Andy Coons believes in the transformative power of highly qualified teachers. So he devotes his time and energy toward drawing attention to highly qualified teachers in the Tacoma Public Schools.
Coons falls into that category himself. He’s been through the rigorous National Board for Professional Teaching Standards process and became a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) in 2005 while teaching at McIlvaigh Middle School.
Coons does not stop there. He helps other teachers earn their national certification. His commitment recently won him an appointment to a three-year term on the Board of Directors for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. The 27-member board, which includes 18 teaching professionals, meets in Washington, D.C. three times a year.
“It’s a huge honor,” said Coons, who will serve on the board’s education committee. One of the committee’s goals is to identify educational reforms in which the national board organization should be involved, with a specific goal of capitalizing on the expertise of national board certified teachers by strengthening the roles they play in educational decision-making, policy making and school leadership.
He was nominated for the board through his involvement with the Washington Education Association’s (WEA) Jump Start seminars for national board certification candidates. Coons was one of the original six facilitators for Jump Start—today, more than 20 facilitators serve nearly 600 attendees at the four-day training seminars offered several times a year by WEA. Jump Start seminars introduce teachers to the national certification process and help them become stronger candidates.
Coons also has been serving on the Board of Examiners for the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) for the past three years. A couple of times a year, the council assigns him to complete an audit at a university that wants to renew its accreditation.
For Tacoma Public Schools—in his daily job—Coons’ serves as an instructional technology facilitator supporting teacher efforts at integrating technology into their day-to-day instruction and practices. And in his spare time, you can find Coons working on his doctorate in math education at the University of Washington Seattle.
"The National Board has defined a very rigorous and appropriate system for defining teacher quality,” said Assistant Superintendent Rosanne Fulton. “Across the country, school districts support teachers throughout the national board certification process. Research results are very clear: Quality teachers make a difference in student learning. We are so excited for Andy Coons for his selection for the National Board and the leadership he will continue to provide to teachers in our school system."
National Board Certification process
“Teachers who want to earn their national board certification must put in 250 to 400 hours outside their classrooms,” Coons said. “It is a voluntary process, but one that can be daunting—and humbling.”
This past December, Washington had the second highest number of teachers pass their board certification among all 50 states. Washington boasts 1,248 new National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs), up 36 percent over last year. Tacoma Public Schools has 23 new board certified teachers for a total of 84 NBTCs in the district, Coons said.
“Washington is doing great things and doing them well,” he said. “The WEA’s support of the Jump Start training is just one of them. Many districts value the reflective practices of teachers looking at their work through the lens of the national teaching standards.” Once certified nationally, Washington teachers get an additional $5,000 bonus a year for the 10 years of the certificate. And a state scholarship helps with the $2,500 certification fee. Teachers pay the scholarship back during their first bonus year. The Tacoma district also supports candidates.
Coons said, “Candidates are practicing teachers who show how they incorporate national teaching standards in their classroom teaching practices.”
Candidates in the certification process:
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Submit four work entries and complete six content-specific assessments
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Take exams to show their expertise in their content area
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Submit samples of student work and several videos of their teaching
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Must demonstrate their roles as leaders, learners and collaborators and show how they have an impact on student learning.
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Have up to three years to complete the process
“It can be crushing to a teacher who does not earn his or her certification the first time around. It can be scary to open up your practices to scrutiny by others—even if the process is anonymous,” Coons said.
“However, some of the best teachers I have seen are those who certify in their second or third year of candidacy. They really have to look at their work and dig down deep to see what they are doing. Doing this can transform their work. It’s also an empowering process. It shows clear, consistent and convincing evidence that a teacher meets the standards.”
“When you earn your national certification, it does not mean you are a perfect teacher,” explained Coons. “You are a reflective teacher and you keep reflecting on your work daily. It all comes down to: Are you having an impact on student learning? How do you know you have made an impact?”