Great Plains Center for
National Teacher Certification
The Great Plains Center for National Teacher Certification in the Jones Institute for Educational Excellence at Emporia State University offers a program of professional development at no cost for teachers in Kansas going through the NBPTS assessment process. The Center’s program has the support and approval of both the president of NBPTS and the Kansas Board of Regents; in fact, it is the only institute in Kansas that has approval from both. The Center’s program of support consistently achieves a certification rate well above the national average. For the last five years the initial success rates have averaged above 80% compared to the nation’s average of 40%. The Director of the Center, and the National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) in Kansas who serve as candidate support providers for the program:
- are knowledgeable about the NBPTS assessments and the various certifications available; in fact, many are additionally certified as candidate support providers by NBPTS;
- have delivered a program of professional support for teachers going through the NBPTS process since 1993, when the first certificates were field tested;
- can generally be reached during the day, as well as in the evenings and weekends;
- provide professional guidance, advice, and review of candidate portfolio entries;
- offer tips and suggestions on writing and organizing portfolio entries and documentation;
- conduct work sessions to assist candidates with portfolio entry development and review; and
- conduct workshops to help teachers prepare for the written assessment center exercises.
National Board Certification, as developed by NBPTS, is a powerful professional development process with the potential to promote systemic change. However, what began in 1987 as a system to identify and reward accomplished teaching practice has developed into a professional development experience that has been described by some as nothing short of transformational. Many teachers, regardless of the certification outcome, consider this performance-based assessment the most powerful professional development experience of their careers.
For teachers with a highly accomplished practice, the NBPTS assessment provides the reward and recognition their important work deserves. For those who have not yet achieved this high level of classroom practice, the certification process is a guide for developing a reflective practice that can improve their level of knowledge, strengthen their teaching skills, inspire supportive and nurturing dispositions, and refine professional judgment.
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