National Board Certification
“National Board Certification is the most
prestigious credential a teacher can earn.
Like board-certified doctors and accountants,
teachers who achieve National Board
Certification have met rigorous standards
through intensive study, expert evaluation,
self-assessment and peer review.”
- NBPTS President and CEO Joseph A.
Aguerrebere
National Board
Certification
Candace Black, NBCT
1st Annual Conference on Foreign Language Teaching
Binghamton University
September 28, 2013
Mission of the National Board
The mission of the National Board is to
advance student learning and
achievement by establishing the definitive
standards and systems for certifying
accomplished educators, providing programs
and advocating policies that support excellence
in teaching and leading and engaging National
Board Certified Teachers and leaders in that
process.
Facts & figures
Teachers in the US: 7,200,000
 NBCTs in the US:
102,247

Which states do you think
have the most NBCTs?
Teachers (US)
NBCT (US)
Facts & Figures
Facts & figures
Teachers by category in the United States
(August 2013)
8,000,000
7,000,000
There is a
column here
for the 1,466
NBCTs in
New York
State, but it’s
just too small
to see!
6,000,000
5,000,000
4,000,000
3,000,000
2,000,000
1,000,000
0
Series1
Teachers (US)
7,097,753
NBCT (US)
100,781
NBCTs (NYS)
1466
Facts & Figures
NBCTs (NYS)
NBCTs (NYS - World Languages)
3%
97%
What are the different programs
available for teachers?
 Take
One!
 National
Board Certification*
 Renewal
of certification
Take One!





Allows teachers to “sample” National Board
Certification and begin the path towards
National Board Candidacy
Fee is $395
Teachers complete a video portfolio entry
featuring a classroom of pre-K-12 students
Can use your score one the Take One! Portfolio
towards National Board Certification
Fees paid toward Take One! are credited
towards National Board Certification fees
National Board Certification

a voluntary assessment program designed
to recognize and reward great teachers
that typically takes one to three years to
complete

a portfolio that includes student work
samples, assignments, videotapes and a
thorough analysis of their classroom
teaching
Who is eligible to apply?

To apply, you must:
◦ Hold a bachelor’s degree
◦ Have completed three full years of teaching in
French or Spanish (although 5-7 is
recommended)
◦ Possess a valid state teaching license, or, if
teaching where a license is not required, have
taught in schools recognized and approved to
operate by the state
Which certificate to pursue?
The Early Adolescence through Young
Adulthood/World Languages
certificate* is appropriate for teachers who
teach Spanish or French to students ages
11–18+ and whose functional ability in the
language they teach is at an advanced level.
*There was previously a certification for WLOE –
Early and Middle Childhood. This is no longer a
certificate for which you can apply.
What are the benefits?

Base salary increases for 10 years – for
example: NYS public schools generally
add $2,000 a year to the base salary for
10 years ($20,000) – check with your
individual school district (it will be part of
the union contract).

Improves professional practice through
reflection

Makes you more marketable as a teacher
How much does it cost?

Application fee - $65 – (some unions will
front this money for you)

Assessment fee - $2,500

Other programs:
◦ Take One! = $395
◦ Recertification = $1,250
Funding is available!


Al Shanker grant and candidate fee subsidy
program for NYS teachers
◦ November 30th = deadline to apply for grant
◦ Covers $2,000 of the total fee
◦ Requirements for grant:
 Full-time, tenured teacher in a NYS public school
holding a valid teaching certificate
 Commitment to complete the entire NB application
 Commitment to continue teaching in a NYS public
school for at least one full school year following
completion of the grant period
Additional scholarships available – see www.nbpts.org
(Source: www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/resteachers/albertshanker.htm)
What are the important deadlines?
What are the important deadlines?

September
◦ Submit initial application & fee. You can also
submit the $500 deposit (due anytime before
December 31st).
◦ You will receive “the BOX” of application
materials – verify all materials.
◦ Notify your building principal, assistant
superintendent and superintendent.
◦ Get eligibility forms signed.
What are the important deadlines?

October
◦ Send home permission forms
to parents of all students.
◦ Start collecting student work
from a variety of students in
different classes.
◦ Outline the order in which
you will complete the entries
& give yourself deadlines –
decide on testing dates &
schedule.
◦ Begin practice video-taping
your classes (experiment).
What are the important deadlines?

November
◦ Apply for Al Shanker Grant to cover application fee
◦ Continue working on your application according to
your schedule

January
◦ Submit balance of full fee due by the 31st.
◦ Make an appointment from now until June 15th for the
assessment.
April – June – take your assessment exercises
(deadline = June 15th).
 May - submit your portfolio entries by the 31st.
 December 31st - results are available
(electronically) from the National Board.

Release time

You are eligible for up to 3 days of paid
release time to complete your national
board application.

