Certification's second round

NEA Today, Oct 1995 by Merina, Anita

"If you're merely satisfied with your job, you should just hang it up," explains Sandra Hayes, a 22-year teaching veteran in Becker, Minnesota. "But if you want professional growth that will improve our profession--not to mention student learning--then the national certification process is for you."

This July, Hayes, an eighth grade English teacher, was one of 90 teachers from 23 states to receive certification in her field from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

The 90 teachers certified in adolescent English/language arts join 81 middle school and junior high teachers who teach multiple subjects and were certified by the Board last year during the first field test of National Board assessments.

The 171 teachers are now the first to be recognized by a panel of their peers as "board certified"--a seal of approval that once belonged only to doctors and lawyers.

"Through this process, our profession has found a way to recognize accomplished teaching." says NEA President--and National Board member--Keith Geiger. "That's an important phase in the continuum of teacher development and progression of high standards not just for new but also for experienced teachers."

To be certified, teachers were required to demonstrate the depth of their knowledge and skills through an extensive series of performance-based assessments, including student portfolios, videotapes, interviews, and essays.

"We spent an entire semester completing the portfolios and preparing for interviews," Hayes notes.

The candidates also went to an assessment center to complete exercises demonstrating knowledge of their subjects as well as defend the instructional decisions recorded in their videos.

Who judged the performances? Middle and junior high school English and language arts teachers were trained to make assessments according to criteria set up by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

"What attracted me was that the Board wasn't just another proponent of a specific methodology as the be-all and end-all of teaching," says Kathleen Reeves, a ninth grade English teacher at Seaholm High School in Birmingham, Michigan.

"Skilled teachers know a variety of methods and they tailor those methods to the students in each classroom," Reeves continues. "Board certification recognizes and validates the work that I do in the classroom and the collaborative efforts I make with my colleagues."

And that's not all, adds Minnesota's Hayes. "This process, whether you receive national certification or not, is bound to deepen your knowledge and skills. You model excellent methods, and concentrate on more reflective and collabqrative work. That's bound to help teachers make more professional decisions and create better learning opportunities for kids."

This year, the Board will continue its field testing, concentrating on math and art for adolescents and young adults, while at the same time enabling early childhood and middle school teachers to pursue national certification.

"All of this is helping our profession and changing the way teachers are regarded," Reeves says. "It's about time we achieved the status we deserve."

F.Y.I.

* For more information about national certification, call 800/22TEACH.

* Want to discuss national certification with colleagues? Check out NEA Online, the Association's electronic network. Keyword: NEA Teaching, click the "Teaching & Learning Message Board" icon, then select the "National Certification" topic area.