A reader writes to set the record straight:
| My comments are simply to state facts and correct the misconceptions in the responses.I was a founding member of the National Board in 1987–a classroom special education teacher from Michigan. (Yes, serving with 62 other board members like Deborah Meier, Al Shanker and Mary Futrell but mostly, a majority of teachers) In 1990, I joined the National Board as staff–the first teacher hired by the start up organization. I worked as a Vice President for the organization until 2000 and witness the launch and continual evolution of National Board Certification. In 2010, I was re-elected to the NBPTS board of directors and serve now.
The NBPTS by-laws state the the board is a teacher led board, and I serve with the most amazing NBCTs in this governance role. (I do not serve as a teacher member despite having been a nationally recognized special education teacher at one point.) Pearson is a contractor to the NBPTS and the National Board manages that contract. Standard revisions are done by committees of a majority of teachers, assessment revisions based on those standards and scoring results are approved by the board of directors–again, a MAJORITY of teachers. This is not done by Pearson. It is done by the National Board. I just left a two day meeting of a board committee (I was the only non NBCT) and staff meeting (again several NBCTS) talking about how to actualize the priority goal #1 of the new leadership at NBPTS: mobilize NBCTs to ensure their expertise is deployed to benefit every part of the education system to contribute to the urgency of increasing student learning. If there is anything that might feel like a takeover, it is that NBCTs are truly at the core of this organization in focus, governance, management. I couldn’t be prouder. |
Diane Ravitch's blog 
It still doesn’t change the fact the NBPTS was founded as a direct response to “A Nation at Risk,” which was a fraud. It played right into the hands of the “reformers” by thinking the problem in education was with teachers not being “good enough.” The NBPTS is nothing but a scam that is no indication of teacher “quality.”
“A Nation at Risk” doesn’t strike me as hostile to teachers at all. It called mainly for improvements in curriculum, standards, and teacher preparation and compensation. What’s more, it is unusually thoughtful in its conception of education itself (unlike the recent report of the Council on Foreign Relations, for instance).
Take this passage:
“In a world of ever-accelerating competition and change in the conditions of the workplace, of ever-greater danger, and of ever-larger opportunities for those prepared to meet them, educational reform should focus on the goal of creating a Learning Society. At the heart of such a society is the commitment to a set of values and to a system of education that affords all members the opportunity to stretch their minds to full capacity, from early childhood through adulthood, learning more as the world itself changes. Such a society has as a basic foundation the idea that education is important
not only because of what it contributes to one’s career goals but also because of the value it adds to the general quality of one’s life. Also at the heart of the Learning Society are educational opportunities extending far beyond the traditional institutions of learning, our schools and colleges. They extend into homes and workplaces; into libraries, art galleries, museums, and science centers; indeed, into every place where the individual can develop and mature in work and life. In our view, formal schooling in youth is the essential foundation for learning throughout one’s life. But without life-long learning, one’s skills will become rapidly dated.”
By no means is “A Nation at Risk” perfect. But it isn’t a fraud by a long shot. Nor is NBPTS.
The National Board *has* always had a teacher-majority Board of Directors, with increasing numbers of those teachers being NBCTs as time went on. I am greatly encouraged by reports from the National Board community that teacher leadership is again a focus at NBPTS (real teacher leadership, that is–not simply promoting another certificate that teachers must pay for). If you read my initial comments, and responses to other commenters, you will notice that I am a true-blue believer in the power of National Board Certification–both to set standards for accomplished teaching and to assess teacher practice in light of those standards.
But–the National Board shifted assessment operations contractors a few years ago–to Pearson, the largest publisher (not just education publisher) in the world. Think of it this way: Pearson also administers NCLB-mandated testing in many states (and is now developing, with the Gates Foundation, a national curriculum, aligned with the Common Core). States are the ultimate arbiters of what appears on the tests and interpretation of results–where the buck stops– but Pearson handles the testing and scoring process. And problems with Pearson’s bungling of test administration and scoring in several states are legendary. Just a few examples:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/standardized-tests/new-test-scoring-problems-for.html
http://jaxkidsmatter.blogspot.com/2011/05/problems-with-pearson-testing.html
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_education_edblog/2010/06/pearson-fls-testing-company-facing-big-problems-in-wyoming.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/07/new-york-standardized-tests-protest-pearson-field-tests_n_1579187.html
http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2012-04-17/fcat-glitches-add-tests-stress
http://jaxkidsmatter.blogspot.com/2012/05/are-fcat-and-pearson-making-problems-in.html
This is worrisome, at the very least–as test administration and scoring are the very things Pearson handles for the National Board. Pearson may not have “taken over” the National Board–but they made the National Board an offer they couldn’t refuse: reducing costs of the meticulous NB assessment process.
Thank you Nancy and keep up the great work!
Elva Joyner, Administrator of Save Our Schools Maryland FB page and a proud
NBCT
Are you aware that Pearson now appears to “own” NBPTS? At least it looks that way according to the link given for contact info. “Written Inquiries: nbptscandidatesupport@pearson.com.”
BTW – the address is invalid.