Participants

The pilot will begin in June 2011. Up to 500 participants will be selected from eligible applicants in June 2011 and will be notified of their acceptance into the pilot.

Who is eligible to apply for the National Board Certification for Principals Pilot?
To be eligible, you must meet these requirements: 1) possess an earned bachelor's degree; 2) have completed three years of experience as a principal (not an assistant principal or principal intern); 3) hold a valid state principal license or certificate as required by the state in which you work as a principal; and 4) currently preside as principal of a school.

Participation in the pilot is free of charge.

How will participants be selected?
Up to 500 participants will be selected from the applicant pool to ensure a balanced sample of principals across a range of states, school types, years of experience, and principal characteristics. Selected principals will be notified by email on a rolling basis from May 31 through June 15, 2011.

What is the process principals will complete during certification?
The certification process is comprised of six entries made up of components that assess accomplished principal school practices, specifically those thought to most impact student learning, achievement, and school effectiveness. To meet the requirements of these entries, principals will engage in a range of tasks, including data analysis, written reflections, video analysis, and interviews. All entries will be submitted electronically and scored by a panel of practicing principals at the appropriate developmental levels. Participants will need access to a computer and a high-speed Internet connection to successfully complete and submit the entries.

For Entry 1, principals will administer a web-based survey to various stakeholder groups in Fall 2011 including a district-level supervisor, peers, parents, students (grades 3 and up), classified and certified staff, members of the broader learning community, and the principal themselves. Each group will take the version of the survey applicable to their role. NBPTS developed the Learning Community Engagement and Leadership Survey to measure perceptions of these stakeholder groups. The survey is aligned to the Accomplished Principal Standards. Data from these surveys will be provided to the principals for their use in completing Entry 1. The survey will be re-administered toward the end of the 2011–2012 school year to identify changes that may have occurred in stakeholders' perceptions.