Understanding National Board Certification: A Guide for Teachers and Those Who Support Them

This valuable guide gives educators pursuing National Board certification and those supporting candidates in their efforts a thorough, accessible examination of all aspects of certification for First Time candidates, Take One! Candidates, Retake (or Advanced) candidates, and National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) working on Renewal. With Understanding Board Certification as their guide, educators will deepen their understanding of the National Board standards, become fully prepared to be successful National Board candidates, and enhance their growth as educational professionals. Included are extensive references to relevant research and a helpful Appendix, Providing Candidate Support.

Mark W. Ellis is an associate professor of Secondary Education at California State University Fullerton.  Prior to earning his Ph.D. in education from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Mark taught mathematics in grades 6–12 in northern California public schools for six years, becoming a National Board Certified Teacher in Early Adolescence Mathematics in 1999 (renewed in 2009).  Mark’s professional work focuses on supporting pre-service and experienced teachers in creating opportunities for all students―particularly those from groups historically underserved by traditional practices of schooling―to make sense of important mathematics concepts and skills.  He helped to establish the Professional Teaching Development Center at CSU Fullerton in 2008, which coordinated National Board candidate outreach and support for teachers across four southern California counties.  His work has been published numerous journals including Teachers College Record, Learning Environments Research, and Mathematics Teacher and his on-going work with teachers of mathematics in high-need schools has received generous funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF).  He was the editor of the book, Mathematics for All: Responding to Diversity, Grades 6-8, published by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) in 2008 and currently serves on the NCTM Board of Directors (2011-2014).

Tara Barnhart, M.A., NBCT, taught high school science for 13 years in the Whittier Union High School District where she earned National Board certification and served as a mentor teacher.  Since 2007 she has been a full-time lecturer in Secondary Education at California State University, Fullerton.  Her responsibilities include teaching the introductory course on National Board certification for Master’s students and teaching in the science credential program.  She also serves as the director of the CSU Fullerton’s National Board candidate support program.  Tara is pursuing her Ph.D. in Education at UC Irvine. She has presented her research on teacher reflection and classroom discourse at state, national and international conferences.

Leslee M. Milch, M.S., NBCT is a reading specialist with 18 years’ experience teaching kindergarten, first and second grade limited English speaking students in the Buena Park Elementary School District in Orange County, California.  In the role of support provider for the district’s teacher induction program, (BTSA: Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment) she has mentored numerous beginning teachers for the last 15 years and served as the program coordinator.  Since certifying as a NBCT in 2003, Leslee has served as a Candidate Support Provider (CSP) and the Recruitment/Outreach Coordinator with the Orange County Department of Education National Board Candidate Support Program.  She is also a member of the California State University, Fullerton National Board Certification Advisory Board and works as a CSP with the National Board candidate support program at CSU Fullerton. Leslee is a faculty member with the NBPTS and in this capacity facilitates Candidate Support Provider training seminars across the country.  As a NBCT State Farm Liaison and the Boeing Ambassador Program Coordinator with the NBPTS, Leslee has served as an education advocate and spokesperson at the local, state and national levels.  Currently, Leslee is a member of the NBPTS Early Childhood Generalist Standards Committee working to revise these certificate standards.