Bonuses for NBPTS-Certified Teachers at Risk in S.C.

In what would be a first among states, the governor of South Carolina is calling for lawmakers there to ax incentives for teachers certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, arguing there is little evidence that board-certified teachers improve student performance any more than their peers without the credential.

The proposal, in Gov. Mark Sanford’s budget for fiscal 2007-08, bucks a national wave: All 50 states and the District of Columbia have endorsed national board certification, and more than half now offer financial rewards to teachers who get certified by the privately organized NBPTS. To date, 55,000 teachers nationwide have earned the credential.

Supporters of the South Carolina bonus program, started in 1998, say it has increased teacher retention and sent the number of nationally certified educators in the state soaring, from 1,291 in 2001 to 5,077 in 2006. South Carolina last year ranked third nationally, behind North Carolina and Florida, in the number of teachers who...