to be reminded of the steps of writing:

prewrite, draft, revise, edit, polish, publish.

1.  Prewriting involves brainstorming, thinking, listing, and outlining. This preliminary stage consists of making choices.

2.  Drafting includes taking notes, playing with ideas, expanding an outline, and organizing thoughts into paragraphs. The focus is getting something "down on paper" or "up on the computer screen."  Do not concern yourself with perfection at this stage.

3.  Revising might include getting peer feedback, reading your writing aloud, conferencing in pairs or small groups, meditating, paraphrasing, condensing, expanding, and altering what you have written.  In this stage, you are concentrating on the content and its clarity, accuracy, and thoroughness.

4.  Editing addresses diction (word choice), order, sentence structure, and examples given.

5.  Polishing is primarily checking for the the last time the accuracy of mechanics, grammar, and spelling.  

6.  "Publishing" is the submission of your portfolio for those teachers who will read and score your work.

These six stages do not necessarily occur in this order.  Some stages might be skipped or blended into one another.  Sometimes the stages are not part of a one-time sequence but more of a cycle of repeated steps.

Extended Payment Plan and Eligibility Verfication

I was just talking with a candidate who is in the process of completing her eligibility verification packet.  I can't stress how important it is to get this taken care of early.  The deadline to submit your forms is January 31, 2013.  Candidates often put this off thinking they have plenty of time to get the forms completed and mailed to National Board.  Please don't wait!  The instructions can be somewhat confusing and you will be required to complete multiple forms if you have not taught in the same district for the last 3 years.    You can print the forms and instructions from the NB website at http://www.nbpts.org/become_a_candidate/eligibility_policies.

I also wanted to let you know that National Board is offering an extended payment plan if you agree to make your payments by electronic check.  The deadline for all fees to be paid will be extended from January 31, 2013 to March 15, 2013.  Please check out the information about this new option at http://www.nbpts.org/become_a_candidate/fees_financial_support/methods_of_payment.

Good luck and keep working!

Survived the First Week of School

Here's a funny blog post that may resonate with you.  It's titled "You Might Be In The First Week Of School If ..." and can be found at http://transformed.teachingquality.org/blogs/08-2012/you-might-be-first-week-school-if.  Have fun reading!  

National Support Awareness and Support Sessions

NB Candidate Support Workshops

In collaboration with National Board District Liaisons, the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement conducts informational workshops aimed to assist and guide National Board Candidates through the process of completing and submitting all portfolio entries and to help prepare candidates for the assessment center.

As workshops are scheduled throughout the year information will be posted on this page. For more information contact your local district's National Board Liaison.

CERRA Online Awareness, Support & Renewal Sessions

CERRA is proud to host a series of FREE online National Board awareness and support sessions.  The sessions will be facilitated by Jenna Hallman, NBCT and CERRA Program Director for National Board.  The session descriptions and meeting dates are listed below.  All sessions will be held online.   Please click on the link listed for the session you wish to attend.  You will be redirected to the GoToWebinar registration page.  You will receive the login instructions for your webinar once you complete the registration.  Please check your spam folder if you do not receive a confirmation email within 24 hours.  There is no need to register for multiple sessions on the same topic.  The information presented in each session will be the same. 

National Board Awareness and Support Sessions:

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National Board Awareness- Are you interested in learning more about the National Board process?  If so, this session is for you.  During our time together we will discuss the requirements of the process, the current legislation governing National Board supplements, the financial assistance available, and answer any questions you may have.  

• September 6th (4:00 - 5:15 pm) - Awareness:  https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/412882296
• October 4th (4:00 - 5:15 pm) - Awareness:  https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/987885880

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.

• September 18th (4:00 - 5:15 pm) - Renewal: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/902432233
• October 11th (4:00 - 5:15 pm) Renewal: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/664035049

Analyzing National Board Standards - The professional teaching standards for each NB certificate explain what an accomplished teacher knows and is able to do. This includes work in the classroom with students and work with parents, other professionals, and the community.  During this webinar, we will discuss strategies for analyzing the NB standards and applying them to your portfolio work.  Please have your NB standards available during the webinar.  

• September 13th (4:00 - 5:15 pm) - Analyzing Standards: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/152882001

Take One!  The National Board Take One! program allows educators to sample the National Board process by completing one pre-selected, video-based entry and submitting it to be scored.  Candidates can bank their scores for up to 3 years and apply these scores towards full certification.  All teachers are eligible for this process!  During the webinar, we will discuss the requirements of the process, the timelines, the CERRA statewide cohort option, and the fees associated with Take One!  

