Teachers back in school

by Kylee Scmuck
December 16, 2009

Are some of our teachers heading back to school? Well, not exactly - but they are attempting the National Board Certification. The teachers attempting the certification are Mr. Katz, Mr. Zeichner, Ms. Mersch, Ms. McCluskey, and Ms. Ruzyki.

National Board Certification is a voluntary assessment program that is designed to spot great teachers and then make those teachers better. While every teacher in the state has reached the basic set of requirements those teachers with National Board Certification demonstrate advanced knowledge and skill.

These five teachers will need to create an in depth portfolio including one classroom based entry with accompanying student work, two classroom based entries with video recordings, and a documented accomplishment entry. There are also several other requirements. Students in these teachers’ classes have already signed permission slips to be videotaped. At the end the teachers have to attempt the certification they will take a test. The social studies test for example combines different eras and places into one large social studies content test.

The great thing for our teachers attempting the National Board Certification is that in Washington state there are meetings in which teachers from all over the area meet to discuss how their doing as well as to attend ‘classes’. Twice a month they attend 2 hour classes at a local school. Once a month they have a 3 hour class at the University of Washington.

The teachers seem very excited about the possibility of becoming National Board certified. They have all talked about the certification in each of their classes. They know it may take a lot of work, but they are willing to commit. As to why they chose to attempt the certification, it varies from teacher to teacher. Mr. Zeichner said he decided to attempt the certification because, “I’m always looking for ways to improve my teaching.” The time commitment is shaping up to be a slight problem for these teachers. They all have admitted they are busy this year. “ [My least favorite part of attempting the certification ] the enourmess amount of work on top of the regular school work load.” Said Ms. Ruzycki.

The benefits of a school with teachers that are National Board Certified are numerous. There are also plenty of benefits for the teachers who become certified. For the school as a whole it’s a more general benefit. When you have stronger teachers those strong teachers help students learn. As many teachers believe, student success is directly related to the quality of their teachers so if the teachers improve their teaching then the student success will therefore increase as well. As for personal benefits for teachers who become certified, the list includes a stipend for 10 years. The stipend serves as a motivator for most teachers.

So next time you Mr. Katz, Mr. Zeichner, Ms. Mersch, Ms. McCluskey, or Ms. Ruzyki tell them great job and commend them for their determination in the attempt to become National Board Certified. And if you would like more information on the National Board Certification visit www.nbpts.org or contact any of the teachers attempting the certification.