Board certified teachers ARE better, new study says

Talk about timing.

A day after Gov. Charlie Crist signed a bill that likely will undermine Florida's efforts to produce more National Board certified teachers, a new, congressionally mandated study by the National Research Council concludes such teachers do squeeze bigger learning gains out of their students – even if it's not clear if it's the certification process that makes them better.

For the study, NRC researchers took a look at some national board certified teachers in Florida and North Carolina and how their fourth and fifth graders did on their state's standardized tests (yes, that would be the FCAT in Florida). The result?

"Earning NBPTS certification is a useful 'signal' that a teacher is effective in the classroom," Milton Hakel, a Bowling Green State University professor and chair of the NRC committee that wrote the report, said in a press release this morning. "But we don't know whether the certification process itself makes teachers more effective … or if high-quality teachers are attracted to the certification process."

In the end, the NRC recommended more study.

Florida has 8,136 board certified teachers, second only to North Carolina, with nearly 1,700 coming on board last year. At present, those teachers get bonuses worth 10 percent of an average teacher’s salary ($4,270 last year), plus another 10 percent if they mentor other teachers. For teachers seeking certification, the state chips in 90 percent of the $2,500 application fee.

The new law limits the first 10 percent bonus to 10 years, and eliminate state funding for the mentoring bonus. It also nixes the state subsidy on the application fee.

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

Comments

Get certified - other States will pay you more with the certification!!! Florida Schools should have signs on them that say, "Abandon hope all who enter here." After all the Repblican Legislature would rather fund railroads, sports teams, and private roads than education!

[Sandra]

Milton -

The study was conducted with 4th and 5th graders who aren't stratified into AP and Honors yet.

I say that only higher quality professionals would willingly undertake the pain required of the certification. Those picking up paychecks are typically content with status quo.

[Ann E. Mouse]

Teachers should forget getting Nationally Board Certified. Go back to school and get a Master Degree instead.

The Legislature DOESN'T want quality public schools THEIR kids go to private schools!

Remember in November!!!

[Teacher]

Why bother going through what amounts to a year of intensive work if there is no benefit at the end of it. The state talks about wanting highly qualified teachers in the system and yet takes away the incentive for those teachers to go through the work to prove that claim. Many teachers do not make National Boards the first time and have to pay to go through a 2nd year of the process. Expensive and to prove what? The parents of the kids I teach don't want to hear about my qualifications and would find it offensive if I were to tell them about the Board certification process. They want to hear about their child, not me. This system was created to make Florida look like one of the best in the nation with a high number of Board Certified teachers....they will not go through the process when that certification expires without the incentive in place!

[HSteacher]

Jeff--
Last I heard, teachers had to pay ALL of the fee. That's a month of pay for some teachers!

[jwt]

A colleague and I decided to do this next year-- after all, we do the work--why not document and get paid for it? Yes, the $300.00 was a stretch. However, the prsent situation makes it financially impossible! The fee is what many of us bring home!!! If I didn't have so many years vested, and need the money, I'd get into teaching private school! Parents are required to participate at the one down the street from me. Less BS and fewer disruptive students! Maybe less politics, too?

[Milton]

Does the study show that ALL NBCT are good mentors? Does it show if ALL of them teach regular vs. honors/AP students? If the state pays, then send them to inner cities while restoring their bonuses, inner city students will be thrilled.

Remember: "There are lies, big lies and then statistics"