Take One! Timelines - Take One! Implementation Guide

Note: For detailed information on all Take One! procedures and guidelines, visit

www.nbpts.org.

Section 1: Take One! At A Glance

How Take One! Works

Take One!® is a unique offering from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards®

(NBPTS) that provides a standards-based approach for improving teaching practice and links student learning to effective instruction. Teachers who participate in Take One! can sample the National Board Certification process, improve teaching practice in classrooms and schools, and begin the path toward National Board Candidacy, if they choose.

Participants in Take One! study the NBPTS Standards for their teaching discipline and choose an

appropriate certificate area. Next, they prepare and submit one video portfolio entry based on pre-selected guidelines by NBPTS for each certificate area for National Board Certification (see Appendix A on pp.

31-32 for a complete list of Take One! pre-selected entries for each certificate area). Additionally, participants submit a written commentary to support their video entry. Once Take One! entries are submitted and scored, participants can apply their score to the full certification process if they choose to become a candidate for National Board Certification. Take One! scores can be deferred for two years. The score will remain valid throughout the three-year certification cycle.

Take One! Eligibility

Take One! is available to all teachers including induction or pre-service teachers, principals,

administrators, professors in colleges of education, and all educators who provide support for National Board Certification candidates. The only requirement is that educators have access to a preK–12 classroom to complete the portfolio entry.

Note: Take One! participants can find the complete selection of certificate areas, corresponding standards, the Portfolio Instructions, and scoring information at www.nbpts.org.

Benefits of Take One!

The impact Take One! can have in a classroom, school, or district is profound. The benefits from Take One! can lead to improved teaching, better schools, and, most importantly, increased student learning.

Specifically, Take One! can produce in the following benefits:

 Better Teaching: Take One! improves teaching quality by providing teachers with the opportunity to reflect on their own classroom instructional practices within the context of NBPTS Standards.

 Better Schools: Take One! provides teachers and other educators with the opportunity to form professional learning communities with a common language for and commitment to improved student achievement. These communities offer educators the opportunity to have a sustained, integrated focus on student learning within individual schools and across districts and states.

 Better Learning: Take One! helps teachers plan and achieve specific learning outcomes and adapt their teaching practices to meet the needs of individual students. This focus on student learning reinforces a strong link between instructional goals and teaching practice.

Section 1: Take One! At A Glance (cont’d)

Take One! Materials

NBPTS will send Take One! Materials to participants within three weeks of receipt of the online order and full payment. Participants should open their kits promptly to make sure that all materials are included.

Participant kits should include the following materials:

 Take One! Activity Book

 CD-ROM containing standards, Scoring Guide for Candidates, and Portfolio Instructions Packing and shipping instructions

 DVD-R instructions

 VHS checklist

 Shipping Materials for Entry Submission o Bar code labels

o Envelopes o One box

Portfolio Instructions are divided into the following two sections:

 Part 1: General Portfolio Instructions: Part 1 is the same for all participants. The instructions for Take One! participants can be found in Appendix B (see p. 33) and in the “How to Use the Portfolio Instructions” found in Part 1 of the Portfolio Instructions.

 Part 2: Portfolio Entry Directions, Cover Sheets, and Forms: Part 2 is specific to the certificate area chosen by each participant.

To simplify, the instructions are referred to throughout this document as Part 1 and Part 2.

There are no eligibility requirements for Take One!, therefore participants will not receive verification forms with the materials.

Section 1: Take One! At A Glance (cont’d)

Take One! Roles and Responsibilities

There are a number of responsibilities necessary to have the optimal outcome from your Take One!

program. It is important that all parties involved in the Take One! process acknowledge that participants are ultimately responsible for developing their own NBPTS portfolio content and materials. There are, however, many ways that the education community can help.

The responsibilities below have been divided among four different roles, including:

 Take One! Coordinators

 Administrators

 Candidate Support Providers (CSPs)

 Take One! Participants

The lists below include some of the most critical responsibilities, but each individual program may have additional needs that are unique to that location. Take One! coordinators can also be school

administrators, CSPs, or even participants, therefore there may often be overlap between the roles.

