August 6 Webinar: Elective master’s courses get Illinois teachers national board certified

K-12 teachers working on their master’s or post-master’s course work can now benefit in multiple ways from earning national board certification—in just one year.

Register for the course by August 17, 2024. Non-Illinois State students must apply to Illinois State University prior to signing up for the course.

Counselors, librarians, curriculum developers, and career and technical education professionals working in K-12 schools also qualify to take the courses.

The National Board Resource Center (NBRC) in Illinois has created a course for educators to receive elective credits for each completed component of the certification process. The effort is a response to teacher feedback from across the state. 

“Teachers are busy, and the main reason they pursue a master’s degree is to be better paid and better prepared,” said NBRC Director Sheri Bettis.

“National board certification propels them to become master-level teachers, and they should receive credit both financially and academically for the accomplishment. That’s why these courses were created.”

About the course work

The one-year program provides students with up to six credit hours of post-master’s or master’s-level electives. Illinois State master’s students automatically receive this benefit, as do teachers pursuing post-master’s credits.

Active master’s students taking courses outside of Illinois State University should first check with their advisor to ensure their institution will accept the national board certification courses as electives.

The course work requires 16 virtual, two-hour meetings per semester. Additional support is provided through NBRC. The center pairs teachers with a mentor who has previously gone through the certification process. Workshops are also offered throughout the year. 

Benefits

Recent studies show 97% of teachers change their teaching styles and habits after they become national board certified teachers (NBCTs). 

The Danielson Framework for Teaching is the backbone of the certification process. Teachers take a hard, critical look at their teaching practices. This involves writing and reflection.

“They learn so much more about their teaching. They are better able to connect to students and serve their needs. They are more efficient, and as a result, they save themselves more time,” Bettis said. 

The benefits of certification are passed along to students, as well. Students of NBCTs are two months ahead of their peers in math, science, and reading.

From a salary standpoint, most teachers already know a master’s degree will move them up the pay scale. However, most districts bump teachers’ income for earning post-master’s credits as well, and these certification courses qualify.

“In many districts, the threshold for an initial pay increase is around 16 credit hours” Bettis said.

In addition, the state of Illinois is currently incentivizing teachers in rural and hard-to-staff schools to complete the certification process. Eligible educators from rural districts earn a one-time payout of $3,000 while eligible educators from hard-to-staff schools receive $4,000 annually for two consecutive years ($8,000 total).

NBRC offers lucrative benefits to NBCTs, as well.

“We pay them $50 an hour to mentor candidates, and we’re able to compensate them for up to 45 hours of their time,” Bettis said.

In addition to the (up to) $2,250 benefit for being a mentor, the center hires several NBCTs each year for curriculum redesign at a similar payrate.

Cost

National board certification costs $1,900 per teacher, but in Illinois, a subsidy covers 100% of the fee for eligible educators. Teachers can apply for the subsidy through NBRC.

The cost of taking the national board certification master’s course work is thus limited to the tuition and fees charged by the college or university they’re attending.

Parting shot

In a recent visit to the Illinois state capitol, Bettis and other members of NBRC talked to several representatives about the benefits educators and students receive from national board certification. At the end of their visit, one legislator’s question stood out among the rest.

“This is awesome. Why aren’t we encouraging more teachers to do this?”

It’s a legitimate inquiry, and it demonstrates the legislator’s comprehension of the value certification can provide to schools.

“The truth is, not all teachers know about national board certification,” Bettis said, “In fact, many don’t.

“Among those who do, they don’t know about NBRC. We’re a nonprofit with the goal of helping to make the certification process manageable and beneficial for educators. While certification is not easy, it’s a labor of love for most. And when they’re done, they’ll have accomplished the ‘gold standard’ of teaching. And let me tell you, this gold looks good on everyone.”