COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
P.O. BOX 2120
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23218-2120
SUPTS. MEMO NO. 67
April 18, 2003
INFORMATIONAL
|
TO: |
Division
Superintendents |
|
FROM: |
Jo Lynne
DeMary Superintendent
of Public Instruction |
|
SUBJECT: |
Funding for
National Board Certification |
Teachers who
are interested in applying for a subsidy grant for National Board Certification
are invited to submit the attached 2003 Subsidy Grant Application to the
Division of Teacher Education and Licensure by May 23, 2003.
The National
Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), which was created in 1987,
will offer 27 certificates for 2003. It is a voluntary certification process
for teachers that is designed to complement, not replace, initial state
licensure. Individuals interested in seeking a National Board Certification
subsidy grant must have an earned baccalaureate degree from a regionally
accredited institution, have completed three years of teaching experience by
the end of the 2002-03 school year, and be employed as a public school teacher
in Virginia for the 2003-04 school year. More information about the National
Board Certification process is available on the NBPTS website: http://www.nbpts.org/.
Funding to
support $1,000 of the $2,300 application fee is provided through $75,000
appropriated by the General Assembly. These funds will support 75 candidates.
As of this date, Congress has not appropriated the funding for federal subsidy
grants. If sufficient federal funds are awarded to NBPTS through a United
States Department of Education grant, this funding will be applied as in past
years to increase the support provided by the General Assembly from $1,000 to
$2,000 for the initial 75 candidates. If federal funding in excess of $75,000
is awarded, the additional funding will be used to provide as many $1,000
federal subsidy grants as possible.
Applicants,
if selected for a grant, will be responsible for the remaining application fee.
Grant applicants will be selected randomly and will be distributed among the
eight superintendents regions. Grant notification will be mailed by June 1.
Please do not
hesitate to contact Dr. Thomas A. Elliott, assistant superintendent for teacher
education and licensure, (telliott@pen.k12.va.us)
at (804) 371-2522 or Mrs. Marjorie K. Heywood, national board certification
coordinator, (mheywood@mail.vak12ed.edu)
at (804) 371-2476 if you have any questions regarding this application process.
JLD/TAE/mkh
/administrators/superintendents_memos/2003/inf067a.pdf