College of Education

School & Community Collaboration Center

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) program at Washington State University (WSU) offers peer collaboration, networking, and mentoring support to teachers across Washington who are interested in becoming National Board Certified.

Teachers who have completed the WSU NBPTS program have consistently exceeded the national and state certification rates. Historically, the national certification rate for first-time candidates has been roughly 39 percent, with the overall certification rate in the state of Washington approximately 48 percent. WSU’s most recent group of first-time candidates achieved a 70 percent certification rate. Through the WSU NBPTS program teachers can opt for six graduate semester-credits that may be applied to an advanced degree or 90 clock hours.

National Board Certification through WSU offers:

Online NBPTS Support Program

WSU is launching an online NBPTS support program for the 2008-2009 academic year targeted toward teachers whose location prevents them from pursuing National Board Certification.  WSU has recognized the need to provide a National Board support program for teachers not located close to a university who would otherwise invest many hours traveling to and from cohort meetings. The online program will require three or four face-to-face meetings throughout the year. The online cohort has limited space.  Please contact Debra Pastore for availability.

 

Required face-to-face meetings for the Online Cohort

 

WSU NBPTS Timeline

January
February

Teachers apply for Washington Initiative scholarship through OSPI

March

Washington Initiative scholarships awarded to teachers

April - May

Candidates review university NBPTS programs and register with their support provider

June

Washington State University (WSU) NBPTS program begins with the Candidate Orientation

July
August

WSU NBPTS candidates meet once during each of the summer months to develop a thorough understanding of the National Board process, construct an individual timeline for completion, begin gathering evidence, and writing their entries

September
October
November
December

Candidates meet with their National Board Certified Teacher facilitators in a cohort setting twice a month and work toward developing the 4 required entries in their portfolio providing evidence of impact on student learning

January
February

Candidates meet in their support groups 2 or 3 times a month further refining their evidence of impact on student learning

March 31st

Portfolios due at the National Board for assessment

April
May

Candidates prepare for the Assessment Center exercises where they are tested on content knowledge in six areas related to their Certificate area

June 15th

Deadline/last day for completing Assessment Center exercises

December 31st

Candidates notified by December 31st of certification status

NBPTS requires teachers who apply for certification to develop a portfolio of their teaching practice through written and videotaped entries providing evidence of impact on student learning. Teachers are also tested on their content knowledge through computer-based assessment center exercises. The National Board offers certification in 25 different areas, which are based on student age and/or content area. Teachers report, on average, working 250-350 hours outside the classroom preparing for National Board assessment.

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization rooted in the belief that the single most important action this country can take to improve schools and student learning is to strengthen teaching. The organization's mission is to advance the quality of teaching and learning by maintaining high and rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do, providing a national voluntary system certifying teachers who meet these standards, and advocating related education reforms.

To encourage teachers in Washington State to apply for NBPTS certification, the Washington Initiative for National Board Teacher Certification supports candidates with scholarships. Upon achieving National Board Certification, teachers will receive an annual $5000.00 stipend from the state of Washington each year they remain in the classroom for the life of the certificate (10 years) and renew their Washington credential for life of the certificate.  In addition to this stipend, teachers in high-needs schools (70% or higher free-and-reduced lunch) will receive an additional $5000.00 annual stipend for the life of the National Board certificate.

For information on the WEA sponsored “Jump Start” and “Home Stretch” please visit the Washington Education Association.

Professional Certification at WSU »

To learn more about the Professional Certification program in general, visit the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. ProCert at OSPI

 

 

NBPTS contact:

Debra Pastore, Director
National Board Certification
Professional Certification
College of Education
Washington State University
Pullman, WA 99164-2114

Phone: 509-335-7475
Fax: 509-335-7363
dpastore@wsu.edu

Quick links

 

College of Education, Cleveland Hall, PO Box 642114, Washington State University, Pullman WA 99164-2114, 509-335-1738, Contact Us