Setting the Standards ... for Career and Technical Educators.

Setting the Standards ... for Career and Technical Educators. A look at the recent changes made in the National Board forProfessional Teaching Standards One of the age-old age-oldadj.Very old or of long standing.age-oldAdjectivevery old; ancientAdj. 1. obstacles to increasing teacher recruitment andto retaining qualified teachers is that teachers don't don't?1. Contraction of do not.2. Nonstandard Contraction of does not.n.A statement of what should not be done: a list of the dos and don'ts. generallyreceive the kind of professional regard and respect that their workdeserves. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards,founded in 1987, has set out to change all that. The National Board can't do much--at least not directly--aboutthe fact that teachers make less than most other professionals andreceive none of the accoutrements ac��cou��ter��mentor ac��cou��tre��ment ?n.1. An accessory item of equipment or dress. Often used in the plural.2. Military equipment other than uniforms and weapons. Often used in the plural.3. typical of otherprofessionals--private offices, for example. But, in offering standardsby which to evaluate exemplary teachers, its members and proponents hopeto make a difference in how teachers are viewed by their students,parents, and communities so that teachers will be perceived as thetalented, hard-working hard-workingadj → trabajador(a)hard-workinghard adj → travailleur/euse, consciencieux/eusehard-workinghard professionals that they are. Last year, 248 career and technical teachers joined the ranks ofnearly 10,000 Board-certified board-certifiedadjective Referring to a US or Canadian physician who has 1. Completed 4-8 yrs-of post-medical school residency training, ie a physician who is 'board-eligible' and 2. teachers, when certification was madeavailable for the first time in the area of Early Adolescence adolescence,time of life from onset of puberty to full adulthood. The exact period of adolescence, which varies from person to person, falls approximately between the ages 12 and 20 and encompasses both physiological and psychological changes. throughYoung Adulthood/Career and Technical Education (EAYA/CTE). Another 649are currently going through the certification process. The certificateindicates that teachers meet the National Board's standards forwhat accomplished career and technical educators should know and theskills they should possess. Della A. Frye, who teaches in the business department at PolkCounty Polk County is the name of twelve counties in the United States, all except two named after president of the United States James Knox Polk: Polk County, Arkansas Polk County, Florida Polk County, Georgia Polk County, Iowa Polk County, Minnesota High School in Columbus Columbus.1 City (1990 pop. 178,681), seat of Muscogee co., W Ga., at the head of navigation on the Chattahoochee River; settled and inc. 1828 on the site of a Creek village. , N.C., is one of the teachers who wentthrough the process and became certified See certification. last November November:see month. . She teachesclasses in accounting, keyboarding, computer applications and yearbookand has taught for 18 years. She first became interested in National Board certification board certificationn.The process by which a person is tested and approved to practice in a specialty field, especially medicine, after successfully completing the requirements of a board of specialists in that field. in1996, when a colleague in the county whom she respected obtainedcertification. At that time, the EAYA/CTE standards and certificate hadyet to be developed. By applying for certification, Frye hoped to "advertise theimportance of career courses in the high school curriculum." Moreimportantly, she saw the process as a tool for professional development."I wanted to improve my teaching, and I knew that by simplycompleting the process, I had to be better," she said. Certification is offered on a voluntary basis intended tocomplement, but not to replace, state licensing procedures. The policystatement of the National Board affirms state licensing systems'roles in setting entry-level standards, whereas National Boardcertification is intended as "a symbol of professional teachingexcellence." The EAYA/CTE standards and certificate apply to the teaching ofindividuals 11-18+ years of age. In addition to the EAYA/CTE standards,standards exist, or are currently under development, for 15 differentfields and various age classes, with 19 certificates now being offered.Most certificates are available for teachers whose language ofinstruction is Spanish Spanish,river, c.150 mi (240 km) long, issuing from Spanish Lake, S Ont., Canada, NW of Sudbury, and flowing generally S through Biskotasi and Agnew lakes to Lake Huron opposite Manitoulin island. There are several hydroelectric stations on the river. , as well as for English-speaking instructors. The process used to assess teachers has undergone some changes inthe past year, and candidates for 2001-2002 certificates will be thefirst to experience the new format. A press release put out by theNational Board describes the changes as "evolutionary, notrevolutionary," but a spokesperson for the Board declined tocomment further on the reasons for the changes. As in the past, theassessment