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##  National Board for Professional Teaching Standards' National Teacher            Certification. ERIC Digest.                                                  

In 1983, public concern about the state of American education was               sharply heightened by the issuance of a federal report titled A                 Nation at Risk: The Imperative of Educational Reform.  With                     statements like, "If an unfriendly foreign power had attempted to               impose on America the mediocre educational performance that exists              today, we might well have viewed it as an act of war," many                     educators, parents, business executives and legislators awoke to the            economic and social consequences of an education system failing to              keep pace with a changing American and global society. 
In response            to A Nation at Risk, the Carnegie Forum on Education and the Economy            established the Task Force on Teaching as a Profession "in                      recognition of the central role teachers play in the quality of                 education."  The charge to the task force was to critically examine             teaching as a profession and present its findings and policy                    recommendations in a report to the American people.  In 1986, the               task force fulfilled that charge by issuing A Nation Prepared:                  Teachers for the 21st Century.  Chief among the task force's                    recommendations for making teaching "a profession of well-educated              teachers prepared to assume new powers and responsibilities to                  redesign schools for the future" was to create a National Board for             Professional Teaching Standards that would establish high standards             for what teachers need to know and be able to do, and to certify                teachers who meet those standards.  The task force did not see                  national certification as a replacement for individual state                    licensing.  Rather, they believed that for teaching to successfully             transition from an occupation to a true profession in the eyes of               the public, it needed to codify the knowledge and specific expertise            required by experienced teachers, and then recognize those teachers             who demonstrated that expertise. MISSIONIn 1987, in direct                response to the task force's recommendation, the National Board for             Professional Teaching Standards (the National Board or NBPTS) was               founded.  The mission of the National Board was to be three-fold: to            establish high and rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers            should know and be able to do; to develop and operate a national                voluntary system to assess and certify teachers who meet these                  standards; and to advance related education reforms for the purpose             of improving student learning in America's schools. 
The National              Board's system of advanced teacher certification differs from                   state-level teacher licensing and certification in several important            ways.  First, a state's teaching license, required to teach within              its jurisdiction, indicates that the licensee has satisfied a                   minimum level of requirements defined by the state, generally                   equivalent to entry-level teaching ability.  By contrast, National              Board Certification is a voluntary certification process intended               for experienced teachers to demonstrate their advanced level of                 teaching skills and abilities.  Second, state licensing standards               vary from state to state, while National Board standards are uniform            across the nation.  Finally, teachers seeking National Board                    Certification are measured against a set of standards established by            experienced teachers, teacher educators, and subject-matter experts             in specific teaching fields. STANDARDS FOR ACCOMPLISHED                       TEACHINGIn 1991, the National Board issued its initial policy               statement, Toward High and Rigorous Standards for the Teaching                  Profession: Initial Policies and Perspectives of the National Board             for Professional Teaching Standards.  That statement identified the             five core propositions on which all of the National Board's work is             founded: 
  *  Teachers are committed to students and their                    learning, 
  *  Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to               teach those subjects to students, 
  *  Teachers are responsible               for managing and monitoring student learning, 
  *  Teachers think             systematically about their practice and learn from experience,                  and 
  *  Teachers are members of learning communities. 
Using                these five core propositions as a foundation, the National Board                focused on developing content standards for each certificate field              in which the National Board would certify teachers.  From the                   beginning, the National Board believed that a single certificate                suggesting that "its holder is proficient in teaching all subjects              to all students of all ages is unwarranted" (NBPTS, 1991, p. 41).               Consequently, NBPTS established a certificate framework that                    included 31 certification fields that are identified by the                     developmental age of the children and the subject matter being                  taught.  Today, the National Board's certificate framework includes             the following certificate fields: 
  *  Early Childhood (ages                  3-8) - Generalist 
  *  Middle Childhood (ages 7-12) - Generalist,             English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social                         Studies-History 
  *  Early and Middle Childhood (ages 3-12) - Art,            English Language Arts, English as a New Language, Guidance and                  Counseling, Library/Media Specialist, Music, Physical Education, and            World Languages Other than English 
  *  Early Adolescence (ages               11-15) - Generalist, English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science,               and Social Studies-History 
  *  Adolescence and Young                         Adulthood (ages 14-18+) - English Language Arts, Mathematics,                   Science, and Social Studies-History 
  *  Early Adolescence through            Young Adulthood (ages 11-18+) - Art, World Languages Other than                 English, Guidance and Counseling, Music, Physical Education, Health,            English as a New Language, and Career and Technical Education 
  *             Early Childhood through Young Adulthood - Exceptional Needs                     Specialist (birth to 21+) and Library/Media (3-18+) 
As of November            2001, the National Board has standards available for 26 certificate             fields; the development of standards in five remaining certificate              fields is underway.  The National Board views its standards as                  living documents that are meant to evolve along with the teaching               fields they address.  Therefore, all National Board standards are               reviewed and revised on a regular cycle. A PERFORMANCE-BASED                  ASSESSMENT SYSTEMWith each standards document as a foundation,              the National Board works closely with a team of experienced teachers            and assessment development experts to develop the performance-based             assessment that will be the basis for awarding National Board                   Certification.  All teacher developers are identified through a peer            merit review process. From the beginning, the National Board has                been committed to developing an assessment that is performance-based            that also serves as a professional development opportunity for                  teachers. 
1991-1996 
Assessments developed for and delivered                 during the first three assessment cycles were developed by                      individual Assessment Development Laboratories (ADLs).  All of the              assessments adhered to a common two-component model, but varied in              the number and type of exercises that made up each component.  The              two components of each assessment were the school-site portfolio and            the assessment center.  For those early assessments, the ADLs worked            closely with an advisory group of measurement specialists known as              the Technical Analysis Group (TAG). They developed and field-tested             exercises that focused on portfolio documentation of practice, as               well as classroom observation gathered through videotaped segments              of classroom instruction and on-site classroom                                  visits. 
