Two City of Fairfax Teachers Earn Certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)

Christina Owens (Fairfax High School) and Kelly Plumb (Providence Elementary School) earned certification from the NBPTS in 2013. The teachers worked toward certification over an 18-month candidacy program.  The teachers become reflective practitioners as they practice continued and intense professional development and learn how to deepen their subject-matter knowledge as well as become more skillful in daily classroom instruction and student assessment in order to improve student learning.  NBPTS certification, the highest credential a teacher can earn, complements, and does not replace, state licensing requirements.

National Board Certification is achieved upon successful completion of a voluntary assessment program designed to recognize effective and accomplished teachers who meet high standards based on what teachers should know and be able to do. National Board Certification is available nationwide for most preK–12 teachers.  As part of the certification process, candidates complete ten assessments that are reviewed by trained teachers in their certificate areas. The assessments include four portfolio entries that feature teaching practice and six constructed response exercises that assess content knowledge.

To be eligible to apply for board certification, a teacher must hold a baccalaureate degree, have taught for at least three years, and have held a valid state teaching license in his or her state for at least three years.