Ariz. Study Sees Benefits in National-Board Certification

A second independent study commissioned by the board that offers national certification for teachers concludes that the credential has a positive effect on student achievement.

The report, published last week in the online journal Education Policy Analysis Archives, found that the students of teachers certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards saw greater test-score gains, on average, than did those of teachers without the certification.

Conducted by Arizona State University researchers Leslie G. Vandevoort, Audrey Amrein-Beardsley, and David C. Berliner, the study is one of some 20 commissioned by the Arlington, Va.-based board in the past two years to examine the impact its teachers are having. The first report found that North Carolina students whose teachers were board-certified fared better on tests on average than their peers in other classrooms. ( "First Major Study Suggests Worth of National 'Seal'," ...