1997-2000 
Beginning with the 1996-97 assessment                     administration, the National Board moved all of its assessment                  development and delivery activities to a single general contractor:             Educational Testing Service (ETS).  At that time the National Board             also adopted a uniform assessment structure across all of its                   certificates.  This uniform assessment structure included a                     school-site portfolio that contained six entries - four                         classroom-based entries and two Documented Accomplishments Entries              that focused on the teachers' work outside the classroom. Further,              for every assessment, two of the classroom-based entries focused on             student work samples and two used videotaped segments of the                    teachers' classroom instruction as the primary source of evidence.              The two Documented Accomplishments Entries focused on the teachers'             work outside their classrooms - with their professional communities,            families, and their local communities - and how that work served to             advance student learning. All six entries in the portfolio centered             on a Written Commentary in which the teachers would describe,                   analyze and reflect on how their teaching practice, as reflected in             the evidence they presented, met the National Board's standards for             accomplished practice. 
The second component of the assessment                 focused on four 90-minute subject matter specific prompts delivered             to the teachers at a secure assessment center site.  These prompts              were designed to tap the teachers' depth and breadth of content                 knowledge, as well as their knowledge of how to teach that content              to students of a specific developmental level. 
2001-Present 
The             portfolios for the next generation of assessments include three                 classroom-based entries; two of which require teachers to videotape             classroom interactions, and one of which requires teachers to                   collect and submit student work samples. Each portfolio entry                   requires a Written Commentary describing, analyzing, and reflecting             on how the evidence provided demonstrates the teachers'                         accomplishment with respect to the National Board's Standards. 
In             addition to completing the classroom-based entries, most certificate            areas require the teachers to complete an entry in which they                   document their work outside the classroom; with families and the                larger community, and with colleagues and the larger profession. In             this entry, which emphasizes the quality of the teachers'                       contributions rather than the quantity, teachers are asked to show              evidence of their accomplishments and comment on the impact and                 importance of these accomplishments for student learning. 
The                 assessment center component of the next generation assessments                  consist of six 30-minute exercises that focus on teachers' content              knowledge and their knowledge of how to teach that content to                   students at the specific developmental level.  The assessment                   exercises will continue to be computer-administered at more than 300            secure testing centers across the United States. DOCUMENTING THE              IMPACTAs of November 2001, a total of 16,030 teachers across the            United States have earned National Board Certification.  That number            is expected to grow to nearly 100,000 by 2006.  As the research and             development work for the standards and assessment winds down, the               National Board is refocusing its research agenda on the impact of               National Board Certification and National Board Certified                       Teachers (NBCTs) on quality teaching and improved student learning              in America's schools.  The first of these studies, The Certification            System of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards: A             Construct and Consequential Validity Study (Bond, et al., 2000)                 provides strong initial evidence that the National Board's                      certification system does identify teachers who are significantly               more expert in their teaching practices and whose students achieve              deeper understanding of the content being taught. 
Through two                 recent studies the National Board has begun to document the positive            impact that the NBPTS certification process has on teachers.  These             studies show that teachers who participate in the National Board's              certification process-whether as candidates or assessors-find that              the process: (1) is an excellent professional development                       experience; (2) has a strong effect on their teaching practice;                 and (3) has a positive effect on their students and their                       interactions with other teachers, administrators, and                           communities (NBPTS, 2001a, 2001b).  In coming years the National                Board will continue to support research that will evaluate,                     validate, and advanceits work. REFERENCESBond, L., Smith, T.              W., Baker, W. K., & Hattie, J. A. (2000). The certification system              of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards: A                    construct and consequential validity study. Greensboro, NC: Center              for Educational Research and Evaluation. 
Carnegie Task Force on               Teaching as a Profession. (1986). A nation prepared: Teachers for               the 21st century.  New York: Author. 
National Board for                       Professional Teaching Standards. (1991). Toward high and rigorous               standards for the teaching profession. Initial policies and                     perspectives of the National Board for Professional Teaching                    Standards.  (3rd ed.).  Detroit, MI: Author. 
National Board for               Professional Teaching Standards. (2001a).  The impact of National               Board Certification on teachers: A survey of National Board                     Certified Teachers and assessors.  Arlington, VA: Author. 
National            Board for Professional Teaching Standards. (2001b).  The benefits of            the National Board Certification process for teachers: A survey of              teachers seeking National Board Certification.  Arlington, VA:                  Author. 
National Commission on Excellence in Education. (1983).  A            nation at risk: The imperative of educational reform.  Washington,              DC: U.S. Department of Education. 
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This project has been               funded at least in part with Federal funds from the U.S. Department             of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, under             contract number ED-99-COO-0007.  The content of this publication                does not necessarily reflect the views of or policies of the U.S.               Department of Education nor does mention of trade names, commercial             products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.         **Title:** National Board for Professional Teaching Standards' National Teacher            Certification. ERIC Digest.                                                  **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** ERIC Clearinghouse on Teaching and Teacher Education, American                  Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, 1307 New York Ave.,              N.W., Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005-4701. Tel: 202-293-2450; Tel:             800-822-9229 (Toll Free); e-mail: [email protected]. For full text:               http://www.ericsp.org.                                                       **Descriptors:** Educational Quality, Elementary Secondary Education,  National                  Standards,  National Teacher Certification, Performance Based                   Assessment,  Teacher Competencies, Teacher Evaluation, Teaching                 Skills                                                                       **Identifiers:** ERIC Digests,  National Board for Professional Teaching Standards            
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