Take One! Coordinator Responsibilities

Take One! coordinators are the lead organizers of a Take One! program. They are responsible for bringing all of the parties involved together into a professional learning community. To achieve this, they must effectively facilitate collaboration between administrators, CSPs, and participants

throughout the program. Specific responsibilities of Take One! coordinators include:

 Leading and managing the Take One! program

 Collaborating with administrators and CSPs

 Encouraging collaboration among participants

 Explaining the Take One! program to administrators, school board members, and other stakeholders

 Recruiting Take One! participants

 Assisting participants with registration

 Submitting payment for a participant group or cohort

 Giving guidance to participants about the Take One! process

 Recommending schedules to participants

 Providing deadline reminders for participants

 Assisting participants with securing resources (e.g., video cameras)

 Negotiating release time or paid professional days with administrators to allow participants to work on their portfolios

 Hosting participant workshops

 Facilitating discussions during workshops

 Arranging for CSPs to facilitate and guide participants through the portfolio submission process

 Providing participants with printing assistance

Section 1: Take One! At A Glance (cont’d)

Take One! Roles and Responsibilities (cont’d)

Administrator Responsibilities

Administrators understand that Take One! is a valuable, job-embedded staff development program that will enhance the quality of education that children receive in their schools. Preliminary research has indicated that administrators play an important role in supporting a successful Take One!

program. Specific responsibilities of administrators include:

 Securing funding (e.g., Title I or other federal funds or foundation grants) for cohorts of teachers to participate in Take One!

 Acknowledging the commitment and hard work of the participants

 Providing release time or paid professional days for participants to work on their portfolios

 Dedicating time in staff or grade-level meetings for participants to work on their portfolios

 Arranging for participants to have access to digital video recorders and a technology coordinator to record their lessons and transfer their footage to a selected media format

 Arranging for participants to have access to a TV and DVD player to view their videos

 Allowing groups to meet in the administrator’s facility

 Becoming a Take One! participant

Candidate Support Provider Responsibilities

Candidate Support Providers (CSPs) work with Take One! coordinators to help participants maximize their experience. This is a role that requires knowledge of the certification process and the ethical boundaries of supporting teachers in a professional growth process (see Appendix E on pp. 36-39 for more information on NBPTS’ Ethical Guidelines). CSPs work with coordinators to facilitate groups of Take One! participants. Specific responsibilities of CSPs include:

 Staying up-to-date on the Take One! and certification processes

 Collaborating with coordinators and administrators

 Facilitating participant workshops

 Explaining the Take One! Process to participants

 Using questioning skills to elevate a participant’s thinking

 Asking participants to show evidence of student learning

 Reviewing the Five Core Propositions, NBPTS Standards, and video and written entry requirements with participants

 Keeping participants focused on a timeline for completion

 Communicating regularly with participants, administrators, and coordinators

 Providing ethical feedback on videos and writing for participants

 Keeping participants engaged and positive

 Discussing participant concerns and issues

 Encouraging collaboration among teachers

 Monitoring the progress of participants

 Reminding participants to obtain all required release forms (e.g., student video release forms)

Section 1: Take One! At A Glance (cont’d)

Take One! Roles and Responsibilities (cont’d) Take One! Participant Responsibilities

Take One! participants commit to an individualized professional development experience that extends over several months or weeks and involves an in-depth, purposeful analysis of their teaching practice.

Specific responsibilities of Take One! participants include:

 Learning about the time commitment required for Take One!

 Filling out and submitting the online application

 Submitting payments as appropriate

 Keeping their My Profile account up-to-date

 Reading the “Take One! Participants” section located in “Part 1: General Portfolio Instructions”

(see Appendix B on p. 33)

 Becoming familiar with all participant materials, deadlines, and policies listed in the “Take One!

Participants” section in “Part 1: General Portfolio Instructions” (see Appendix B on p. 33)

 Participating in workshops

 Completing all activities including the Reflection Guide worksheet (see Appendix C on p. 34) and Take One! Activity Book exercises

 Studying NBPTS Certificate standards

 Submitting Take One! portfolio entry video and written commentary

 Transferring Take One! Scores to National Board Certification

 Obtaining all required release form (e.g., student video release forms)

Section 2: Take One! Policies and Guidelines

Take One! Scoring Policy

Scoring for the Take One! portfolio occurs simultaneously with scoring for National Board Certification.

