The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) Cohort
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) Cohort is one of MOEC’s newest programs with positive results that show Cohort participants who receive the National Board Certification (NBC) on their first attempt surpass the national average. Despite the rigorous demands and commitment of time, teachers who have participated in the NBC process often refer to it as the best staff development of their careers. One participant described the process as, “The best thing I have ever done for myself as an educator; it will affect how I teach for a lifetime.”
The NBPTS Cohort program is delivered over an eight-month period and graduate credit is available. The cohort offers an unconventional schedule and is designed to accommodate the complex calendars of the participating teachers. Each meeting allows candidates to delve into the standards and research for their certification area, share student data they have collected from their classrooms, analyze their current teaching practices, and identify ways to improve
their practices.
In addition to invigorating classroom practices, teachers who have completed the NBC process have been shown to:
- Create closer ties among schools and students, families and communities (Freud, Russell & Kavulic, 2005; Sykes, Anagnostopoulos, Cannata, Chard, Frank, McCrary & Wolfe, 2006)
- Become teacher leaders who are prepared and willing to assume roles related to mentoring new and struggling teachers, addressing school improvement, and serving as “faculty voices” to policy makers and stakeholders (Freud, Russell & Kavulic, 2005; Sykes, et al, 2006; Goldhaber & Hansen, 2007)
- Remain in the profession longer than non-NBC certified teachers (Sykes, et al, 2006; Goldhaber & Hansen, 2007)
- Measurably improve student achievement on end-of-year tests, writing, and comprehension (Goldhaber & Anthony, 2004; Smith, Colby & Wang, 2004)