process consists of two major components: portfolio entriesand assessment center exercises. In the past, six different portfolio entries were required, but thenew portfolio requires only four. Three focus on the candidate'steaching practice and require video footage and examples of studentwork--as well as written explanation and reflection by the teacher. Thefourth entry requires that the teacher provide evidence of his or herwork with students' families and the community, as well as with theprofessional community. For Frye, the portfolio was a huge commitment. "I read thestandards over and over again. I wrote them on note cards. I thoughtabout nothing but the portfolio entries. Every [teaching] activity had anew meaning. I became more reflective Refers to light hitting an opaque surface such as a printed page or mirror and bouncing back. See reflective media and reflective LCD. about all the aspects of myteaching practice," she said. All in all, the National Board estimates that most teachers spendabout 120 hours preparing their portfolio. Candidates must also spend a day at one of the Board'sassessment centers to complete timed, written responses to prompts. Inpast years, four 90-minute prompts were given, but six 30-minute promptswill replace those for 2001-2002 candidates. The new prompts will beused to assess subject matter knowledge only; in the past, assessmentcenter exercises were used to judge both content and pedagogy. Frye says the certification process has changed her teachingpractices for the best. "I am more reflective and I try to come upwith various ways to present information to the class," she said.Representatives at the National Board said this result is typical andthat even teachers who do not achieve certification can benefit from theopportunities for self-reflection and analysis offered by the process. Portfolios for 2001-2002 applicants for the EAYA/CTE certificatewill be released by early December and will be due in June of next year.Teachers interested in learning more or applying for certificationshould visit the National Board Web site at www.nbpts.org. The NationalBoard Web site includes information about local aid and incentivesavailable for teachers seeking certification in certain states anddistricts. EARLY ADOLESCENCE THROUGH YOUNG ADULTHOOD/CAREER AND TECHNICALEDUCATION STANDARDS The following are abbreviated from the 13 standards put forth bythe National Board for Professional Teaching Standards for whataccomplished career and technical educators should know and do. A morecomplete description of these standards is available on the Board'sWeb site, www.nbpts.org. 1. Knowledge of Students: a dedication to the well-being ofstudents and an understanding of human development to meetstudents' needs 2. Knowledge of Subject Matter: a core of general academic andcareer and technical knowledge, as well as industry-specific knowledge 3. Learning Environment: classroom management to inspire risktaking, a love of learning, and development of skills 4. Diversity: equal treatment, fairness and respect for diversitymodeled, taught and practiced by all 5. Advancing Knowledge of Career and Technical Subject Matter:fostering experiential ex��pe��ri��en��tial?adj.Relating to or derived from experience.ex��peri��en and performance-based student learning andintegrating career and technical disciplines and academic disciplines 6. Assessment: use of a variety of assessment methods to best servestudents 7. Workplace Readiness: developing decision-making decision-making,n the process of coming to a conclusion or making a judgment.decision-making, evidence-based,n a type of informal decision-making that combines clinical expertise, patient concerns, and evidence gathered from andemployability skills in students 8. Managing and Balancing Multiple Life Roles: helping students torecognize and balance competing demands and responsibilities 9. Social Development: encouraging self-awareness self-awarenessn.Realization of oneself as an individual entity or personality. , confidence andsound values and ethics ethics,in philosophy, the study and evaluation of human conduct in the light of moral principles. Moral principles may be viewed either as the standard of conduct that individuals have constructed for themselves or as the body of obligations and duties that a in students 10. Reflective Practice: engaging in self-analysis self-analysisn.An independent methodical attempt by one to study and comprehend one's own personality or emotions.self-analysis,n an introspection on one's own behavior and actions in the total environment. of one'steaching practice, as well as lifelong learning Lifelong learning is the concept that "It's never too soon or too late for learning", a philosophy that has taken root in a whole host of different organisations. Lifelong learning is attitudinal; that one can and should be open to new ideas, decisions, skills or behaviors. opportunities 11. Collaborative Partnerships: working with colleagues, businessand industry and postsecondary institutions to extend studentopportunities 12. Contributions to the Education Profession: working to improveschools and advance teaching practice and knowledge 13. Family and Community Partnerships: working with families andcommunities to achieve common goals for the education of all students