Teachers Tackle Their Own Extra Credit

Loudoun offers an annual bonus of slightly more than $1,000 to board-certified teachers and fee reimbursement only after certification. So far, the county system has only 12 such teachers, the same number as in the D.C. public schools, though both systems are ramping up efforts. The Loudoun School Board recently proposed raising the annual stipend to $7,500 for board-certified teachers.

"It's all about the money," said Emmet Rosenfeld, an English teacher at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County, explaining why he put himself through what he described as an "excruciating" process.

Rosenfeld, who has been blogging about his application experience for Teacher Magazine, said it's still unclear whether the process will make him a stronger teacher in the long run. He added that the application takes so much time that it on occasion diverts his attention from the classroom.

There is conflicting research on whether students score better on standardized achievement tests when they have a board-certified teacher. Some analysts say they are waiting for proof that the program works.

"Outstanding teachers are those whose students show the results," said Chester E. Finn Jr., president of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, based in the District. He said criteria for the certification should rely more on student test scores.

But Morales said applying for certification strengthened her approach to teaching.

The biggest change, she said, is constantly asking: Why?

Before, if students gave her an answer that was not in a textbook or that she had not thought of, she would tell them it was wrong. Now, she asks them how they came up with it.

"They always have a rationale. Maybe I didn't explain it well," she said. By learning more about their thought process, she also finds out how she can adapt lessons in the future.

She has also found that the credential raised her confidence. As a "back-door teacher" who came to the profession after a career in business management, she would sometimes wonder if her kids were learning as much as they would with a more experienced teacher.

"This is as if someone gave me the 'I'm okay,' " she said.