Washington remains leader for teachers with National Board Certification

Washington has 87 newly certified National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT) this year. An additional 271 teachers renewed their certificate. Washington ranks fourth nationwide in the total number of NBCTs (8,701).*

“I’m extremely proud of our role as a leader in the National Board program,” said Randy Dorn, superintendent of public instruction. “By continuing to support teachers through this rigorous certification process, we’re saying, ‘Teaching matters, and it’s a profession worth investing in.’”

This is the last year teachers can certify under the old certification process. Across the country, fewer teachers were certified as a result. December 2017 is the earliest candidates can certify under the new certification process. Certification under the new process can take up to 5 years. Washington currently has nearly 4,000 teachers in the pipeline, which represents 19 percent of all candidates and the highest in the country.

Washington by the numbers

• Number of new NBCTs in 2016: 87 
• Number of renewed certificates in 2016: 271 
• Total number of NBCTs: 8,701 (national rank: 4th) 
• Fifteen percent of all Washington’s teachers are NBCTs 

The state’s bonus and conditional loan programs have been critical to the National Board program’s success and a rapid increase in the number of NBCTs in Washington. Candidates also receive significant professional support throughout the process.

Washington began incentivizing National Board Certification in 1999 with a 15 percent pay increase. In 2007, the state Legislature passed a bill that awards a $5,000 bonus to each NBCT. Teachers can receive up to an additional $5,000 bonus if they teach in “challenging” schools, which are defined as having a certain percentage of students qualify for free and reduced-price lunch (50 percent for high schools, 60 percent for middle schools and 70 percent for elementary schools).

The state’s conditional loan program helps candidates pay for the cost of certification. Loans are repaid by teachers with the bonuses they earn after becoming certified. Last year 150 NBCTs repaid $300,000 in conditional loans. This money went back into the revolving fund and has enabled the state to award loans to 1,200 new candidates.

Board certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards under the new process consists of four components: assessment of content knowledge; reflection on student work samples, video and analysis of teaching practice; and documentation of the impact of assessment and collaboration on student learning. The components are assessed by a national panel of peers.