Advanced Principal Certification
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Coming in 2011 - Advanced Principal Certification
A New Way to Develop, Recognize and Retain Top School Leaders
Effective principals are critical to the success of students, teachers and entire schools. A successful principal creates a culture of learning that:
• Advances student learning and engagement.
• Recruits and retains the best teachers.
• Improves teacher and school performance.
To create a consistently reliable process to develop, recognize and retain effective principals, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards® (NBPTS®) has announced an initiative to develop Advanced Principal Certification. The plan calls for rolling out the new certification from design to launch within the next three years.
Advanced Principal Certification, the first national certification program focused on principals, is also the first phase of an expanded umbrella program, Advanced Certification for Education Leaders (ACEL), which builds on the National Board’s 20-year, highly successful program, National Board Certification for teachers and school counselors. The ACEL program will not only create standards and an assessment process for principals, it will also lay the groundwork for a new educator leadership endorsement for teachers and other school-based educators who positively impact the culture of learning in the classroom.
Validating What Makes an Effective Principal
The NBPTS Advanced Principal Certification process will define and validate the requirements that identify an accomplished and effective principal—supporting motivation among principals and prestige for the profession.
The National Board’s analysis shows that principals support the prospect of advanced certification that recognizes the importance of instructional leadership, organizational change and community involvement—as well as the principal’s essential role in school management. In a recent NBPTS survey, 83 percent of school leader respondents and 69 percent of district leader respondents expressed interest in Advanced Principal Certification. Both school- and district-level leaders were most interested in a certification that would better prepare principals to lead systemic instructional improvement.
Growing Interest Nationwide in Advanced Principal Certification
There is further evidence of interest in advanced principal certification. States, including Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and North Carolina, are working to identify and recognize principals who are performing at an accomplished or advanced level.
NBPTS will build on these and other leadership improvement efforts and convene key experts to help develop an advanced certification system that will create a national program for school principals. Just as it did for teaching, NBPTS can ensure that advanced certification for school principals is a high-quality and unified effort that moves practitioners toward common goals.
NBPTS--The Right Team
NBPTS has a record of developing advanced standards and rigorous assessments that are recognized in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Similarly, NBPTS is recognized for having the capacity to define excellent practice for education leaders and implement a research-based, nationwide certification.
In June 2008, National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academies affirmed that NBPTS and its advanced teacher certification program have had a positive impact on student achievement, teacher retention and professional development. The NRC study found that students taught by National Board Certified Teachers make higher gains on achievement tests than students of non-board-certified teachers.
Successful students and teachers need the support of effective school leadership. The most accomplished principals create a school-based learning community that involves teachers, students, parents and the community. In addition, the demands and complexity of 21st century education require more from these leaders. As many current principals approach retirement age, it is essential to attract, develop and retain the best and the brightest educational leaders to the profession to prepare students for the expectations of a global economy.
More Information
Interested in receiving regular updates as the National Board reaches milestones in the development of the new Advanced Principal Certification? Visit the sign up page and click the box next to Principal Certification Information Updates.