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VEA and NEA Help You Gain National Certification

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is an independent organization that oversees a national voluntary system of certifying teachers who meet high and rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do. National Board Certification measures a teacher's practice against these standards through an extensive series of performance-based assessments that includes teaching portfolios, student work samples, videotapes and thorough analyses of candidates' classroom teaching and student learning. Teachers who have participated in NBPTS Certification say it is the most powerful professional development experience of their careers.

Among the resources the Association offers to help you become a national board-certified teacher:

VEA ‘Jump Start’ seminars. Since 2006, VEA has offered ‘Jump Start’ summer workshops for those considering national board certification. The four-day seminar, with discount rates for VEA members, aims to give you a solid grounding in the certification process. The trainers are VEA colleagues who have received their board credential. For the latest on upcoming opportunities, contact the VEA Office of Teaching and Learning at 1-800-552-9554. (Save the Dates! 2010 Jump Start seminar is July 26-29, 2010, in Hampton at the Old Dominion University Peninsula Workforce Development Center.)

NEA Board Certification resource site. At the national level, NEA provides a resource-filled web page. You can download a candidate guide designed for Association members, learn about low-cost loans to cover the cost of the board application fee, and check out tip lists from successful candidates.

The Latest News on the Association and National Board Certification

National Board Announces New Class
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards has announced the latest group of successful candidates for board certification (12/2009). VEA congratulates all those who passed this rigorous process. Click here for a list of VEA members who gained their advanced certification in this round.

NRC Study Confirms: Board Certification Matters
A new report from the National Research Council, "Assessing Accomplished Teaching: Advanced-Level Certification Programs," confirms that the achievement of students whose teachers gain national certification is higher than teachers who do not. The study is considered the most rigorous and comprehensive yet of National Board Certification. For more on this and other studies, go to www.nbpts.org.