Feb. 12, 2014:  Dr. Denise Lutter, high school music teacher and director of staff development at The Bronxville School, recently received certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). According to teachers at the school, this certification is very difficult to achieve and is a great honor.

David Katz, president of the Bronxville Teachers' Association, stated, "This year only 139 teachers in New York State achieved this certification. The process to earn it is very rigorous."

A teacher in New York State holding a valid certification from the NBPTS has completed 175 hours of professional development during a five-year professional development period.

To date, approximately 1,600 teachers in New York State have achieved national board certification, according to the NBPTS website. Dr. Lutter was the only music teacher in the state to receive certification this year.

When asked why she undertook the arduous five-year process of getting certified, Dr. Lutter stated that she wanted to "continuously improve her teaching skills"--she loves her students and "wants to do well by them."

She found the process very useful, primarily because the "tasks were authentic." She had to submit videos of herself teaching students, playing instruments, and conducting music events. "It was helpful to see yourself doing this," she added.

The NBPTS website describes the requirements needed to earn the certification as follows:

National Board Certification is an advanced teaching credential. As part of this process, teachers must analyze their teaching context and students' needs, submit videos of their teaching, and provide student work samples that demonstrate growth and achievement. The reflective analyses that they submit must demonstrate:

1) A strong command of content;

2) The ability to design appropriate learning experiences that advance student learning;

3) The use of assessments to inform instructional decision making; and

4) Partnerships with colleagues, parents, and the community.

Dr. Lutter plans to encourage other Bronxville teachers to seek the certification and plans to work with them to do so. Her only criticism of the process was that it did not include as part of the requirement collaboration with other teachers. She hopes the NBPTS will add collaboration with other teachers as part of the process in the future. She said the certification is particularly useful for teachers who are "beyond the beginning stages of teaching and have some experience."

Pictured here:  Dr. Denise Lutter, recipient of certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

Photo by N. Bower