• September 27th (4:00 - 5:15 pm) Take One! Overview: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/200928992
• October 10th (4:00 - 5:15)  Take One! Overview: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/891501896

Last Year for Federal Subsidy Funds

South Carolina teachers have been fortunate enough to have financial assistance available to hep offset the cost of the NB process for a very long time.  When the SC General Assembly made the decision to end the NB loan program, we were able to collaborate with NBPTS and develop plans for providing Federal Subsidy grant and Friends of South Carolina scholarship funds to interested teachers.  We were aware that the Friends of SC funds were more than likely a one-time offer.  What we did not expect, was the end of the Federal Subsidy program.

Recently, CERRA was informed by NBPTS that the 2012-2013 NB cycle would probably be the last time Federal Subsidy funds would be offered to candidates.  There will be no subsidy funds available for candidates during the 2013-2014 cycle and future funds from this source are unlikely (at this time).

What does this mean?

• If you have already applied for Federal Subsidy funds, there is nothing you need to do.  Your funds have been or will be processed as long as your eligibility is confirmed.
• If you are interested in completing the National Board Certification process and need financial assistance, you need to apply this year.  We still have funds available!  Please see the information below.
• If you know any SC teachers who are eligible for this process, please let them know that this may be the very last year for financial assistance of this kind.  

Financial Assistance for NB Certification

Effective August 2010, National Board initial candidates are eligible to apply for Federal Subsidy Funds to help offset the costs associated with the National Board Certification process. South Carolina has been given a limited amount of Federal Subsidy money for initial candidates during the 2012-2013 National Board cycle.   Initial candidates may request $1250 which will be applied towards their National Board Certification fees. The application for Federal Subsidy Funds is only available online through CERRA. Federal Subsidy Funds are available on a first-come/first-served basis. Candidates who have received Federal Subsidy Funds to cover any previous certification attempts are not eligible for additional funds. Candidates who use Federal Subsidy money for initial certification will not be eligible to apply for Federal Subsidy Funds to cover the costs of any necessary retake entries. Candidates must have applied with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and have paid the $65 application processing charge and the $500 initial application fee before applying for the scholarship.

PLEASE NOTE:  FEDERAL SUBSIDY FUNDS WILL NOT BE OFFERED FOR THE 2013-2014 NATIONAL BOARD CYCLE.

The application for Federal Subsidy funds is available on the CERRA website at https://cerra.wufoo.com/forms/z7s9p9/.

Release Forms

As you prepare your classrooms for the start of school, let me remind you that this is the perfect time to start collecting release forms.  According to the NB portfolio instructions "You must have the parents/guardians of all students you plan to include in the video recording complete Student Release Forms before you make any video recordings. You must have any adults who will appear in the video recording (for example, teacher’s aides, parents, student teachers, or colleagues) sign an Adult Release Form prior to recording."

You can find a copy of the required release form in the forms section of your certificate specific portfolio instructions.  If you teach a self-contained class (meaning you have the same group of students all day) plan to send the release form home with every student.  If you teach different classes, you may want to choose 1-3 classes to focus on and then only send the form home with those students.  I strongly encourage you to write a letter and attach it to the form.  Be sure to explain what the NB process is, how it will benefit the students, and reassure the parents that YOU are the focus in the videos.  National Board will NOT evaluate or critique the students in any way.  If you are holding an Open House soon, plan to discuss the process at that time as well.

Don't be afraid to offer incentives for bringing back the signed form - regardless of whether or not the parent gives you permission to include their child in your video. 

Please see the message below from National Board.  The Friends of SC scholarship will cover $750 of the fees associated with going through this process.  In order to be eligible for this funding, you must be (1) a SC public school teacher; (2) have applied with National Board; and (3) already paid the $565 in initial fees.  This is basically "free" money as there is no repayment process.  Even if you do not certify, you do not have to pay the money back.  Please note that this pot of money is extremely limited and is available on a first-come, first-served basis.  National Board is administering these funds so please call National Board at 1-800-22-TEACH with any questions.  

On another note - CERRA still has Federal Subsidy money available.  Please visit our new website at www.cerra.org for information on how to apply for $1250 to help cover the costs associated with the NB process.  

Greetings!  Thank you for your interest in the National Board Scholarship Program.  Good news - we expect to open the 2012-2013 Scholarship Application on Monday, July 30.    Here are a few things you need to know before you submit your application:   If you've already applied for National Board candidacy or as a Take One! participant, you will need to login to My Profile and go to Fees and Payments for a link to the Scholarship Application. If you have not yet submitted a National Board candidate or Take One! application, you will need to login to My Profile to apply now.  You will have access to the Scholarship Application link once your completed application, including the $65 application processing charge for first-time candidates, has been submitted. Scholarships are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. If you are a first-time candidate for National Board Certification®, you must pay the nonrefundable $500 initial fee to be considered for a scholarship. As you look toward taking your career to the next level, know that National Board Certification is widely recognized as the highest credential in the teaching profession.    If you have any questions, please call 1-800-22TEACH between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. CST, Monday through Friday, to speak with a member of our Customer Support team.   Warm regards,   NBPTS Customer Support