On Tuesday, February 21, 2012, CSPs Joanna Murray and Sean McCarthy will present a webinar on using formative and summative assessments to inform instruction and support student learning.  Using formative and summative assessments as learning tools is an essential component of assessment-based entries in many certificate areas.  The webinar is designed for candidates who are not currently in the master's program or who are unable to attend our face-to-face support sessions at the National University La Jolla campus.  The webinar starts at 6pm PST (9pm EST).  Sign in information is available through eCoach by going to the "Webinar" tab.

Erik Amerkiner (EAYA Career and Technical Education) wasn't satisfied with his district's reaction to his becoming National Board Certified this year.  Sure, his principal said, "Great!" and his superintendent honored him at a board meeting as his district's first NBCT.  But he didn't feel they truly appreciated or understood the nature of his accomplishment.  So he decided a little self-promotion might be in order.  He invited the local newspaper to cover the school board meeting where he was to be recognized and receive a certificate from the district.  They featured a photo and an article (which he had to write himself) in the next edition of the paper.  It may not seem like much, but this article changed the way his district viewed and valued National Board Certification.

First, teachers from the district started getting in touch with Erik to find out more about the certification process.  He now hopes that there will be a cohort of National Board candidates at his district and Ventura County who were inspired by the article. 

Second, he contacted his teacher's association to let them know about his experience and inform them about what National Board Certification.  They were highly interested, recognizing the value of the professional development built into the National Board process, and the need to promote the benefits to the district and its teachers and students of having more NBCTs.  As a result of these efforts, the association worked with the district on a new contract that recognizes and supports NBCTs with an annual stipend of $1000 paid each of the 10 years of certification, and retroactive to the previous school year.  This is a huge achievement and instrumental in inspiring more district teachers to pursue certification.

So if your district isn't supporting National Board Certification sufficiently (or at all), follow Erik's example and make it happen.  A little self promotion never hurts!

For more information, visit Erik's webiste at http://erikamerikaner.com

If you are an eCoach member, please check out the 21st Century NBCT blog.  Go to our Accomplished Teaching and Learning team and click on the "Blog" tab.  This blog is at the bottom of the page.  Some of the latest posts include using Skype and Google Voice in the classroom.

Using technology is increasingly important for engaging our students.  It is an essential component of the NBCT renewal process, and important for first-time certification in many certificate areas.

The blog also gives you an opportunity to share how you are using technology to engage studen

_Greeting National Board Candidates!

It is difficult to believe that the holiday season is now upon us and that a new year is quickly approaching! While your direct attention is likely on wrapping up the class projects, grading, holiday meal planning, travel plans, gift exchange ideas, and deadlines that December has to offer, we know, as teachers who have gone through this process, that your National Board work is always somewhere in your thoughts.

While we are hopeful that your winter break will offer opportunity for relaxation, interesting travel adventures, fun feasts, and quality family time, and while we are hopeful that you can catch up with your shopping, house work, work outs, holiday shopping, meal planning, gift wrapping, and sleep, we offer you one more challenge: If you have not yet finished your Splash Start orientation tasks as someone receiving support through National University, we ask that you complete that work.

It is not that we are trying to punish you, or put more on your plate. That is not the case at all. It is instead the case that as lead support providers, we have created this platform as the foundational pieces of what we know are the tools for ensuring that your National Board journey is relevant, meaningful, and well executed so that the journey allows for as much personal analysis and reflection as possible, which will lead to greater candidate success  and a more focused portfolio to submit to the National Board.  We have already encountered too many candidates who have headed in the wrong direction with their entry preparation because they have not thoroughly read, analyzed, and annotated their standards, portfolio directions, and scoring guides.  Investing the time to do so now will save you time and frustration later--and make the whole process easier and more effective.

Because we know that it is not until after the holidays that most teachers actually have time to breathe, we ask that you complete the Splash Start tasks that you can find in the ecoach Splash Start tab by January 5th.

We wish you a very meaningful and joyful holiday season.

Your National Board Candidate Support Provider Team

_On December 3 at 11am Pacific, CSPs Sean McCarthy and Joanna Murray will present a webinar on "Fairness, Equity, and Access."  These are important elements of most portfolio entries, and strategies for providing evidence of how you ensure fairness, equity, and access as you develop your entries will be discussed. 


This presentation is designed for candidates unable to attend our presentations at the NU La Jolla support meetings or who are not enrolled in the master's program.   However, all Accomplished Teaching and Leadership team members are welcomed to attend.




To access the session, go to the "Webinar" tab in eCoach and click on the link for the Fairness, Equity and Access webinar.  Follow the instructions to enter the session.

_A 2011 report from the Online Education Database (OEDb) ranks National University’s online programs first in the nation. This ranking is based on OEDb’s assessment of the following metrics: acceptance rate, financial aid, graduation rate, online programs, retention rate, scholarly citations, student-faculty ratio, and years accredited.

For more details, please view this Letter from the Office of the President.

Program Ambassadors Joanna Murray and Sean McCarthy had an opportunity to interact with some technologically savvy teachers at this year's San Diego Computer Using Educator's (SDCUE) Conference at Cal State San Marcos. They shared information about the National Board Certification process and Take One!, and discussed how the advanced use of technology that many of these teachers engage in is a perfect fit for NB certification.  In addition, many teachers took information about the degree program options.  We look forward to many of these teachers joining the certification process and taking their practice to the next level!

We are now offering a series of webinars for eCoach members.  These will provide opportunities for candidates who are unable to attend face-to-face support meetings to receive the same content and interact with Candidate Support Providers.  Topics will include portfolio and assessment center preparation tips.  The first webinar takes place this Saturday, October 22, at 10am Pacific, and will explore Entry 4.  Please visit the "Webinar" tab in eCoach for more information and instructions on how to attend this presentation.  If you are not in eCoach, visit the Online Support page for details on how you can join.

Check out this document from the U.S. Department of Education: Our Future, Our Teachers: The Obama Administration's Plan for Teacher Education Reform and Improvement.

Colleagues, check out a new initiative generated by the Lumina Foundation,  "Charting the Future of Higher Education" on Ed Sector ( September 15, 2011). 

Lumina  partners with Ed Sector.  The site is an excellent resource for ALL professional educators.   Here's the video clip. http://www.educationsector.org/events/charting-future-higher-education.  Click on “Watch Video”.

Learn how Lumina is shaping opportunities for higher education institutes across the country  to use a set of national standards and criteria to assess their level of effectiveness related to education degrees that students earn. This is VERY exciting, progressive work that aligns with  NUPTDCs mission to gather and analyze data for the purpose of providing evidence of PK-12 student learning as the golden measure of success in schools of education.

Enjoy and visit Ed Sector regularly as an NBCT or accomplished educator.