Professional Development in the Context of National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification: Implications beyond Certification

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) has challenged test developers to create a voluntary program of certification in which highly accomplished teachers receive recognition for meeting rigorous standards. These four papers report the experiences of teacher-candidates, school district administrators, researchers, and test developers who have participated in aspects of the National Board certification process. The first paper, "Professional Development and the NBPTS Certification Process: A Candidate's Perspective" by Kenneth Kowalski, presents an account of the professional development aspects of the certification process from the perspective of a candidate who has just completed the process. In the second paper, "Implications of National Board Certification for the Assessment and Supervision of Tenured and Non-Tenured Teachers" by Willa Spicer, an assistant superintendent presents a school district's response to the National Board's model and its implications for teacher evaluation and supervision. The third paper, "An Observational Study of National Board Candidates as They Progress through the Certification Process" by Edward Chittenden and Jacqueline Jones, takes a researcher's perspective and traces the progress of three different groups of teachers through the National Board certification process. In the last paper, "Professional Development Materials in the Context of Professional Certification: Lessons from the Field" by Cindy Tocci, a member of the certification development team reports on ways in which information from field studies has informed test development, increased understanding of the support mechanisms candidates may require, and aided the design of professional development materials. (SLD)