One Hundred Fifty-Two Educators Achieve National Board Certification in 2023
A total of 152 MCPS educators and counselors achieved National Board Certification in December 2023. Another 73 successfully maintained their certifications.
National Board Certification is achieved through an assessment process designed to measure what accomplished educators should know and be able to do. The process requires educators to demonstrate how their activities, both inside and outside the classroom, strengthen student performance and contribute to student achievement.
In order to become National Board Certified, candidates voluntarily complete a rigorous process that consists of four components: assessment of content knowledge, reflection on student work samples, video and analysis of teaching practice, and documentation of the impact of assessment and collaboration on student learning. These components were designed by teachers, for teachers, to identify the essential knowledge and skills required to advance student learning and achievement. This is a serious commitment of time and energy and teachers who achieve certification describe the process as transformative.
MCPS uses the rigorous standards established by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) as part of the Professional Growth System for all teachers in the school system. The certification process is open to anyone with three years of full-time classroom teaching experience. Certificates issued by NBPTS are valid for five years after which a teacher may seek maintenance of certification to renew the National Board Certification for an additional five years.
Interested in learning more about National Board Certification? Please visit the MCPS NBC Information Sheet and website.