Your Ticket to Success

Like many media specialists, I had a master's degree, years of work experience, and a strong work ethic. But as school library cuts became more widespread, I started to worry about my job security and whether others valued my contribution to student learning. How could I convince my principal and colleagues that I was an integral part of our instructional team? I knew that National Board Certification gave the teachers around me added cachet, so in the fall of 2002, I decided to obtain National Board Certification in library media.

The yearlong road to National Board Certification takes time, money, and commitment. But for those wondering whether it's worth taking the extra step, the answer is undeniably yes. National Board Certification has changed my personal, professional, and financial life. It has validated my role as a critical member of the teaching staff, opened doors to speaking engagements, and allowed me to mentor my teaching colleagues and other National Board candidates. It also helped me qualify for a 10-percent pay hike over the next decade, which not only improves my present standard of living, but also boosts my retirement pension. The 10-year certificate is valid nationwide and supersedes any state certification or requirement for license renewal. With my National Board certificate in hand, I not only have added clout, but I also have documented proof of my importance to student achievement. As a result, I feel more confident as a teacher and being a role model for my peers.

More than 1,000 school librarians have attained National Board Certification since the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), a nonprofit organization committed to improving student learning, began offering the credential to media specialists in 2001. To qualify, applicants must be a certified library media specialist with a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, have at least three years of work experience in the field, and be currently employed as a media specialist in a K–12 school.

The first step is applying for candidacy, a monthlong process that involves submitting all the necessary paperwork, including transcripts, verification of employment, and state licenses. Candidates generally start the application process at the beginning of the school year. There's a $300 application fee, and many districts pick up the additional $2,000, which covers the cost of scoring portfolio entries and online assessment essays. If you're having trouble finding funds, Washington Mutual Foundation, Boeing, the Coca-Cola Foundation, and other companies offer scholarships. And support is often available through local educational associations, businesses, and parent-teacher associations. Stipends and incentives for candidates vary by state. The Georgia Professional Standards Commission, my state licensing board, offered me a $1,000 promissory note toward the total cost after I completed a required course and then reimbursed me the remaining $1,000 once I obtained certification.

The next step was registering for a free prerequisite course called "The Knowledgeable Teacher" at nearby Kennesaw State University. The mandatory class, which may also be referred to as "The Accomplished Teacher" course or "The Candidate" course at different universities, forces applicants to examine how their own teaching practices measure up to NBPTS's 10 library media standards. These benchmarks, which cover everything from integrating information literacy into the curriculum to using innovative technology, helped me understand what activities worked best with my students. I also began to think more analytically about how to collaborate successfully with my peers and how to carry out routine activities, such as collection development and program management, more efficiently. The ultimate goal of the course is to help media specialists apply the standards in their daily teaching.

National Board Certification measures an applicant's teaching practices and her overall knowledge of school librarianship. Candidates for National Board Certification must submit written documentation of their day-to-day teaching activities, videotaped lessons, and samples of student work. They must also pass a timed online test. The first part of the process, called the portfolio-based assessment, measures how a candidate stacks up to NBPTS's library media standards. Each candidate must submit one portfolio entry in each of the following categories: instructional collaboration, literature appreciation, integrating technology, and documentation of accomplishment in the field. In essence, the portfolio demonstrates how your teaching improves student achievement.

To prepare my portfolio, I sought help from a national online discussion group of other candidates (see "Hop Aboard" below for useful links). I also joined a local support group to help me critique my submissions more objectively and study for the online test. I highly recommend reading all of NBPTS's portfolio instructions several times before filling out any entries—once for general content, once for clarification, and one more time for specific details. The instructions will help you map out a game plan within your own timeframe. I completed my portfolio by the March 31 deadline by working an average of eight hours a week for more than seven months.

Part two of the application process, the online assessment, measures an applicant's knowledge of the profession. You'll be given three hours to complete six essays on the following subjects: the management of library programs, ethical and legal issues, technology, collection development, information literacy, and literature. Since there's no way of knowing precisely what questions will appear on the exam, it can be a stressful experience. My support group tried to prepare for the test by suggesting some possible questions, but I probably would have gained more from reading professional journals and scouring ALA's Web site for support materials on hot issues (www.ala.org/ala/issues/issuesadvocacy.htm and www.ala.org/ala/proftools/professional.htm).

How are all the scores tallied? Practicing library media specialists who've been specially trained by the National Board use a rubric with a four-point scale to evaluate both the portfolio entries and the online essay questions. In order to pass, you need a total score of 275 or better out of a perfect score of 400. Candidates who do not pass may retake portions of the test in which they scored poorly and submit new portfolio items for those that were not up to par. The cost of retaking any of the six test questions or sending new entries for any of the four portfolio categories is $350 each.

Waiting for my test results was the most difficult part of the entire process. It typically takes six months to find out your test results. I finished my online assessment in May 2004 and found out that I had passed with flying colors the following November. All the many hours of hard work finally paid off—I learned how to better collaborate with teachers, network with other media specialists, interact with my community, encourage parental involvement, and, most of all, how to be a better teacher. Just knowing that I can improve my job performance is a greater reward than getting paid more to do it. I've gained more respect from my school district and many of my teaching colleagues have approached me seeking mentoring or advice. And there's more to it than just my personal experience—a recent study by Dan Goldhaber and Emily Anthony and the Urban Institute called "Can Teacher Quality Be Effectively Assessed?" shows that students of National Board–certified teachers improved an average of seven percent or more on their year-end math and reading tests as compared with students whose teachers attempted but failed to gain certification—and that the achievement gains were as high as 15 percent for younger students. The study went on to say that National Board–certified teachers are "more effectively producing student learning gains" and concluded that they "do a measurably better job in the classroom."

Achieving National Board Certification has renewed my love for and dedication to the field of school librarianship, so much so that I'm currently seeking a doctorate degree. The more National Board–certified media specialists there are, the more others will value our profession.