Cathy Nelson’s Professional Thoughts

As the National Board for Professional Teaching Candidates learned their scores this past week, I sat on pins and needles waiting to hear about the seven candidates I worked with.

Here is summary:

• 3 candidates from my field – Library Media – two passed, one will need to be a retake
• 4 candidates from outside my field – including two in reading, a math, and a science – one passed (and the passing candidate was a third time retake who sighed a huge breath of relief)

How many have I helped?

I did not keep information like this, as I wasn’t a formal mentor through my state, but instead just a willing person and when folks asked, I read and suggested changes or ways to improve.  Here is what memory serves:

• During the school years06-07 and 07-08,  I worked with a fellow LMS from Alabama that I had never met until after her portfolio was in the mail to be scored; we met at NECC 2008 in San Antonio.

• I have assisted two high school librarians in my own state, but my help was 100% virtual. Not once did I meet with them f2f, but instead relied on sharing files and email tag.  Both passed.

• In that same year, I helped three teachers working in my school, and I’m happy to report even though they were not in my content area, all three of them passed.

Now in hindsight,I wish I had kept some records.  Then at least as new folks request help, I could back up my qualifications with the passing rate for those I have helped.

Prove to me you can help

Today though for the first time ever, a library candidate who will be a retake candidate in the fall asked me to produce proof that I could help.  Sigh. I could have just dismissed her.  I don’t get paid to help people, and aside from them offering me a dinner or gift or two, I have freely provided my own time to help them achieve their goal of NBCT.  So it came as a surprise to have the burden of proof resting on my shoulders today.

I passed on names and contact info for my new friend to contact and make inquiries.  And tonight I located and found my scores form my certification. I remember when I finally passed, not “really” wanting to share my specific scores. I was troubled by some, embarrassed by others. But tonight, I am no longer troubled or embarrassed. I will share them freely here. Are they perfect? NOT by a mile. But passed I did. The funny thing is now after the fact, I can pick apart my portfolio and say exactly what is wrong with it!

So now starting this year, I will begin a spreadsheet to document the candidates I help.  And I wil share my scores for library media NBCT.

Thought you’d like to decide if I was qualified or not, so here is my score report, copy/pasted.

Entry or Exercise Name

• Instructional Collaboration  (Portfolio 1)
  2.750 raw x 16.000 weight =  44.00

• Fostering an Appreciation of Literature (Portfolio 2)
  3.000 raw x 16.000 weight = 48.00

• Integration of Instruction Technologies  (Portfolio 3)
  3.000  raw  x 16.000 weight = 48.00

• Doc Accomplishments : Contributions to Student Learning   (Portfolio 4 –consistent in all certification areas, I might add.)
  3.000  raw x  12.000  weight =  36.00

• Organizational Management (Assessment area)
  3.000 raw x 6.670 weight = 20.01

• Ethical and Legal Tenets (Assessment area)
  3.750 raw x 6.670 weight = 25.01

• Technologies  (Assessment area)
  3.500 raw x 6.670 weight = 23.34

• Collection Development (Assessment area)
  2.375 raw x  6.670 weight = 15.84

• Information Literacy (Assessment area)
  2.750 raw x  6.670 weight = 18.34

• Knowledge of Literature (Assessment area)
  2.250 raw x  6.670 weight = 15.00

Sum of Scaled Scores     294
Uniform Constant     12
TOTAL WEIGHTED SCALED SCORE     306

One more thing–a confession

To certify one needs a 275. Oh one more thing. I must make a confession.  While I do believe it made me a better teacher in the library, I did not set the goal for NBCT for any other reason than I was jealous of another librarian that made it a couple of years before me-one I wasn’t particularly impressed with. (I’m so judgmental.) I took all my bad thoughts back though as I stressed over my portfolio, assessments, and score wait marathon so many years ago, and developed a whole new level of respect and awe for this previously IMHO unimpressive librarian. And yet another example that shows what do I know? Maybe I’m not qualified to help others after all.

Tags: National Board, NBCT, NBPTS