To ensure fairness and accurate scoring, assessors are unable to distinguish Take One! entries from any other portfolio entries submitted by candidates for the NBPTS Certification program. All scores are processed together to reach psychometrically sound results. NBPTS anticipates that score results for Take One! entries will be provided on or before December 31 of the year in which the participant submits his or her entry. Scores for National Board Certification will be reported at the same time. Scores are released only to participants viaMy Profile on the National Board Web site.

Transferring Take One! Scores

After Take One! participants have received their results, they have three opportunities to transfer their Take One! scores to National Board Certification. For example, if participants receive their Take One!

score in 2009, they may apply for full certification in any of the following certification cycles:

 2009–10 (application deadline December 31, 2009)

 2010–11 (application deadline December 31, 2010)

 2011–12 (application deadline December 31, 2011)

If participants choose to apply their Take One! scores to National Board Certification, they will need to contact NBPTS and request for the scores be transferred. Alternatively, participants may decide to discard their Take One! scores and complete the portfolio entry again when they begin National Board Certification.

Section 2: Take One! Policies and Guidelines (cont’d)

Ethical Guidelines

All parties involved in Take One! need to follow ethical guidelines to safeguard participants and uphold the integrity of the Take One! and National Board Certification processes. NBPTS policies regarding ethical conduct for candidates of National Board Certification also apply to Take One! participants.

Whether you are a coordinator, administrator, CSP, or participant, it is expected that you will uphold the highest ethical standards, and encourage everyone you are collaborating with to do the same.

Below are some general ethical guidelines for coordinators, administrators, and CSPs who work with Take One! participants.

When Working With Take One! Participants

Do Don’t

 Allow participants to make all decisions when creating entries.

 Offer encouragement to participants.

 Clarify portfolio entry directions for participants.

 Ask probing questions to elevate participants’ critical thinking.

 Ask clarifying questions to help participants determine if their question was fully

answered.

 Ask questions to help participants determine if clear, consistent, and convincing evidence was provided.

 Allow participants to share submitted portfolio entries.

 Compare participants’ entries to other submitted entries.

 Judge the quality of the content for participants.

 Select the lesson for participants to video record.

 Help participants select portions of the video recording for submission.

 Offer opinions about the score that the participant will earn on the entry.

Note: See the “National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Guidelines for Ethical Candidate Support” (see Appendix E on pp. 36-39) for more detailed information.

Section 2: Take One! Policies and Guidelines (cont’d)

Confidentiality Guidelines

NBPTS policies regarding confidentiality for candidates of National Board Certification also apply to Take One! participants. NBPTS will take precautions to ensure that all participant information is confidential. Visit the Eligibility and Policies page on the NBPTS Web site at

http://www.nbpts.org/become_a_candidate/eligibility_policies for more confidentiality information.

Click on the 2009 Guide to National Board Certification for all NBPTS policies.

Collaboration Guidelines

The work that Take One! participants submit as part of an entry must be their own. Their written

commentary, student work, and video recordings must feature their own teaching and their students’ work completed during the timeframe specified for Take One! completion. If participants are team teachers, encourage them to review their responses carefully to ensure that they feature their own teaching and students’ work. If a participant submits material that is identical to that of another participant, neither entry can be scored.

NBPTS considers the following guidelines to be helpful and encourages Take One! participants to collaborate with their colleagues in the following ways:

 Practice recording classroom videos.

 Watch and analyze one another’s videos prior to submission.*

 Read and provide feedback to each other on analyses and student work.

*Note: Once videos are submitted, they cannot be shared and are considered the property of NBPTS.

Section 3: Take One! Recruitment, Registration, and Retention

Recruitment

Recruitment provides administrators and coordinators with an opportunity to explain the benefits of the Take One! process to participants, the required time commitment for the program, and the support they will receive through the process. Recruiting Take One! participants requires a well-orchestrated team effort. There are a variety of ways to encourage teachers to become Take One! participants including:

 Conducting interest sessions on Take One!

 Promoting Take One! during intercom announcements

 Making presentations about Take One! during staff meetings

 Placing Take One! flyers in teachers’ lounges

 Conducting informational meetings at a school site or throughout the district

 Inviting colleagues to become Take One! participants

 Using an in-district communication system or Web site to post announcements about Take One! and any accompanying contact information

 Inviting NBCTs to share their experiences during recruitment meetings

Registration

Once you have a group ready for Take One!, plan a sign-up party in a computer lab or another room with multiple computers, Internet access, and an LCD projector. There should be at least one computer for every three people who are applying, or, if there are not enough available computers, you should have more than one sign-up party. Set a celebratory tone by inviting the principal and other school

administrators to speak. You may wish to serve refreshments.

