Put yourself to the test

NEA Today, Feb 1999 by Gutloff, Karen

National Board certification suits Sue Florence and her students just fine. Is it time for you to start thinking about becoming nationally certified yourself?

Sue Florence is a whirlwind of activity. She's been teaching full-time for 23 years. She's active in her NEA affiliate, school district, community, and church. She's a wife and mother of two teenagers. She mentors colleagues. And, in her spare time, she serves as president of her local sorority chapter, tutors at-risk kids, and loves to cook.

So why did Florence choose this time in her life to take on the biggest challenge of her career? Why did she choose to invest 200 hours in applying for certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards?

"I wanted to measure my own abilities and make sure I was in line with what was considered current and best practice for students," says Florence, who teaches third grade at Central Elementary in Hillsborough, North Carolina.

In the past four years, thousands of teachers just like Sue Florence have taken on the challenge of national certification. Florence is one of 1,836 teachers nationwide who have so far succeeded. In the past year alone, the rate of teachers seeking and earning national certification has doubled.

The National Board-with full backing from NEA (see page 2)-is focusing much of its $34 million budget on getting even more teachers certified. Last year, the federal government kicked in an additional $18.5 million to support the process.

National certification-a blip on most teachers' radar screens five years ago-has become a critical step for many in the quest for higher standards for both teachers and students.

State and local governments and school boards are rewarding those who achieve national certification-with higher salaries and leadership roles (see page 6). Some are even helping teachers find the time and money to take on the challenge.

Two years ago, in the fall of 1996, North Carolina's Florence decided to take advantage of the help her state offered to those willing to put themselves to the test (see next page).

From talking to others who'd been through the rigorous national certification process, Florence knew what she was in for.

The national certification exam is no multiple choice test. To meet the tough standards designed and tested by teachers, candidates must prepare an extensive portfolio: In it, they must include reflective writing, lesson plans, student work, and videotapes of their teaching.

Building a good portfolio, which summarizes years of knowledge, can take months.

"I said `bye-bye' to my husband and kids and set up a computer in my dining room," says Florence.

"I'd sit at the computer and read and write until about nine o'clock, then I'd do my lesson planning and grade papers well into the night. There was not a single weekend I didn't work on national board stuff, including Thanksgiving and Christmas break."

When summer rolled around, Florence spent an eight-hour stint at one of the Board's assessment centers in Raleigh, answering essay questions about effective teaching practices.

One year and 200 work hours later, Florence received word that she had passed. She would be nationally certified as an Early Childhood Generalist.

Was it all worth it? Florence-like nearly all teachers who've gone through the process, pass or fail-has no doubts.

"I'll never teach the same way again," she declares.

"Meeting the National Board standards has caused me to reflect on my teaching with a whole different perspective," Florence adds. "Instead of just doing tasks and moving on to the next thing, now I automatically reflect on why I do certain things.

"I always knew that I was a very strong teacher. Becoming certified lets everyone know that I'm an accomplished teacher and can provide appropriate and effective instruction for my students."

Florence says the process of reflecting and writing about her teaching helped validate many of her practices and improve upon others.

Here are just a few of the ways Florence says the process of becoming nationally certified paid off for her-and her students:

Better planning and organization. Florence describes herself as a much better "planner and doer" since achieving certification.

After meticulously planning her national certification portfolio and sticking to timelines, she says, "It's so much easier for me to plan my school year and figure out lesson plans well in advance."

She has also organized students into teams that flow smoothly between whole class and small group instruction in math, reading, and writing.

The structure helps make sure kids get instruction according to their individual needs. And it helps with classroom discipline.

"I haven't had to deal with many behavior problems this year," says Florence. "Preparing for board certification helped me reflect on how to troubleshoot before problems occur.

"When you have children who are bored or without a task to complete, then they will go visiting and get into trouble. So I avoid that."

Effective assessment.