National Board Certified Teachers

CSTP is part of a unique state network partnership with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Washington Education Association to support National Board teachers and the National Board program in Washington State.

CSTP’s National Board Cohorts

CSTP offers OSPI-approved cohorts that work with WA state trained NBCT Facilitators to support candidates that are working on Component 1, 2, 3 or 4 in areas of our state where there are no local cohort options. Registration is now open for the following cohorts:

Those who participate in our cohort can expect to meet several times during the school year with their cohort on the component(s) they are working on. Candidates will engage with their NBCT Facilitator to dig deeply into their content area, plan unit/lessons by goal setting, and implement varied instructional strategies and assessments. Candidates will receive feedback from cohort participants as well as their and NBCT facilitator who is trained to provide feedback aligned with the National Board standards and guidelines.

 

NBCT Network

We Are the Washington State National Board Network

The Washington State National Board Network Partners are comprised of three agencies committed to work as a statewide coalition supporting accomplished teaching. The partners consist of a non-profit agency, The Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession (CSTP), the state department of education, The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and the teachers’ union, Washington Education Association (WEA). The partners believe that in order to support the culture of learning and growth in our schools and communities, each student needs access to accomplished teaching.

The partners work together to attract and recruit teachers interested in National Board Certification, to support National Board Candidates, to train accomplished teachers to serve as leaders in their schools and to advocate for education policy. They work to ensure NBCTs are leading from the classroom and improving student learning; stepping up to leadership on the state and national stage; serving in high-needs schools and are working with policymakers to inform sound educational policy.

Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession (CSTP)

At CSTP we believe that all teachers are leaders. We also know that the National Board process and the body of knowledge, National Board Standards and five core propositions set teachers up to be leaders in their classrooms, buildings, districts and our state. We believe that this rigorous process is not the only way that a teacher can lead, but it is a powerful way to who competency and highlight accomplished teaching practice that can be leveraged for the betterment of the profession in general. We focus on supporting NBCT’s to step into leadership positions across our state.

Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)

Our partners at OSPI are one of the supportive state agencies in the nation for the National Board body of knowledge and process. OSPI has resources and links to help candidates apply and find support programs at the university and the regional level. The agency also offers a competitive conditional loan to help candidates afford the cost of the process.  Any teacher who qualifies for NB candidacy may apply.

Once your certificate is earned, OSPI has supports for you as well.  They provide information about certificate management, clock hour requirements, the NBCT bonus, leadership opportunities and more.

Washington Education Association (WEA)

Our partners at WEA are working hard to support candidates for both renewal and first certification. They offer high quality professional development for their members facilitated by members who are also trained NBCTs.

Network to Transform Teaching (NT3)

In 2014, the Washington state network partners joined the National Board’s Network to Transform Teaching (NT3). This was a community of schools, districts, and states working to ensure every student learns from accomplished teachers every day. As a community, NT3 members were committed to exploring innovative and evidence based practices for bringing accomplished, Board-certified teaching to scale.

Part of the goal of this network was to support teachers along a developmental continuum beginning in pre-service, proceeding through induction, and advancing to accomplished practice and instructional leadership.

Since 2013, members have been developing and testing approaches for integrating the Accomplished Teaching Body of Knowledge into professional learning systems so that pursuit of Board certification is deeply connected to teachers’ daily practice. NT3 was anchored in the National Board’s longstanding promise to the field to be by teachers, for teachers. Using the Networked Improvement Community model, teachers designed interventions and worked in partnership with school, district, and state administrators to plan for changes in local systems.

Other Resources

NBCT Policy Summit Recommendations – A document to help you advocate and to educate legislators and policy makers.

Check out Mandy Manning’s Sample Letter that she sends to legislators and read about the impact her letters have made on the Stories from School blog post “Building Relationships With Legislators – Sharing My Stories and Changing the Message”.

Five Core Propositions

While any NBCT would easily recognize the Five Core Propositions, we at CSTP believe in a “6th Core Proposition” – National Board Certified Teachers develop the leadership skills and are provided opportunities to use these skills to influence education reform and seed innovation beyond their classrooms. This 6th Core Proposition was developed by CSTP’s founder Jeanne Harmon and is the driver behind much of the leadership work we do.

Scroll to Top