1. Certifying Teaching Excellence The Louisiana Initiative

2. National Board Certification ® … A voluntary certification program that identifies great teachers–and makes them better A certification process that reflects advanced content knowledge and teaching skills An assessment based on national teaching standards

3. The NBPTS Mission Develop professional standards for accomplished teaching Administer the voluntary assessment process certifying teachers who meet the standards Leverage National Board Certified Teachers in advancing U.S. education reform As an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, its mission is to:

4. National Board Certification… Teacher-driven Practicing classroom teachers: Serve on the NBPTS Board of Directors Develop the standards Score the assessments Promote National Board Certification Provide candidate support Advocate related education reforms

5. NBPTS Five 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.

6. National Board Certification Applicants must have: At least three years’ experience as a preK-12 classroom teacher or school counselor in a public or private school A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution A valid teaching license or a license to practice as a school counselor

7. Certificate Areas Art Career and Technical Education English as a New Language English Language Arts Exceptional Needs Specialist Generalist Health Education Library Media Social Studies-History Physical Education School Counseling World Languages Other than English; French and Spanish Literacy: Reading-Language Arts Mathematics Music Science

8. The Process 1.A four-part portfolio of classroom teaching practice 2.A six-part assessment of content knowledge administered at a testing center National Board Certification can take one to three years to complete—and consists of two major components:

9. The Portfolio Three classroom-based entries focused on reflection and written commentary-- supported by student work and classroom videos One entry documenting accomplishments (professional, family, community) connected to student learning All completed during the school year with the same group of students

10. Six exercises delivered via a computer at testing centers Each exercise allows up to 30 minutes for a candidate’s response Each exercise focuses on content knowledge not necessarily demonstrated in portfolio entries The Assessment

11. National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) by State 64,000 NBCTs as of December 4, 2007

12. Contributes to Continuing Education Units (CEU)/ re-certification requirements 63,852 NBCTs nationally; about 2% of the teaching population Louisiana currently has 1217 NBCTs Louisiana ranks 13 th in the nation for the number of NBCTs Louisiana ranks 9 th in the nation for the percentage of teachers who are NBCTs (2.8%) Where Louisiana Stands

13. National Board Certified Teachers: Nonrefundable Application Processing Fee: $65 Nonrefundable initial Fee: $500 Assessment Fee: $2000 Total Fees: $2,565 How Much Does it Cost?

14. 8(g) Grant and Federal Monies: $2000 subsidy for eligible first round and/or second round applicants $850 from 8(g) and $1150 from federal funds Teacher Take One!™ - $395 for eligible second/third round candidates Teacher Take One! TM - Allows educators to begin the process on a smaller scale by submitting only one pre-determined portfolio entry. Louisiana Subsidy Process

15. Online application is to be completed on the LDOE website: http://louisianaschools.nethttp://louisianaschools.net Online application essay (no more than 1000 words) describing, analyzing, and reflecting upon teaching practice is part of the application The rubric for the essay is posted on the application. It is aligned with the NBPTS scoring guide for portfolio entries/assessment center exercises. It is a 4 point scale. Essays are scored by NBCTs who serve as candidate support providers around the state. Score determines if an applicant is in the 1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd, or 4 th round of funding. The number of applicants who receive funding depends upon the program’s 8(g) and federal funding. Incomplete or late submissions will not be considered for selection. Louisiana Subsidy Process

16. Louisiana Initiative timeline February and March 2009: potential candidates must attend or their application will not be considered April 2009: Online application opens; potential candidates must complete this application in its entirety to be considered for the subsidy. May 2009: Application closes; essays are distributed across the state for scoring June 2009: Applicants will receive notification of their funding status July 2009: Funded candidates must attend one of the writing seminars held around the state August 2009- April 2010: Candidates must attend 6 of the 8 monthly PLC meetings

17. Louisiana Initiative timeline February and March 2009: potential candidates must attend or their application will not be considered April 2009: Online application opens; potential candidates must complete this application in its entirety to be considered for the subsidy. May 2009: Application closes; essays are distributed across the state for scoring June 2009: Applicants will receive notification of their funding status July 2009: Funded candidates must attend one of the writing seminars held around the state August 2009- April 2010: Candidates must attend 6 of the 8 monthly PLC meetings

18. Louisiana NBC Subsidy Candidate Requirements  Employment Verification Form (Due September 1, 2009) Will need to be completed and sent for signatures from principal and superintendent  Writing Seminar (6 two-day seminars held around the state) Focuses on three types of writing (descriptive, analytic and reflective) Subsidy candidates must attend both days  Candidate Support Meetings (Begin in August) Assigned mentor to promote professional growth through NBC process Subsidy candidates must attend 6 of the 8 meetings

19. Monetary Benefits for NBCTs Some districts provide additional supplements State Supplement $5000 salary supplement for eligible National Board Certified Teachers – public schools only Qualify for the supplement the year after certification (i.e. if you certify in December of 2010, you would be eligible for the supplement beginning in the 2011-2012 school year)

20. Common Questions Does a Temporary Authority to Teach (TAT) count towards years of experience? Answer: No Does a Practitioner's License (PL) count towards years of experience? Answer: Yes The Name Game????? Be consistent; use the name that is on your photo identification

21. For more information… NBPTS Toll-free phone number: 1-800-22TEACH NBPTS Web site: www.nbpts.org Access the following online at no charge:  Standards for each certificate  Portfolio entry instructions  Scoring guides and retired prompts  Online assessment center tutorial  Assessment center information Louisiana Department of Education Contact Information: Andrea Farmer, NBCT Andrea.Farmer@La.govAndrea.Farmer@La.gov or 225-342-0926

22. Questions?