Assessing Accomplished Teaching Advanced-Level Certification Programs (2008) / Chapter Skim
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12 Overall Evaluation
12 Overall Evaluation
Pages 248-263
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From page 248... ...
We begin by summarizing the key conclusions and recommendations related to each element of the evaluation framework. We then present our overall conclusions about the board and the role it can play in improving teacher quality.
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From page 249... ...
We found this deficiency to be particularly troublesome as we explored the content-related validity evidence for the national board assessment. Ordinarily, the primary focus in an evaluation of a credentialing assessment is content-related validity evidence -- that is, the evidence that the assessment measures the knowledge and skills it is intended to measure, based on the content standards that guide the development of the assessment.
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From page 250... ...
Recommendation 5-6: The NBPTS should periodically review the assessment model to determine whether adjustments are warranted to take advantage of advances in measurement technologies and developments in the teaching environment. Teacher Participation in National Board Certification The board's founders envisioned that NBPTS certification would become a widely recognized credential, that districts and states would value board-certified teachers, and that the numbers of certified teachers would grow.
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From page 251... ...
We were not able to find any research on the factors that influence the thinking of state policy makers about encouraging teacher participation. However, some states offer financial incentives to teachers -- covering the $2,500 test fee and offering sizable salary increases to those who are successful -- and they have higher participation rates than states that offer no incentives.
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From page 252... ...
The data collected should provide information about what teachers have done after going through the certification process, what has happened to teachers who did not pass the assessment, how many board-certified teachers are currently employed, where board-certified teachers currently work, and what jobs they do. Impacts of the National Board-Certification Process Our framework examines the various kinds of impacts the NBPTS could have on students, in terms of their learning; on the teachers who participate, in terms of their professional growth and their career paths; and on the education system itself, through board-certified teachers' influence on their colleagues, school systems, and teacher training programs.
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From page 253... ...
Standardized tests of student achievement are not designed to assess the sorts of higher order critical thinking skills that teachers following the board's content standards would be encouraged to focus on. The NBPTS content standards are based on a view of learning in which the focus is on engaging students as active learners.
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From page 254... ...
In fact, while several surveys found that the majority of board-certified teacher respondents say that they participate in leadership activities and mentor other teachers, they also found that these teachers participated in these activities prior to earning board certification. Others reported that administrators discouraged board-certified teachers from assuming responsibilities beyond their primary role of classroom instruction.
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From page 255... ...
To the extent that existing data sets allow, we encourage replication of studies in states besides North Carolina and Florida and in subjects beyond elementary reading and mathematics. Impact on Teachers' Career Paths A significant goal for an advanced-level certification program is to make the teaching field more appealing to the best teachers and encourage them to stay in it.
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From page 256... ...
show that those who successfully obtain board certification tend to move from one teaching job to another at higher rates than do unsuccessful applicants. These data also indicate that when they move, board-certified teachers are likely to move to teaching assignments with more advantaged conditions, such as schools with higher student achievement levels or fewer poverty-level students.
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From page 257... ...
In these instances, administrators and other teachers are aware of and respect the board-certification process, and board-certified teachers are used as mentors, team leaders, and organizers of professional development activities. In these situations, board certification appears to be viewed as part of a broader commitment to improving professional development and meeting higher standards for teachers.
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From page 258... ...
Our review of the evidence led us to draw the following conclusion: Conclusion 10-1: There is not yet sufficient research to evaluate the extent to which the NBPTS is having systemic impacts on the teaching field and the education system. Cost-Effectiveness The final aspect of our evaluation was to examine the cost-effectiveness of the national board's certification program as a means of improving teacher quality.
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From page 259... ...
Concluding Observations The board set out to transform the teaching field in the United States and has been innovative in its approach to this challenge. Its effort to articulate standards for accomplished teaching brought diverse voices to the table, individuals who had never before sat together and discussed the components of excellent teaching -- including policy makers, education researchers, teacher union leaders, teachers, and others.
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From page 260... ...
The current policy focus on concrete measures of accountability, while not inherently at odds with the national board's original goal of professionalizing teaching, reflects a markedly different conception of what constitutes excellent teaching. The NBPTS has the potential to make a valuable contribution to efforts to improve teacher quality, together with other reforms intended to create a more effective environment for teaching and learning in schools, increase the supply of high-quality entrants into the profession, and improve career opportunities for teachers.
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From page 261... ...
This evaluation thus provides an opportunity to take stock of what has worked well and what has not and to consider changes that are needed to respond to the current policy environment. We summarize our findings with the following conclusion: Conclusion 12-1: At its outset, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards was innovative.
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From page 262... ...
The national board has produced a viable program for assessing teachers and certifying those who meet its high standards. Data have not been collected to permit evaluation of the extent to which the board has met the other goals it identified, such as creating a more effective environment for teaching and learning in schools, increasing the supply of high-quality entrants into the profession, and improving teacher education and continuing professional development.
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From page 263... ...
Meeting these ambitious goals will also require a serious commitment by education policy makers to the other recommendations made by the Carnegie Task Force on Teaching as a Profession.
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