National Board Certification

This course builds the foundational knowledge and evidence-based practices of accomplished teachers. It expands the skills, strategies, and professional dispositions essential to candidates’ knowledge and proficiencies within and across content areas. Course content addresses the science of learning, trends and initiatives in assessment strategies/tools and evaluation of their effectiveness in measuring student performance, knowing and deeply understanding individual learners, evidence-based pedagogical practices to engage all learners in needs-based instruction, engagement in reflective practice as a core tenet of best instructional practices, and implementation of high-quality professional learning opportunities.

Candidates build component 2 and part of component 3 of the National Board Certification portfolio.

Component 2 addresses differentiation in Instruction; this classroom-based component requires that candidates gather and analyze information about individual students’ strengths and needs and use that information to design and implement instruction to advance student learning and achievement. 

Component 3 addresses Teaching Practice and Learning Environment; this classroom-based component requires video recordings of interactions between the candidate and their students. The candidates also submit a written commentary in which they describe, analyze, and reflect on their teaching and interactions with students.

Candidates build components 3 and 4 and prepare for component 1 of the National Board Certification portfolio. 

Component 4 addresses the candidate as an effective and reflective practitioner; this component requires teachers to demonstrate evidence of their abilities as an effective and reflective practitioner in developing and applying knowledge of their students; their use of assessments to effectively plan for and positively impact their students’ learning; and their collaboration with families, the community, colleagues, and professional learning communities to advance students’ learning and growth. 

Component 1 addresses content knowledge; this computer-based, culminating assessment asks candidates to demonstrate their understanding of content knowledge and pedagogical practices for teaching in their content area. In addition, candidates will participate in a day of training to serve as professional mentors.

Offered each fall.

This course is designed specifically for existing National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) who are pursuing their Maintenance of Certification (MOC). Through the development of a professional community provided within this course, EDU 551 supports teachers as they embark on the Maintenance of Certification journey together. By the end of the course, NBCTs will have completed both components of the MOC portfolio. In addition, the collaborative and connected nature of the asynchronous course not only helps teachers analyze and reflect on student learning and their teaching practice, but also improves the learning environment, creating a culture in which teachers feel that their development is valued, guided, and purposeful.

Offered every spring.

This course is designed specifically for existing NBC candidates who are pursuing a retake of one or more components of the National Board Certification process. Through the development of a professional community provided within this course, EDU 551 supports teachers as they review their originally submitted work, examine their NBPTS feedback, and then choose one or more components to complete and re-submit. By the end of the course, candidates will have completed at least one full component of the NBC portfolio. The collaborative and connected nature of the asynchronous course fosters deeper analysis and reflection of student learning, the candidate's teaching practice, and their learning environment in their quest to achieve National Board Certification.