One-third of the teachers at RHS have come together to plan, get feedback and invest in helping each other jump on the right track to receiving a National Board certification.
The National Board certification began in the 1980’s when the federal report “A Nation at Risk” was issued. It looked into the teaching methods and the quality of teaching in education. The National Board certification program strives to create a rigorous certification curriculum in which teachers must prove that they are able to meet core standards; these standards are typically difficult to meet.
Teachers must submit four portfolio entries for judging, regardless of their content area. Each entry shows how the teacher deals with challenging students and how the educator grows over time. In addition, the participants usually submit classroom discussion video tapes, small group discussions and records of how they communicate with parents and students outside of school.
Teachers should show how they allow students to express different viewpoints in a respectful manner while promoting social understanding. “This process has made me a more reflective teacher already, and the assignments from the graduate courses I am taking at George Washington are helping me prepare for portfolio due in April,” said AP Psychology teacher Brian Rappelfeld.
Teachers also have to write a 12 to 14 page report demonstrating how well they know their students, what they do during lessons, how they analyze student work and how their students improve over time. The report also reflects on the feedback that the teachers give students, how well it was comprehended and what the teacher would do different in the future.
“In my opinion, National Board helps teachers recognize what they already do. In my case, I do it already, but it puts me in the position to really realize what I am doing,” said Physical Education department head Debbie Williams, who is one of the candidates currently going through this process.
Anne Taylor, who received her certification in adolescence and young adult social studies in 2001, goes into classrooms to observe the teachers, makes sure they have everything they need, gives feedback and helps them plan lessons. “It’s hard work, but I am so proud of the Rockville teachers for doing it. Especially component teachers are going through this process and helping each other by sharing ideas,” said Taylor.
National Board certification forces teachers to prove that what they do positively impacts student learning, and they must do this through clear, convincing evidence. “You grow as a teacher and become much more reflective,” said Taylor. RHS has created a community where the teachers meet together after school to review tapes and get feedback from colleagues. Principal Dr. Debra Munk has been detrimental to this process, supporting the entire staff all along the way.
Besides Taylor, autism program educator Kristin Dascalu is the only other National Board certified teacher at RHS. However, there are 20 teachers who are full time candidates; they are going through the entire process this year and 12 teachers are beginning the process by taking one entry and completing the process next year. RHS is the only school in Montgomery County that has one-third of its staff members involved in receiving this certification.
