Support Program FAQs

Register online for the 2008-09 Support Program.

How will I be supported in my pursuit of National Board Certification?

The National Board Resource Center at Stanford hosts a support program for teachers pursuing National Board Certification throughout the Bay Area. Candidates meet monthly on Saturday mornings at Stanford University. This support program offers National Board Candidates an opportunity to meet together, to share their expertise, to analyze their classroom practice together using the National Board Teaching Standards, and to be part of a community while engaged in this rigorous assessment process. Most candidates tell us that being part of a group provides a greater opportunity for professional growth while completing the assessment process. The support program also offers candidates guidance through the process and feedback on their analysis of classroom practice from experienced National Board Certified Teachers.

The support program will meet on the following Saturdays in 2008-09 from 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM except where noted:

September 6
October 4
October 25
November 8
December 6
January 10
February 7
March 7
April 4
May 2

For candidates interested in getting started right away, there will be two Early Start Sessions on May 12, 2008 and July 14, 2008. These sessions are from 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM. To register please email sdean1@stanford.edu.

Support Program Meeting Schedule

If you plan to participate in the Stanford Support Program, participation in one of the Introductory Seminars is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED since information and material will be addressed in these seminars and will not be repeated in the support program meetings.

Is there a fee for the support program?

There is a $200 fee for the support program. Details on payment methods will be available at the first meeting you attend.

Note: A limited number of program scholarships will be available with demonstration of need. Please contact sdean1@stanford.edu for more information.

How do I register for the support program?

Are Stanford University credits available to Support Program participants?

Continuing Education credits are available to program participants for an additional fee. More information and applications will be available at support program meetings.

What is the timeline for pursuing for National Board Certification?

January 1 - December 31, 2008
Application, $65 processing fee, and $500 non-refundable materials fee must be received by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

March 31, 2008
Due date for classroom-based portfolios

July 1, 2008 - June 23, 2009
Window for registering to take the assessment center portion of the assessment

What is National Board Certification?

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), a private, nonprofit, non-partisan, professional organization (governed primarily by teachers), has been assessing and certifying teachers throughout the United States since 1994. The rigorous assessment process includes a classroom-based portfolio and a set of performance assessment exercises. National Board Certification is a voluntary system designed to recognize accomplished practice (teachers must have at least three years of teaching experience in order to apply for National Board Certification). To date, approximately 47,500 teachers nationwide have achieved National Board Certification. National Board Certification has become widely known by local, state, and national policymakers as a mark of excellence in teaching.

National Board Certification process offers teachers a rare professional growth opportunity. Most teachers who have completed the process identify it as the most rewarding professional development they have experienced. During the National Board assessment process, teachers use a set of professional standards, defined by practicing teachers, to analyze and reflect on their own teaching practice. The National Board teaching standards incorporate knowledge about teaching and learning that supports a view of teaching as complex, contingent on students' needs and instructional goals, and reciprocal-that is, continually shaped and re-shaped by students' responses to learning events. The classroom-based portfolio is meant to allow teachers to present a picture of their practice as it is shaped by the particular needs of the students with whom the teachers work and the particular context of the teacher's school. The portfolio provides a rare pause for teachers to think and write about how they support student learning. The assessment center questions are designed to elicit teachers' subject matter competence, probing on both breadth and depth of understanding, and how the teacher translates their subject matter understanding to their students.

For more information about the National Board Certification please visit the NBPTS website at www.nbpts.org