A February study from the Center for Education Data and Research aims to determine if National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) are more effective than their non-certified counterparts. Established in 1987, National Board Certification is a voluntary professional credential designed for experienced teachers in twenty-five content areas. Certification is awarded through a rigorous portfolio assessment process consisting of four components: content knowledge; differentiation in instruction; teaching practice and classroom environment; and effective and reflective practices. These components are analyzed via teacher “artifacts,” including videos of classroom lessons, student work, and reflective essays. Across the country, more than 100,000 teachers, or roughly 3 percent of the teacher workforce, are National Board Certified.
This study examines data out of Washington State, which boasts the fourth-highest number of NBCTs in the country. Washington provides financial incentives for teachers to earn board certification, including bonuses of up to $5,000 for teachers working in high-need schools. The study finds that, compared to average teachers with similar experience, NBCTs produce additional student learning gains on state exams that correspond to about 1–2 additional weeks of middle school reading instruction. In middle school math, the results indicate a whopping five weeks of additional learning compared to non-NBCTs with similar experience. In other words, NBCTs post strong “value-added” results. The researchers also find that teachers with higher scores on the national board assessment program are more effective than those with lower scores: An increase of one standard deviation in teacher assessment scores corresponds to 3–5 weeks of student learning gains (though this varies across certification areas).
An interesting component of national board certification is the option for teachers to “bank” their scores—if a teacher fails to earn NBCT certification on their first attempt, they are permitted to keep their scores in areas where they did well and resubmit their work in areas where they performed poorly. When researchers took a closer look at teachers who don’t achieve certification after their first attempt, they found no evidence that initially unsuccessful NBCTs are more effective than non-NBCTs—except in the case of middle school math, where initially unsuccessful NBCTs are still more effective than those who never earn certification. Even more fascinating: Initially unsuccessful NBCTs are less effective than NBCTs who successfully earn certification on their first attempt. This leads the researchers to conclude that, although variations exist depending on the type of national board certification, a teacher’s first attempt at national board certification “contains more useful information about teacher effectiveness than subsequent attempts.” Nevertheless, the big takeaway here is that NBCTs are more effective overall than non-NBCTs. Whether the student achievement gains are worth the program’s significant cost is a question for another day.
SOURCE: James Cowan and Dan Goldhaber, “National Board Certification and Teacher Effectiveness: Evidence from Washington.” Center for Education Data & Research (February 2015).
