National Board Certification

 Earlier today the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) released their scores for 2013/2014 candidates.  Similar to the National Boards that doctors and lawyers voluntarily take, the NBPTS has set teaching standards.  The standards define the specific knowledge and expertise that National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) in different subject areas and developmental levels use to frame their practice. To be board certified, teachers provide evidence of their ability to meet or exceed these standards via both a digital portfolio and constructed responses on a computerized test. Only 3% of all teachers in the country are Nationally Board certified. 

National Board Standards define the specific knowledge and expertise that teachers in different subject areas and developmental levels use to frame their practice. - See more at: http://www.nbpts.org/national-board-standards#sthash.LrtZ9GjC.dpuf

National Board Standards define the specific knowledge and expertise that teachers in different subject areas and developmental levels use to frame their practice. - See more at: http://www.nbpts.org/national-board-standards#sthash.LrtZ9GjC.dpuf

The NBPTS sent emails to all candidates informing us that scores would be released by 12:00 noon CST on November 15.  I woke up this morning at 3:23 a.m. and decided to check if the scores were released.  When I opened my computerized profile the words, "Congratulations!  You are a National Board Certified Teacher!" appeared.  Next, I had to enter the name I wanted to appear on my certificate, and then give releases to the media, and finally I was able to access my actual scores.

Scores are on a 0-4.25 scale for each of the ten submissions.  The digital portfolio entries are weighted higher than the constructed responses.  The certificate area that I chose was Literacy: Reading-Language Arts Early through Middle Childhood.  The certificate covered the ages of three through twelve.  My biggest challenge in achieving National Board Certification was proving that I could teach children between the ages of eight and twelve since I have never worked in a school with a grade level higher than second grade, and my undergraduate degree is in early childhood education.  Therefore, I have no practical or theoretical experience with the ages of eight through twelve (except for personal experience with my own three children).  
 
For me, the process of becoming a National Board Certified Teacher required about 400 to 600 extra hours beyond teaching in one school year and costs $2500.  Those hours are high; however, I passed on my first attempt so the long hours were worth it to me. In Maine, teachers are fortunate because the State annually reimburses the first 20 NBCT candidates who apply for funding.  I was fortunate to receive one of those grants.  In addition, the state of Maine provides a stipend of  $3000 per year for the life of the ten year certification. This stipend is also calculated into a teacher's retirement benefits if he or she is still certified at the time of retirement. 

I decided to become a National Board Certified Teacher for a lot of reasons but mostly because there is significant research that provides evidence that students who are taught by NBCTs obtain higher levels of achievement.  National Board certified teachers are recognized as meeting the nation's highest standards. Although there are many reasons to become a teacher, the primary reason that I became a teacher is to actually teach young children the academics that they need to be successful. The NBPTS is all about proving how the decisions teachers make positively impact student achievement, so becoming a National Board Certified Teacher was a perfect philosophical match for me.

 

Thank you to the families of my students for your congratulatory cards, emails, and best wishes!

Technology in the Classroom

Every Wednesday morning from 9:40 until 10:25 I instruct my students using the computers in the computer lab at my school.  My overarching goal for my students is for them to feel comfortable and competent when using a computer.  To achieve this goal, I am teaching them several different computer programs including Raz Kids, Microsoft Word, and eventually Kidspiration.

For the past several weeks we have been exploring Microsoft Word.  They have learned to

• type upper and lower case letters
• use the space bar
• make their letters larger or smaller
• click on the blue self correct word to replace their invented spelling with the actual spelling of a word
• use the back space key

For this lesson, they learned how to find an illustration that matched their writing using Google Images.  They had to describe the picture they were looking for and I typed their key words in the search bar.  They then chose the illustration that best matched their writing and I moved it to their page.

This was a meaningful lesson because it helped answer the guiding question, "How do animals prepare for winter?"  I duplicated their pages and created a class book to provide repeated practice of reading their own writing.  The class book is readily available in our classroom library.  Students also have another copy of their work in their personal reading binders.

Here are some samples of their work: