Press Releases

75% of 2nd Round RTTT State Proposals Name National Board Programs

July 26, 2010

Arlington, Va. – The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) today announced that NBPTS programs—National Board Certification, Take One! and National Board Certification for Principals—are referenced in 27 of the 36 proposals (75 percent) submitted for second-round, Race to the Top (RTTT) funds. 

With effective school reform seen as an important goal of the RTTT competition, states view National Board programs as a major element of their overall school reform strategies primarily in the area of improving teacher quality.

Of the 27 second-round proposals referencing the National Board, 14 states expand existing or include new NBPTS programs.

Of the six new applicants in the RTTT second round, five mention NBPTS programs.

Several states specifically reference the value of National Board Certification or Take One! in addressing the inequitable distribution of teachers in high-need areas. Wisconsin, for example, notes that the NBPTS program, Take One!, “has produced demonstrated results in schools with significant achievement gaps by creating a professional learning community where every educator in the school is collectively analyzing their practice and improving their teaching performance.”

Six of the states intend to provide support or an incentive for the advanced principal certification being developed by the National Board. For example, Illinois proposes to invest approximately $4 million from RTTT funds for principals to undertake NBPTS principal certification.

“The states placing NBPTS programs in their Race to the Top proposals is a clear indication of the values they place on the National Board in their approaches to increase the instructional and organizational capacity of schools and classrooms,” said Joseph A. Aguerrebere, NBPTS president and chief executive officer. “The states reference NBPTS programs in approaches that range from raising achievement and closing gaps, to improving teacher and principal effectiveness, to ensuring equitable distribution of these effective teachers and principals in areas where they are needed the most.”
Other types of state proposals that specifically reference NBPTS programs:

   • Use of National Board Certification as an alternate route for state certification/licensure (e.g., teachers who transfer from other states).
   • National Board Certification as the highest tier of teacher certification.
   • Stipends for National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) to teach in struggling or high-need schools.
   • Bonuses for NBCTs who mentor other teachers.
   • Use of NBCTs as professional development leaders.
   • Stipends or salary incentives for teachers or principals who obtain National Board Certification.

“Increasingly, states are recognizing the National Board as the gold standard in the area of teacher quality,” added Aguerrebere.

States that reference NBPTS programs in their RTTT second-round proposals are: Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Washington, and Wisconsin.

In the most rigorous and comprehensive study to date about National Board Certification, the National Research Council found that students taught by National Board Certified Teachers make higher gains on achievement tests than students taught by teachers who have not applied and those who did not achieve certification.

For a fact sheet containing information about NBPTS and the RTTT proposals, click here.

For more information about NBPTS, visit the NBPTS Web site at www.nbpts.org.

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About the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and NBPTS Programs
NBPTS, an independent, nonprofit organization, advances the quality of teaching and learning by developing professional standards for accomplished teaching; creating and administering National Board Certification, a voluntary system to certify educators who meet those standards; and integrating certified teachers into educational reform efforts.

   • National Board Certification, for veteran teachers, a 10-part performance assessment includes video portfolios, analysis of classroom practice and evaluation of content knowledge. More than 82,000 teachers and school counselors nationwide have achieved National Board Certification.
   • Take One!, a component of National Board Certification, is used for professional development by faculty members to improve teaching effectiveness and entire schools or districts to help build learning communities. Qualified teachers can use Take One! as an initial step in National Board Certification candidacy.
   • National Board Certification for Principals, currently in development, is designed to develop, recognize and retain accomplished principals.

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Contact:
James R. Minichello
(703) 465-2171
jminichello@nbpts.org