As part of its commitment to provide continuing professional development for Washington’s teachers, the College of Education’s program supports National Board Certificate candidates through all aspects of the certification process in order to ensure candidates successfully reach their goals.

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certificate attests that a teacher is accomplished, makes sound professional judgments about student learning and acts effectively on those judgments. The University of Washington NBPTS Support Program provides a support system for NBPTS certification.

About the UW Program

To demonstrate that teachers can meet the certificate’s high standards for teaching skills and knowledge, candidates complete a two-part assessment: a portfolio of videotaped classroom teaching, lesson plans, student work samples and reflections on teaching that show their impact on student learning; and a series of written prompts that measure knowledge of their subject area. Teachers report spending 200-400 hours on the certification process over the course of a school year. During this time, candidates will meet regularly with a collegial support group and be provided with mentoring from National Board Certified Teachers and other facilitators trained by the Initiative.

Program components:

• Pre-candidacy Support . . . for individuals who are considering applying for National Board but are not ready to begin the process. Experiences deepen understanding of the standards and the preparation needed for the candidacy year.
• Orientation . . .candidates attend a one-day session to get a head start by planning lessons, becoming familiar with the standards, and the portfolio requirements.
• Small Group Meetings . . .candidates meet in small groups facilitated by National Board Certified Teachers and UW faculty.
• Online Modules . . .self-paced online modules guide the candidates through the NBPTS certification process. Topics for the modules include: anatomy of an entry, classroom discussions, big ideas in science, entry 4 and diversity.
• Large group sessions . . .offer opportunities for candidates to meet in certificate groups. Sessions focus on common certification requirements and the assessment center.
• Advanced Candidate Support . . .program to support individuals who wish to continue pursuing certification.

Who Should Participate?

NBPTS candidates must. . .

• Possess a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution.
• Hold a valid Washington state teaching/counseling certificate.
• Have completed a minimum of three years of successful full-time teaching (or the equivalent part-time as defined by candidate’s employer) in a U.S. P–12 school prior to the first day of work of the 2008-09 school year.
• Be employed in a Washington state K–12 public or state-approved private school during the 2008-09 school year.
• Regularly teach at least one class during the 2008-09 school year that meets the age range and content specifications for the desired certificate area. At least six students must be in the class, with at least 51 percent of the students at the appropriate age level.
• Read the complete text of the NBPTS standards for the intended certificate (available online at www.nbpts.org or for $15 from NBPTS at (800) 22-TEACH).
• Must agree to attend and fully participate in all support meetings and complete the portfolio and assessment center exercises according to published timelines.
• Be prepared to pay to the University of Washington the $550 NBPTS Support Program fee by May 17, 2008; $500 of the $2500 NBPTS fee to NBPTS by April 25, 2008; and the remainder of the NBPTS fee by December 31, 2008.

Scholarship Application Process

The Washington Initiative for National Board Teacher Certification supports candidates with scholarships to pay $1,250 of the $2,500 NBPTS application fee. All applications for NBPTS scholarships must be received at OSPI by Feb 22, 2008. No faxed applications will be accepted. All applicants will be notified of their status by March 21, 2008. If any of the initial scholarship recipients withdraw before October 1, 2008, the next alternate on the list will be notified. If a participant chooses for any reason not to submit a complete portfolio by the NBPTS deadline, the participant will reimburse OSPI any fees paid on the candidate’s behalf.

Time Line

Credit/Clock Hour Option

Participants who wish to earn clocks for their work in the program may select the clock hour option for an additional fee of $50. Those wishing to earn six University of Washington credits upon satisfactory completion of the program may select the credit option and instead pay the credit tuition.  Please indicate your preference on the registration form.

Connections to M.Ed.

UW – Seattle: Candidates may use a completed National Board portfolio for partial completion of the final project. Candidates must enroll for the credit option and have graduate status or graduate non-matriculated status when earning the credits.
UW – Bothell: Candidates may use a completed National Board portfolio as a culminating project for the M.Ed. degree at the University of Washington, Bothell campus. Candidates must have completed all coursework for the degree before starting their NBPTS portfolio and must participate in a 6 credit NBPTS portfolio support group in order to pursue this option.

How to Register

Register for the UW NBPTS support program by completing the registration form

• By telephone: Register using VISA or MasterCard by calling 206-897-8939 or 1-800-506-1325, Monday–Thursday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m., and Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
• By mail or fax: Print and mail or fax the registration form.
• In person:
• UW Extension, University District, Seattle
  (Administrative offices for UW Educational Outreach)
  4311 - 11th Ave. NE

Hours: Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Parking: Free visitor parking is available in the building garage (entrance on 11th Ave. NE), in stalls marked "UW Educational Outreach."

• UW Extension Downtown, Seattle
  1325 Fourth Ave. at Union St., Suite 400

Hours: Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–1 p.m. and 2–5 p.m.

Questions

For additional information about UW’s National Board Candidate Support program, contact Julie Kang, coordinator of the program, at sonjulie@u.washington.edu. For information about the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), visit their website at www.nbpts.org. For information about the Washington Initiative scholarships, visit the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) website at www.k12.wa.us/cert/nbpts.