National Board Certification for Teachers

Becoming a Highly Qualified Teacher Through NBC

Dec 15, 2008 Jennifer Wagaman

Although expensive and time consuming, National Board Certification can be a huge benefit to many teachers.

The journey towards receiving National Board Certification can be eventful and cause a lot of anxiety. Teachers are allowed only so many retakes if they do not receive a passing score the first time around, and there is a lot work that goes into receiving this certification. Even so, schools all across the United States are providing great incentives for teachers to pursue this extra certification.

Tips for Receiving National Board Certification

Since you have to have taught for three years before going towards National Board Certification, you will have plenty of time to prepare. First, you must develop a time line to get everything completed and stick to it. Make sure that the time line includes a large cushion of time at the end before the deadline to provide for the unexpected things that come up in a teacher’s life.

The four portfolio entries can be very overwhelming and take a lot of work to put together. Managing this task in small pieces is advisable. Ask other Nationally Board Certified teachers in your school to help by proof reading your entries. Talk to others who have gone through the certification process for advice.

Benefits for Receiving National Board Certification

Many schools are providing great incentives for teachers who receive their National Board Certification. This generally includes a raise or a bonus. This is because teachers who receive this certification meet most states’ definition of a “highly qualified teacher”, which is a requirement under the No Child Left Behind act.

Receiving NBC also strengthens your teaching, thus improving student learning, and often makes your teaching certification transferable to most other states. In addition, you will get to add initials to your name in official school documents, rewarding the extra effort it took to receive the certification.

Cost of National Board Certification

Despite the many benefits, receiving your NBC is not free. There is an application processing charge, an initial fee and an assessment fee. The initial fee is applied to the assessment fee, but as of right now, the total assessment fee is $2,500. Some schools will help teachers with this cost, and there are scholarships available that you may be eligible for as well.

Learn more about National Board Certification, and consider how this process will help improve your teaching and enhance your career. Despite the effort and hard work it takes to receive NBC, the benefits are vast and the satisfaction of having achieved something this big is great.

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Tips for Receiving National Board Certification