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MCEA National Board Certification Support Program

There are 634 MCEA members that have achieved National Board Certification through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). And the best news? A far higher percentage of MCEA members pursuing National Board Certification actually achieve it, compared to the national average.Why? In no small part it is because of the comprehensive National Board program being coordinated by MCEA’s Center For Teacher Leadership. There are six components to the program:

  1. Scholarships

    2. National Board $2500 Scholarship Applications Due April 13, 2012! 

    Teachers interested in becoming National Board certified have until April 13, 2012 to complete the 5-part application and return it to MCEA. The packet includes General Instructions; MSDE Memorandum of Understanding; 2-page, single-spaced essay on how your current practice reflects the National Board Standards; a rubric for the essay; and 2 recommendations – one from your Administrator, Principal or AP and another from someone who has observed your teaching. Applicants are asked to return all items in the same envelope so that no part gets ‘lost’.

    You can download all documents:

    QUESTIONS? Contact Mary Pat Spon or call 301-294-6232.

  2. Take One! Outreach & Support

    3. Take One! is a new NBPTS program that allows those interested in National Board Certification to prepare and submit one portfolio entry in order to become more familiar with the process. If you decide to pursue National Board Certification, you can transfer the score on that entry and use it towards full National Board candidacy. And to top it all off, MCEA negotiated contract language allowing for use of MCPS tuition reimbursement funds to pay the cost of Take One! participation.

  3. Minority Candidate Outreach

    4. MCEA has taken the lead in encouraging minority educators to apply for National Board Certification. Working together with the NBPTS “DREAM (Direct Recruitment Efforts to Attract Minorities) Team” events are organized that target outreach and support to minority candidates as well as to candidates that serve underrepresented students . For more information about the Dream Team, contact Shalini Komal (Shalini_N_Komal@mcpsmd.org) or Lesley Johnson (Lesley_C_Johnson@mcpsmd.org).

  4. Candidate Support

    5. MCEA and MCPS run one of the most comprehensive NBPTS candidate support programs in the nation. Support sessions are held monthly, on Saturdays at the MCEA Conference Center. National Board Certified Teachers serve as mentors and coaches, and candidates work with one another to develop their portfolio submissions.

    Click here to view detailed flyer.

  5. National Board Network

    6. National Board Certification is not just a personal and professional achievement; it can be the beginning of new leadership opportunities within public education. MCEA and the Center have helped to organize a National Board Network for NBPTS Certified Teachers. The Network meets throughout the year. They support candidates. And they advise – and represent – MCEA on a range of instructional initiatives within MCPS. MCEA is also in the final stages of negotiating a Career Lattice that will open up and provide a structure for increased leadership opportunities for National Board Certified Teachers. Click here for additional information.

    National Board Recruitment Meetings

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    NBPTS Case Study: Montgomery County Maryland – a Districtwide Coalition to Improve Teaching Through National Board Certification.

     

    For more information about the Center for Teacher Leadership and the National Board program, contact Mary Pat Spon (mpspon@mceanea.org).