Frequently Asked Questions
BANKING AND RETAKE PROCEDURES
1. What is
score banking?
Beginning with the 1996-97 cycle of
National Board Certification candidates, NBPTS has instituted automatic
banking of the individual entry and exercise scores of all candidates
for a period of three years from the date of initial score notification.
During this three-year period, candidates who did not achieve certification
during their initial attempt may retake any combination of portfolio
entries and/or assessment center exercises in the assessment package
on which they did not meet the individual entry/exercise performance
standard.
Entry and exercise responses submitted
in accordance with the National BoardĂs retake policy and procedures
will be scored. The candidateĂs original entry and/or exercise score(s)
will be replaced with the new score(s). The candidateĂs total scaled
score will be recalculated and, if the candidateĂs total scaled
score then meets or exceeds the performance standard established
by the National Board, the candidate will be awarded National Board
Certification. A candidate will be charged a fee of $300.00 for
each entry or exercise that he or she chooses to retake.
2. Will my
scores be automatically banked or do I need to make a specific request?
Candidates will have all of their scores
automatically banked.
3. If I miss
either part of the assessment process, will my scores be automatically
banked or do I need to notify someone?
They will be automatically banked.
4. How long
do I have to retake an entry or exercise?
All scores will be banked for a period
of three years from the date of initial score notification.
5. Can I retake
as many entries and exercises as I want?
You may choose to retake any individual
entry or exercise on which you received a score of less than 2.75.
Scores of 2.75 or higher indicate that you have met the National
BoardĂs standard for that entry or exercise.
6. Can I retake
any combination of entries or exercises that I want?
You may choose to retake any combination
of entries and/or exercises on which you received a score of less
than 2.75.
7. When will
my new responses be scored?
Entry and exercise retakes submitted
in accordance with the National BoardĂs submission guidelines and
by the deadline for submission in the year of the retake application
will be scored during the next available scoring cycle.
8. When will
I be notified of my new scores and my recalculated final scaled
score?
You will be notified of your new scores
and your recalculated final scaled score on or before March 31,
2001.
9. Can I choose
to retake an entry or exercise more than once?
You may choose to retake an entry or
exercise on which you received a score of less than 2.75 as many
times as you wish within the three year period beginning from initial
score notification. Keep in mind that each time an exercise is retaken,
the most current raw score will always replace the previous raw
score.
10. National
Board Certificates are issued for a period of ten years. If I receive
certification after retaking one or more entries or exercises, does
that ten year period begin from the time I started the assessment
process or from when I received certification?
If you receive National Board Certification
after retaking one or more entries or exercises, the ten-year period
begins from the date you receive certification.
11. If I
retake a portfolio entry, will I be responding to the same prompt
from my original portfolio?
You will be responding to the same
prompt from your original portfolio; however, please note that some
of the instructions may contain clarifications or additions such
as page allowances for artifacts. Above all, the candidate should
follow the retake kit instructions.
12. If I
retake an assessment center exercise, will I be responding to the
same prompt that I did originally?
When you retake an assessment center
exercise, you will be responding to a new prompt.
13. When
retaking an entry or exercise, must I submit all new materials or
can I revise and resubmit some or all of my original materials?
When you retake a portfolio entry,
you must submit completely new analyses, student work samples, and
videotapes. You may use the same assignment/prompts that you used
in your original submission. NBPTS recognizes that some aspects
of your teaching situation may not have changed, such as your general
teaching context. Therefore, it is acceptable that this type of
information be repeated. On the whole, at least 90% of your discussions
should be different. For Documented Accomplishments I and II, you
must submit completely new descriptions and an interpretive summary;
however, most of your documentation for accomplishments prior to
the current year may remain the same.
14. If I
get a lower score on an entry or exercise retake, can I choose not
to replace my original score on the entry or exercise?
When you choose to retake an entry
or exercise, your new score will automatically replace your original
score even in cases when the new score is lower than your original
score.
15. If my
classroom teaching assignment changes during the retake period will
I still be eligible to retake entries or exercises?
If your classroom teaching assignment
changes during the retake period, you will still be eligible to
retake entries or exercises. In some cases, you may need to "borrow"
a class in order to fulfill the requirements of the portfolio entries.
For example, if you are a candidate for the Early Childhood/Generalist
certificate and you have been moved to a 4th grade classroom in
which all of the students are 9 and 10 years old, you may need to
"borrow" a class of children between the ages of 3 and
8 from another teacher in order to complete the portfolio entries.
16. If during
the retake period a change in my assignment takes me out of the
classroom will I still be eligible to retake entries or exercises?
If your assignment takes you out of
the classroom during the retake period, you will still be eligible
to retake entries or exercises; however, you will need to "borrow"
a class in order to fulfill the requirements of the portfolio entries.
For additional information on borrowing a class, see question #7
under Applying For National Board Certification.
17. Can I
appeal a scoring decision for an entry or exercise I have retaken?
All scoring decisions may be appealed
by following the National BoardĂs policy on Reconsideration of Certification/Scoring
Decisions described in the Guide to National Board Certification.
For a complete copy of the policy and all related procedures, please
submit a written request to NBPTS at the San Antonio, Texas address
listed in the Guide.
18. Can I
request an extension of the retake period?
No extensions of the retake period
will be granted.
19. What
if I requested a retake but then cannot complete an entry or exercise?
If full payment has been received,
you may elect to defer an entry or exercise by notifying NPBTS in
writing that you wish to defer the entry/exercise. Your retake fee
will be retained by NPBTS and a reactivation fee of $150 will be
due in the next cycle year to complete the entry/exercise. Failure
to reactivate your entry or exercise will result in all fees being
forfeited and your score for that entry/exercise will be listed
as "blank-not submitted." You would then need to pay the
full retake fee of $300 to complete the portfolio entry or attend
any assessment center exercise. To defer any entry/exercise, you
must submit your request in writing before the deadline for submitting
the entry or attending an assessment center session.
20. What
if I need additional score reports?
You may request additional score reports
at any time by submitting a request in writing and including a $25
fee per report.
21. Can I
achieve National Board Certification with fewer than ten (10) scores?
All candidate materials submitted by
the submission deadline will be scored and those scores will be
automatically banked. However, a final scaled score will be computed
only for candidates who have submitted responses to ALL of the entries
and exercises. It is possible, for example, for a candidate to meet
the performance standard of 275 points or more without completing
all ten entries and exercises. However, candidates who do not submit
responses to all of the entries or exercises will have an incomplete
score profile. National Board Certification WILL NOT be awarded
to candidates with incomplete score profiles.
22. Can I
resubmit the same topic/assignment as my initial submission?
Yes, candidates may submit the same
lesson or assignment for a retake entry that was submitted originally;
however, the analysis must be completely new and the student work
samples and videotapes must be from the current calendar school
year. Retake performances are compared against their original submissions.
If the analysis and student work samples/videotapes are the same,
the retake performance will be disqualified.
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