15 January 2010
11 January 2010
Teacher certification prestigious but too costly, Rhee says
The National Board Certification process should be viewed through the lens of increasing human capital, not strictly from the perspective of short-term costs and benefits. Smart state and local policies will support candidates as they go through the process and then capitalize on the leadership and skills of those who successfully complete it. Once this dynamic environment is created and sustained, we are confident that teaching quality will improve.
19 December 2009
2009 class of NBCTs advances nation’s school-quality reform movement
18 December 2009
Arne Duncan calls 2009 National Board Certified Teachers an “extraordinary group”
NBCTs should take on leadership roles, NBPTS president says
12 December 2009
Don’t stop learning, says NBCT who is Rhode Island Teacher of the Year
Middletown High School Spanish teacher Dana E. Ramey is led to the podium by Education Commissioner Deborah A. Gist after he was revealed to be teacher of the year.3 December 2009
Quality teaching is the answer, not departmentalization

2 December 2009
Joining the NBCTLink
Congratulations on achieving National Board Certification! The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is happy to welcome you and your fellow National Board Certified Teachers into the new NBCT online community: NBCTLink.
22 November 2009
Doing what it takes…
You will pass because now I see a teacher who is worthy of being called a National Board Certified Teacher. I see a teacher in front of me who is working hard to be able to pull the scores of her special needs students out of below basic in the benchmark assessments. I see a teacher who is helping her colleagues create an inviting classroom environment and a better lesson plan for their students. I see a teacher who is able to pull together resources and grants, and community help for her students to achieve. I see a teacher who is open to suggestions, receptive, and is willing to learn and make things better for her students. You will retake the National Board, and I know you will pass because you are now ready."
20 November 2009
National Board Certified at last!
Dear MARIA LOURDES CRIBE ANGALA:
Congratulations! You are a National Board Certified Teacher®!
I am pleased to inform you that your performance met the standard for National Board Certification® set by the board of directors of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards® (NBPTS®). Please accept my personal congratulations on your achievement. The certificate, a symbol of your accomplishment and the status you have achieved, should reach you sometime after February. We hope you will display it with pride.
To achieve National Board Certification, a candidate must earn a total weighted scaled score that equals or exceeds 275. Your total weighted scaled score, exercise scores and weighted exercise scores are shown on your score profile. Information that describes the criteria used to score candidate responses can be found in the Scoring Guide located on the NBPTS Web site.
The American Council on Education (ACE) now recognizes the National Board Certification process as comparable to graduate level coursework. As a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT), you are now eligible to request a transcript from ACE that recommends you receive up to nine semester hours of graduate credit in education. You can find more information about requesting a transcript for graduate credit on the NBPTS Web site.
I am confident that this achievement marks the beginning of a long and productive relationship between you and NBPTS. In virtually every case, achieving National Board Certification signals the start of a new, exciting phase in an educator's professional life. As a National Board Certified Teacher, you have the opportunity to play an active role in charting the future of American education.
You can expect to be sought out by candidates, administrators, media, education organizations and professional associations for your insights on the certification process and other education issues. NBPTS is prepared to help you share information about National Board Certification with your colleagues. Your name will be included among the list of National Board Certified Teachers that is posted on the NBPTS Web site, so please keep your information current in our records. We look forward to your active involvement in the years to come as our work to integrate National Board Certification in American education continues.
On behalf of the NBPTS Board of Directors and staff, I extend our best wishes for your continued success.
With warm regards,
Joseph A. Aguerrebere, Ed. D.
President & CEO
3 November 2009
DCPS Teaching and Learning Framework
Here's the DCPS Teaching and Learning Framework, which supports the IMPACT which is the new system for assessing the performance of DCPS teachers and other school-based staff. I finished the first evaluation cycle with impressive ratings. Thanks to the National Board process. It made me reflect on, rethink, retool and redo my instructional practices. It made me innovative, creative, and try new things for my diverse students to learn the standards. It made me focus on data gathering and analysis, connecting and having good relationships with my students, colleagues, parents, and the community so we can all work towards a common goal --- maximizing my students' potential and increasing student achievement. Nope, I'm not yet National Board certified and I'm still working on it, but the process made me a teacher leader, a teacher collaborator, and a teacher learner...it made me a 21st Century educator! Even if I don't get National Board certified, I'm still glad I went through the process. It made me become a better teacher that my students deserve, and the intrinsic reward which made me grow professionally is worth all the sleepless nights, sacrifice and effort.1 November 2009
In-class teachers are best resource for leadership, training
I found a good article from Teacher Magazine where the author, Anthony Cody, answered the question "Why is it that school districts continue to hire outside consultants to conduct professional development when local classroom teachers often have greater levels of expertise? "
Classroom teachers -- not outside consultants -- are often a school's best professional-development resource, according to a California professional-development coach. Anthony Cody writes in this column that outside consultants can be helpful, but schools often have teachers on staff with considerable experience in the topic of the training. Teacher Magazine (free registration)
29 October 2009
NBCT with teaching in her blood is named top teacher in Delaware
National Board Certified Teacher and 17-year teaching veteran Mary Pinkston has been named Delaware's 2010 Teacher of the Year. "When you describe good teachers, they all have these adjectives: organized, prepared, dedicated and fair," Pinkston's principal said. "She has them all. She constantly relates the subject matter to the real world. You don't feel like you are in a math class." The News Journal (Wilmington, Del.)
