Why National Board Certification?
Why become a National Board Certified Teacher?
All students deserve the best and brightest teachers who are prepared to provide them with the skills they need to succeed both in the classroom and the world. By becoming an NBCT, you will not only enhance your skills as a practitioner, but also increase the likelihood of student achievement in your classroom. Some of the biggest benefits of becoming an NBCT include its ability to strengthen your teaching skills, improve student learning, provide you with the tools to become a teacher leader and advance your career both professionally and financially. Many states also allow teachers to use National Board Certification in lieu of state licenses, which make it easier for teachers to move from state to state. There are also a number of opportunities for NBCTs to earn stipends for mentoring new teachers.
New York State Incentives
There are a number of incentives for teachers to pursue National Board Certification in New York State. These incentives include:
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New York State recognizes NBC in lieu of a comparable NYS teaching certificate in most certificate areas, except in the areas of Languages Other Than English (LOTE), other than Spanish or French, the sciences, and special education. Candidates will have all their academic transcripts reviewed and will be required to pass an appropriate CST.
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A teacher certified in another state and holding NBC in a certificate title area other than those named above is also exempt from the NYS Teacher Certification examinations.
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A teacher in NYS holding a valid NBC is deemed to have satisfied the requirement to complete 100 hours of CTLE professional development during the five-year professional development period within which NBC was attained in order to maintain his/her certificate.
Local Incentives
Thanks to the efforts of local leaders in negotiating collective bargaining agreements there are an increasing number of school districts in NYS providing support and other financial incentives to teachers participating in the NBC process and/or achieving the certification. These range from one-time stipends to annual stipends over and above the regular salary for the ten-year life of the certificate. One form of incentive increases an NBCTs salary by one step on the negotiated salary scale. Some provisions require professional services from the NBCT such as coaching or mentoring before the incentive is earned.