Professional Development
Certification/NBCT
MSEA and NEA view advanced, voluntary certification as an important part of long-standing efforts to enhance standards for the teaching profession. National Board Certification is a nationally recognized advanced teaching credential for effective and accomplished teachers and is a symbol of commitment to excellence in the teaching profession.
Like board-certified doctors and accountants, teachers who achieve National Board Certification have met rigorous standards through intensive study, expert evaluation, self-assessment, and peer review.
Maryland educators are leaders in National Board Certification, both in the number of teachers achieving National Board Certified status and the rate of growth in the state’s NBCTs. The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future has funded significant annual incentives for achieving NBC, including $10,000 annually for educators who have achieved their NBC.
If you have any questions about the MSEA National Board Support Program, please contact Géraldine Duval at 443-433-3641 or [email protected].
Jumpstart Seminars
MSEA regularly offers Jumpstart training programs to assist educators through the rigorous process of National Board Certification. Contact MSEA’s Center for Education Policy and Practice for more information. There is assistance available for Maryland educators to help offset the cost of the NBC assessment fee.
NBCT and the Blueprint
National Board Certification (NBC) is considered a valuable asset to a teacher’s portfolio, it’s not mandated by the Blueprint, but encouraged through financial incentives and movement on the career ladder.
The Blueprint provides notable additional compensation for National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) who are primarily responsible and accountable for teaching students in the classroom: $10,000 annually for achieving NBC and an additional $7,000 for teaching in a low-performing school. The $7,000 salary enhancement remains in place even after the school shows progress and is removed from low-performing status; however, NBCTs must maintain their NBC and remain actively teaching to continue receiving the salary boost.
Financial Assistance for National Board Certification
The Blueprint offers financial support for acquiring and maintaining your National Board Certification through state and local incentive programs. The initial certification cost is $1,900, divided into four components at $475 each. The Maryland State Department of Education covers two-thirds of this fee, and your local school system covers the remaining third, regardless of whether the process takes one or three years to complete. Candidates in the fee incentive program are only responsible for the annual $75 registration cost. Additionally, the fee support program covers one retake per component.
National Board Certified Teachers seeking Maintenance of Certification (MOC) also qualify for the fee incentive program. The MOC costs $450 and is similarly covered by state and local funding. Candidates are only responsible for the $75 registration cost for the MOC.
For Maintenance of Your NBC, Incentives Grow
Your original National Board Certification is for five years, with a MOC requirement every five years thereafter. Union negotiators in most school systems have, or are bargaining, a financial incentive on top of the original $10,000 required by the Blueprint.
The additional MOC annual salary increase can be negotiated for a state share up to $8,000 for the first MOC, up to $7,000 for the second, and up to $6,000 for the third. This could result in an NBC-related salary increase of $31,000 in a 20-year career; $38,000 in a low-performing school on top of negotiated salary increases. These increases are all pensionable, meaning they add to the growth of your accrued retirement benefit.
For related service providers who rightly felt left out of the NBC incentive despite advanced certification from their licensing board, locals can follow the leads of counties such as Calvert and St. Mary’s. In those counties, union negotiations teams won incentives ranging from $1,500- $3,000 for school psychologists, nurses, speech/language therapists, audiologists, and other professionals who do not fall under the definition of “teacher” as defined in the career ladder.