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Part I
Choosing Your Destination
National Board Certification is an incredible journey. Teachers who have made informed decisions to enter the process have almost universally indicated that although the process wasn’t an easy one, it was one of the most rewarding professional experiences of their lives. No matter how accomplished they thought they were going into the process, almost all of them talk about how they grew as teachers while journeying through it. Is the National Board Certification credential an appropriate destination for you at this time?
Whenever considering a new destination it is always a good idea to collect as much information as possible about that destination as well as the requirements of the journey leading to it. Once you have collected all of the facts and compared them to your personal expertise and circumstance, you will be in a position to make an informed decision.
Information in this part of the book is designed to help you gather information about accomplished teaching as defined by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, the requirements of the journey toward National Board Certification, and the extent to which you feel ready to embark on that journey. If at the conclusion of these activities you make an informed choice to apply for National Board Certification, it’s likely that your journey will be satisfying and the destination attainable.
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1
What Is Accomplished Teaching?
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) seeks to improve the quality of education in America by establishing rigorous standards for accomplished teaching and certifying teachers who meet those standards. Before applying for certification from the NBPTS it is important to learn as much as possible about the standards they have established and to assess your practice against them.
There are Five Core Propositions that provide the framework for all NBPTS activities and assessments:
1. Teachers are committed to students and their learning.
2. Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students.
3. Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning.
4. Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience.
5. Teachers are members of learning communities.
These Five Core Propositions were used to write a set of standards that define accomplished teaching for each certification area. So, although the title of the organization implies a single set of standards, there are as many sets of standards as there are certification areas (i.e., the standards for middle school English teachers are different from those for high school math teachers or fifth-grade teachers, etc.). All standards are based on the Five Core Propositions but differ within the context of the age of the students and the subject area(s) being taught. In August 2003, there were 24 different certificates and therefore 24 different sets of standards.
In this chapter you will read and study the core propositions and the standards for your certification area, identify teacher behaviors that demonstrate each of them, and assess your own practice in relationship to them.
CORE PROPOSITION 1: TEACHERS ARE COMMITTED TO STUDENTS AND THEIR LEARNING
What does it mean to be committed to your students? What do you do as a teacher that shows your commitment to them? What (if anything) is the difference between commitment to your students and commitment to their learning? Following are excerpts from conversations with teachers about their classrooms. Each of these conversations demonstrates commitment to students and their learning.
1. In the past I have relied solely on written vocabulary tests when assessing student knowledge of French. I have come to realize that this form of assessment favors the visual learners and places students with other strengths (auditory, kinesthetic, etc.) at a distinct disadvantage. Consequently, I planned an activity where students were grouped according to their identifled intelligence [as defined by Gardner]. Each group was asked to solve a problem related to the French culture in a manner best suited to them. Group projects were shared with the class in French. (French teacher)
In this conversation, the French teacher reveals how she accomplishes the following:
• Provides multiple contexts in order to promote learning and evaluation
• Recognizes, respects, and accommodates individual differences
• Learns from previous experiences and alters plans accordingly
• Deeply roots instruction within learning theories
2. I was really surprised at the number of key signature mistakes that both girls made during the challenge. Both girls have been under quite an emotional strain from their home circumstances and showed signs of being embarrassed, so I did not want to pursue their evaluation in front of the class as I normally would. (Music teacher)
This music teacher demonstrates how he accomplishes the following:
• Knows students
• Recognizes that all instruction is diagnostic and adapts as necessary within a lesson
• Respects dignity and worth of each student
• Is attentive to variability of students
3. This group of students has a difficult time with honesty, anger management, and impulse control. The social expectations that have been developing within this group are to learn to identify a problem and work it out without reacting with anger and dishonesty. These issues continue to be a barrier for Mark and have increased since the family has become more unstable. (Exceptional Education teacher)
This exceptional education teacher demonstrates the following:
• Teaches individuals within group settings
• Emphasizes self-concept, social dynamics, civic virtues, and character development
• Knows students
4. I use a wide variety of curriculum and resources for continuous assessment, instruction, and remediation along with a very structured behavior management plan when working with Suzette. The social skills curriculum is integrated with the art curriculum and addresses the following areas: respect, conflict resolution, anger management, friendship, and trust. (Art teacher)
This art teacher demonstrates the following:
• Extends mission beyond cognitive capacity
• Respects diversity within group
• Teaches individuals in a group setting
Now that you have some knowledge of Core Proposition 1, it’s time to read it in its entirety. To find it, please visit the NBPTS Web site: http://www.nbpts.org/about/index.cfm. Click on the phrase “Five Core Propositions” and you will find complete descriptions of the propositions in a format that can be copied into a word-processing document or downloaded as a PDF file. After studying the full description of the proposition, read the following scenario, noting evidence of Core Proposition 1.
Finding Evidence of Core Proposition 1
In the following scenario, a tenth-grade general math teacher is describing her approach to teaching statistics to a class of poorly motivated students. As you read the scenario, look for evidence of her commitment to her students and to their learning. As you find evidence, note it on the chart on the next page. The first section of the chart is done for you.
At the beginning of the year I administered an interest inventory, a learning style inventory, and an attitu...
