Are Board Certified Teachers Better?
October 19, 2000
Teachers certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) were found to show better results in the classroom according to researchers at the University of North Carolina at Greenville. According to the study:
- Certified teachers outperformed peers who sought but did not attain certification on 11 of 13 key dimensions of teaching expertise.
- Their students' work samples reflected a high level of comprehension of the concepts taught, say the researchers.
- Nearly 74 percent of the work samples demonstrated strong comprehension, compared with 29 percent of samples of students taught by teachers who didn't pass.
The NBTPS was conceived in 1987 to make teaching a national standards-based profession. It started certifying teachers in 1994-95 and has certified 4,806 teachers nationwide. Another 9,500 more are trying this year. The certification process involves more than 200 hours of work over a one-year period, followed by a four-hour exam.
Source: Tamara Henry and Tracey Wong Briggs, "Board-Certified Teachers Are Better," USA Today, October 19, 2000.
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