This can be used to complete and upload
the portfolio, to study or to take the
assessments.
Materials needed

CD from NBPTS on how to complete the
portfolio

A binder with divisions for National Board
documentation

4 folders (Actual or computer folders one for each portfolio entry)
For the portfolio, will you be able to:





demonstrate that your teaching practice meets the
standards;
have access to a class of at least 6 students, in which
51% of the students are ages 11–18+;
submit student work samples and video recordings in a
single target language;
show how you design instruction and assessment;
demonstrate your ability to build communicative and
cultural competence through activities and instruction
in a language-learning and culture-learning environment;
For the portfolio, will you be able to:



demonstrate your ability to use your knowledge of
students' prior language experiences and learning styles
to select instructional goals, adapt or create materials,
and apply methodologies appropriate for your students;
show how you enable students to fulfill real-world tasks
that are developmentally and culturally appropriate
through the use of authentic materials and everyday
objects;
present evidence of how you impact student learning
through your work with students' families and
community and through your development as a learner
and as a leader/collaborator.
For the assessment center, will you be able
to demonstrate content knowledge in:

oral proficiency

interpreting aural texts

interpreting written texts

written communication

knowledge of language acquisition

knowledge of how language works
The 5 Core Propositions
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.
The 14 Standards
Knowledge of Students
 Fairness
 Knowledge of Language
 Knowledge of Culture
 Knowledge of Language
Acquisition
 Multiple Paths to
Learning
 Articulation of
Curriculum and
Instruction

Learning Environment
 Instructional Resources
 Assessment
 Reflection as
Professional Growth
 Schools, Families, and
Communities
 Professional Community
 Advocacy for Education
in World Languages
Other than English

The Portfolio Entries

Entry 1: Designing
Instruction Over Time

Entry 2: Building
Communicative and
Cultural Competence

Entry 3: Engaging All
Learners

Entry 4: Documented
Accomplishments:
Contributions to Student
Learning
Entry 1: Designing Instruction Over Time

You will demonstrate your ability to plan,
implement, and assess instruction.

You will select two students and assess their
progress in the target language.You will
submit responses from the two selected
students to two assessments.

You will also submit a Written Commentary
which analyzes and reflects upon the
instructional sequence.
Entry 2: Building Communicative
& Cultural Competence*

You will demonstrate how you build communicative and
cultural competence for your students through an
environment of language and culture-learning.

You will also demonstrate how you enable students to fulfill
developmentally and culturally appropriate real-world tasks.

You will submit a 15-minute video recording depicting you
and your students during the period of instruction.

You will also submit a Written Commentary in which you
describe, analyze, and reflect upon the goals and strategies
for the selected period of instruction.
*Entry 2 is the entry you will do if you choose the Take One!
Option.
Entry 3: Engaging All Learners

You will demonstrate how you use varied
instructional strategies and materials to engage all
students in using the target language.

You will submit a 15-minute video recording that
depicts students engaged in using the target
language in meaningful, interactive, and culturally
appropriate tasks.

You will also submit a Written Commentary
which describes, analyzes, and reflects upon the
goals for the featured lesson.
Entry 4: Documented Accomplishments

You will illustrate your partnerships with
students' families and community, and your
development as a learner and collaborator
with other professionals by submitting
descriptions and documentation of your
activities and accomplishments in those
areas.

Your description must make the connection
between each accomplishment and its
impact on student learning.
Submitting the portfolio
Beginning in 2013, all candidates will need
to use the Pearson ePortfolio system to
upload their submissions for scoring.
 The submission window is April 1st – May
31st.

Assessment Exercises

The assessment are composed of six
exercises that examine content
knowledge specified in the NBPTS
standards.

Candidates are given up to 30 minutes to
respond to each exercise.

There is one oral proficiency exercise and
five written exercises.
Exercise 1: Oral Proficiency

You demonstrate the ability to speak the language with
sufficient accuracy to participate effectively in most
formal and informal conversations on practical, social,
professional, and abstract topics.

Given 12 distinct scenarios, you respond to one aural
prompt for each. The scenarios are presented in
English, both aurally and in writing.

Prompts & candidate responses, both of which are in
the target language, are delivered and recorded
electronically at the assessment centers.
Exercise 2: Interpreting Aural Texts
Given two aural texts in the target
language, you will respond in English to four
comprehension questions and one
inference question pertaining to each text.
Exercise 3: Interpreting Written Texts

Given an excerpt from literature in the
target language, you will respond in
English to six questions about the text
(describe the setting, characters,
relationships between characters, and
actions and behaviors of the characters).

You will also draw a reasonable inference
from the text and support your inference
with evidence from the text.
Exercise 4: Written Communication
Given a writing prompt in the target
language, you will write a draft essay in the
target language in which you will
demonstrate the ability to express an
opinion on a professional or social topic.
Exercise 5: Knowledge of Language Acquisition
Given 3 terms from the professional literature
on language acquisition, instructional
techniques, and methods and approaches, you
will explain each of the 3 terms and give
examples connected to the explanation from
your target language and instructional level.
Exercise 6: Knowledge of How Language Works
Given 20 errors embedded in excerpts
from a variety of texts in the target
language, you will correct each error and
explain why it is an error.
◦ French: Nous aimerions que vous finissez les
devoirs avant la fin du cours.
◦ Spanish: Nos gustaría que ustedes terminan
la tarea antes del fin de la clase.
Scoring

Portfolio entries 1-3 = 48% (16% each)

Portfolio entry 4 (documented
accomplishments) = 12%

6 Assessment center exercises = 40%
(6.67% each)

You need a total weighted scale score of
275 or greater to be awarded National
Board Certification.
Scoring

NBPTS automatically banks any successful
portfolio entry and/or assessment exercise
scores for candidates who do not earn the
minimum 275 points.

Candidates are allowed to retake any
combination of portfolio entries and/or
assessment center exercises on which they did
not meet the individual entry/exercise
performance standard.

Retake candidates have two additional years
to resubmit entries. There is a fee for each
assessment that is retaken.
Resources

Candace_black@eastiron.monroe.edu

www.nbpts.org / 1-800-22-TEACH

Albert shanker website:
www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/resteacher
s/albertshanker.htm

Message boards: www.yahoogroups.com
(search for NBPTS WLOE)