Renewal

In February 2003 the board of directors made the decision that the renewal of National Board Certification requires a three-part submission. Development work commenced immediately. In June 2003 the board of directors took the following additional actions regarding the renewal process:

• The board authorized offering the Profile of Professional Growth for renewal of National Board Certification beginning in 2003, with the length of the renewal period being ten years from the respective date of certification of each National Board Certified Teacher.

• The board authorized the fee for Renewal be established by the President at a level that protects the fiscal health of the organization, recovers the costs of ongoing administration, is affordable for NBCTs, and does not exceed 50 percent of the then current candidate fee. The fee for the Profile of Professional Growth for renewal of National Board Certification has been set at $1,150.

• The board authorized that EA/Generalist NBCTs certified 11/30/94 and EA/English Language Arts NBCTs certified 8/31/95 be offered a reduced fee for renewal of National Board Certification in consideration for their participation in the initial development effort of the Profile of Professional Growth.

Yes, a demonstration of pre-K through 12 classroom teaching in the same content area, with students at the same developmental level, as the original certificate is required for Component 2 in the renewal process.

No, there is no assessment center component for renewal.

The Profile of Professional Growth is based on the NBCT's application of the current standards within the original area of certification. Many of the standards have been revised so that they reflect the most current teaching practices in each subject area, and NBCTs will need to read and review these standards as part of the renewal process.

The total fee for certificate renewal is $1,150, which includes a $300 nonrefundable application fee. If you apply in your first eligible cycle and receive a Not Renewed decision, you may re-apply in your last cycle. The $1150 fee would again be payable to cover the costs associated with the assesment.

NBPTS conducted a pilot study of the National Board Profile of Professional Growth, an instrument to be used for the renewal of National Board Certification, from September 15 - November 15, 2003. The National Board Profile of Professional Growth provides a comprehensive view of professional growth since certification that focuses on increasing student learning and maintaining high and rigorous standards, which are the mainstay of the National Board Certification process. The pilot study was conducted to ensure that all aspects of the process are developed appropriately, that the prompts elicit appropriate information needed to make a proper evaluation, that the evaluation instrument is valid, and that the renewal assessment is understandable. Results of the pilot study were used to make revisions to the Profile of Professional Growth that was completed in February 2004.

The Profile of Professional Growth (PPG) provides you as an NBCT the opportunity to document your continuing professional growth with a focus on increasing student learning. In this ongoing pursuit of professional growth, you must engage in complex activities that include development of certificate-specific content knowledge and pedagogical and technological skills obtained through workshops, courses, and reading of the latest professonal literature. The PPG asks you to demonstrate that your classroom practices are consistent with the high standards that certification represents.

A renewal candidate will spend less time than a first-time candidate since there are only three components and a reflection. Some renewal candidates report that the renewal process took them 30-40 hours.

Candidates must be identifiable with their current photo ID in at least one segment of the date-stamped video for Component 2.

Ask your administrator to sign the Video Recording Date Attestation Form in the Profile of Professional Growth. It is the final form preceding page 48. The recording for Component 2 may not be recorded earlier than September of the candidate's eighth year of certification.

If all of the segments of the video for Component 2 were recorded on the same day with the same class, only one segment needs to be date-stamped. If more than one class was used or if you have submitted a segment from a second day using the same lesson, the other segment(s) should either be date-stamped or have an administrator sign the Video Recording Date Attestation Form for the additional segments. This form is the final form in the Profile of Professional Growth preceding page 48.

If the featured class is bilingual, the candidate may submit a transcript of the recording. This applies to Spanish bilingual classes only at this point in all certificate areas except English Language Arts and World Languages Other than English.

Yes. The guidelines "Naming Persons, Institutions, and Places" on pages 8-9 of the 2010 Profile of Professional Growth (PPG) refer to anonymity that applies to your commentaries, video recordings, samples, and learner work samples. Those guidelines state the following:

• Your full name should not be shown, but you can refer to your first name.
• Last names of students, parents, and colleagues should not be shown.
• The name of your school, district, city, or state should not be shown in any letter or on letterhead, although you can leave the initials.
• You may white-out or use a Sharpie to mark-out the identifiers.
• If a sample includes the name of a company, organization, or university that does not reveal your exact location, you do not need to remove the organizational name or location. Signatures from those organizations may be left complete since they are not colleagues.
• Names of authors or professional presenters do not need to be removed.