At the registration party, you will lead participants to the NBPTS Web site and help them complete their online order form. Make sure they complete the following sections of the order form:

 Personal background

 Certificate selection: Direct participants to go to the Portfolio page on the NBPTS Web site at http://www.nbpts.org/for_candidates/the_portfolio#download and read the standards and Portfolio Instructions for their certificate area.

 Pathway selection: For world languages other than English, participants should select either the Spanish or French pathway.

 Acknowledgement: Participants must complete the attestation section.

 Confirmation: Participants should print two copies of their registration confirmation, one for you and one for their records.

Section 3: Take One! Recruitment, Registration, and Retention (cont’d)

Registration (cont’d)

As a Take One! coordinator, you may be responsible for submitting payment for a group. Key steps in the group purchase process include:

1. Deciding how many teachers will be funded to participate in Take One!.

2. Using the Volume Pricing Schedule to calculate the pricing discount and total cost.*

3. Completing a purchase order or submitting a check based on volume and mailing it to arrive at NBPTS headquarters no later than December 31. The check or purchase order must be accompanied by a transmittal form.

4. Informing participants that their Take One! kits will arrive within three weeks of receipt of the purchase order or check.

*Note: Coordinators must submit at least 11 participants on the transmittal form to qualify for volume pricing

Take One! Volume Pricing Schedule

Number of Entries Price Per Entry

1–10 $395

11–25 $385

26–50 $370

51+ $355

Note: To learn more about the Take One! registration process, visit the Becoming a Take One! Participant page at http://www.nbpts.org/begintakeone for more details.

Take One! Deadlines

Ordering and Payment December 31

Entry Submission April 15 (of the following year)

Withdrawal (partial refund) 60 days from online order date or April 14 whichever comes first

Deferral* April 15

Scores available online On or before December 31

Ordering and Payment December 31

*Note: Once payments are made in full, participants may defer the submission of their entry for up to one year. No financial penalty is incurred.

Section 3: Take One! Recruitment, Registration, and Retention (cont’d)

Retention

To maximize the value of participating in Take One!, it is important that educators complete the process and prepare and submit their entry. There are several important steps you can take to improve the chance that participants will complete the process.

From the beginning, it is critical for Take One! participants to understand the time commitment (50–100 hours) and work required (attending meetings, reading standards and instructions, completing activity book exercises, video recording, etc.) to complete this job-embedded professional development activity.

You should be honest with potential participants about the level of commitment necessary for Take One!.

This will help potential participants determine whether or not the program is a good match for their needs.

Other steps you can take to improve retention in the Take One! program include:

 Encouraging participants to develop time-management techniques

 Facilitating access to video equipment, video recording, and editing

 Arranging for support from NBPTS-trained Candidate Support Providers

 Contacting participants who miss a meeting to investigate if there is a problem

 Maintaining an ongoing dialogue with each participant

 Encouraging participants to complete the Reflection Guide worksheets at the end of each session

 Establishing cohort groups to facilitate collaboration and mutual support among participants

 Providing workshop opportunities for Take One! participants to interact in professional learning communities

Section 4: Take One! Timelines

Adhering to monthly and weekly timelines helps ensure a successful Take One! program. The monthly timeline, which runs from August to April, is recommended because it provides participants and coordinators with more time and flexibility to meet important milestones. Not all participants, however, can begin the process as early as August. An accelerated 14-week timeline, which you may begin as late as January, is also provided. This weekly timeline is designed to correspond closely with the monthly workshops and activities at an accelerated pace.

The table on the next page summarizes the monthly and weekly timelines and their corresponding workshops and activities. A detailed description of the workshops and activities, broken down by both month and week, follows. Your role during these workshops will be to facilitate discussions, answer questions, and lead individual and group activities. Participants will use the Take One! Activity Book throughout the workshops.

Section 4: Take One! Timelines (cont’d) Summary of Monthly and Weekly Timelines

9-Month Recommended Timeline

Month Activities/Workshops

August Recruitment and registration activities

September Workshops #1 and #2

October Workshops #3 and #4

November Workshops #5 and #6

December Workshop #7

January Workshop #8

In document Take One! Implementation Guide (Page 4-41)