27 October 2009
NBPTS launches series of reports highlighting effect of National Board Certified Teachers
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is launching a series of reports highlighting the effect of National Board Certified Teachers. The first report in the series is "Chicago, Illinois: Leveraging National Board Certification in a District-wide Human Capital Initiative." Read more24 October 2009
National Board message from Sec. Duncan
Immediately after my third year of teaching I went through the National Board Certification process. It's been validated that "The National Board is part of a growing education-reform movement; it has produced many of the most outstanding and the most effective educators across the country and I dream of joining this cadre of accomplished educators in the nation. The National Research Council has confirmed that National Board Certification has a positive effect on student achievement, teacher retention, and professional development."
14 October 2009
NBCT: D.C. layoffs did not consider teachers’ skills
1 July 2009
D.C. Teachers Become Central Office Fellows

27 June 2009
DEN at NECC 2009…I was there!
I'm glad I didn't miss today's DEN's pre-NECC Birthday Party Extravaganza, "I learned a lot of cool stuff!" is an understatement! Many DEN STARs from across the country came to DC early for the 2009 NECC just to attend DEN’s fourth birthday celebration at Discovery Headquarters today. 
- Discovery the Possibilities with Discovery Educaiton Digital Services
- Multimedia Einsteins: Discovery Education Science
- Using Multimedia in the Classroom with Mimio
- 50 Ways To Use Discovery Education streaming
- Bring 21st Century Teaching to Your Classrooms: Professional Development that Works
- Connecting Formative Assessment to the Power of Digital Media
22 June 2009
2009 National Charter Schools Conference
The 9th Annual National Charter Schools Conference is being held here (right at this moment) in Washington DC from June 21-24, 2009. Keynote speakers include urban schools leaders: New York City Public Schools Chancellor Joel Klein and District of Columbia Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee. Additionally, President Barack Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan were invited to address the conference.This session has revealed to me opportunities at the national, state, and local levels for teachers in developing policies that affect the classroom! I am grateful that I was given a chance at a national level to share with my colleagues my experiences as a teacher in DC Public Schools. As a citywide teacher leader, I learned a lot of strategies that I can use whenever I sit on the table with the education policy makers in my school district. The most important things that I will remember are these tips:
Tips for teachers in discussing education policy:
Prepare (Know the issue)
- Know the opposition's points and be able to counter them.
Strengthening My Teacher Leadership Skills
I always go to national conferences and I am used to engaging in meaningful conversations with my colleagues coming from other districts about education policies, theories, philosophies and teaching practices. But there was this weird feeling yesterday. In the past, when I shared during group discussions or with the big group, after I introduced myself as a teacher from DC Public Schools they politely listened to me, no questions were asked, just "ok, fine". Yesterday, after I introduced myself as a teacher from DC Public Schools, people stopped what they were doing, looked at me, and listened intently.
During small group discussions after going through what we were supposed to do, teachers engaged in small talks with me like "So, how do you like your young and aggressive Chancellor?", "It's very shaky right now in DCPS, how are you affected by this?"...there were many more questions; I guess the one good thing about being a DC Public Schools teacher right now is popularity (or is this really a good thing?)
I went to several sessions, mostly on Teacher Leadership and building Professional Learning Communities (PLC) in schools, and learned a lot, now ready to bring back new knowledge to my school and school district. Before the school year ended, I told one of my colleagues that I am now ready for more challenges and to accept more responsibilities. I still want to be a classroom teacher, but I want to assume a different role now. I believe that I can better serve the students and positively impact young precious lives more if I can directly support their teachers and help strengthen their teaching skills and encourage them to implement the best practices of teaching.
Next year's conference will be in Chicago, just FYI for those who would be interested. What have I learned from yesterday? It's here.