Last names and identifiers should not be removed from the Candidate Release Form, your photo ID, Candidate Attestation Form, and the Video Recording Date Attestation Forms because these are not samples. 

This information can be found on pages 41-42 of the PPG where it is explained that you are to number the pages for Component 1 as 1-20+, with the samples following each related Professional Growth Experience (PGE). All pages within the Component must be sequentially numbered. For example, if the commentary for PGE 1 is numbered 1-3, the samples that follow would be 4-5; the commentary for PGE 2 would be 6-8; and the samples 9-10, etc.

For Component 1 only, each PGE must start on a new page. Commentary that has text on 50% or less of the page will count as a half page; a page that has text on more than 50% will count as a full page. This may result in you using more than 12 sheets of paper, but the total amount of text should equal no more than 12 pages. Do not number cover sheets and forms.

Yes, the PGE can be longer than 3 pages so long as the total number of pages for Component 1 does not exceed 12 pages.

The commentary for Component 2 allows a maximum of 4 pages. Number the pages 1-4. The commentary for Component 3 allows a maximum of 4 pages. Number the pages 1-4. If 8 pages of learner work are submitted for Component 3, they would be numbered 5-12. Do not number cover sheets and forms.

Your assembled PPG, including Components 1, 2, and 3, along with your Reflective Summary and video recording should be packaged in one envelope. The forms (Forms Cover Sheet, Candidate Attestation Form, Candidate Release Form, and Candidate Final Inventory Form) should be packaged in the other envelope. Your PPG envelope is not opened before being sent for evaluation, so be sure all the necessary materials are in the envelope. Refer to Submission at a Glance: Profile of Professional Growth, page 50, for a diagram of the assembly process.

In order to be considered eligible to attempt renewal, NBCTs must:

• Be in their eighth or ninth year of certification and meet all deadlines for application, payment of fees, and submission of the PPG
• Hold a valid state teaching license that has not been suspended or revoked
• Not have been convicted of a felony due to child abuse, job-related crimes, or violent crimes  against persons

No. Candidates for renewal must be able to verify that they hold a valid state teaching license at the time they attempt renewal.

Yes. NBCTs who have retired from active teaching may attempt renewal if they still hold a valid state teaching license and are able to develop a relationship and work with students in the same content area, at the same developmental level, as their original certificate area.

No. If you do not successfully complete the renewal process prior to the expiration of your certificate during your eighth or ninth year of certification, you will need to apply and go through the National Board Certification process as a first-time candidate if you want to be certified.

National Board Certification is issued for a period of 10 years. A National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) must complete the National Board Profile of Professional Growth prior to the expiration date of his or her certificate and can only renew certification in his or her original certificate area. An NBCT may formally begin work on the Profile of Professional Growth as early as year 8 of his or her certification period.  NBCTs are given two opportunities to attempt renewal.

The fee for a second attempt to renew certification is the same as the initial application - $1,150, including a $300 nonrefundable application fee. The deadline for full fee payment is January 31.

Score banking is not applicable to the renewal process. If you do not achieve renewal on your first attempt, you must submit a complete PPG in your second attempt. Unlike the initial certification process, you can't retake just the portions of your PPG that did not meet the performance standard. You may modify as little or as much of the original renewal submission as your feel necessary.

No. Candidates who applied in their eighth year of certification and are fully paid may choose to defer submission of their PPG to their final year of eligibility. Candidates who defer are not eligible for a refund.

Yes, you may. Renewal candidates who are fully paid and have another window of opportunity to pursue renewal may defer the submission of their Profile of Professional Growth (PPG) to April 30 of the next assessment cycle. Renewal candidates who wish to defer must submit a request in writing on or before the April 30 submission deadline for their first renewal opportunity.

If additional information becomes available on this deferral option, NBPTS will contact any deferred renewal candidates, and post the information on our website.

Active renewal candidates who are fully paid and have a subsequent renewal opportunity available to them may submit a written request to defer submission of their PPG to the 2011-2012 cycle. This request can be sent using of of the following methods:

If using mail, send to -

NBPTS Processing Center

11827 Tech Com, Suite 200

San Antonio, TX  78233

If using fax, send to:

1-888-811-3514