Preparing for the Assessment Center for Retake Candidates/Bankers CERRA National Board Candidate Support Workshop Toolkit WS9 2014

CERRA National Board Toolkit 2 Essential Questions How can I schedule my assessment? What are the policies and procedures at the assessment center? How can I prepare for the assessment center? What questions will be asked at the assessment center? What resources do I have available to help me?

Basis of Assessment Asks you to demonstrate your content knowledge in response to exercises designed by educators in your certificate area Tests your knowledge that supports accomplished classroom teaching May cover the entire developmental age range included in the certificate CERRA National Board Toolkit 3

Before Scheduling Your Appointment Review your “Authorization to Test” (ATT) received via My Profile. Confirm that the information (name, address, NB candidate number, certificate area) on your ATT is correct. Your name must be exactly the same as your photo ID. If you must make changes, go to the NB website and follow directions. Don’t’ schedule assessment until the ATT is correct. CERRA National Board Toolkit 4

Before Scheduling (cont.) If applicable, check your specialty area (ex. Career and Technical Education, English as a New Language, Exceptional Needs Specialist, Music, Science, World Languages). If you need accommodations, all requests must be preapproved. Schedule your appointment as far in advance as possible. May and June months fill quickly. CERRA National Board Toolkit 5

Schedule your Appointment Online: orwww.pearsonvue.com/nbpts/ by phone: Make sure you have your ATT in hand. Add two leading zeros to your 8-digit NB ID#. Have 1 st and 2 nd choices for testing centers. You’ll receive a confirmation letter ( or snail mail). Check for correctness. CERRA National Board Toolkit 6

Special Considerations Art candidates (1 st time or retaking exercise 1)-– Bring the art product you completed with you. Instructions for creating this product will be included with ATT. World Languages (1 st time or retaking exercise 1) –- Call to schedule your appointment and ask to speak with the Accommodations Program Coordinator. Testing Accommodations-- Wait until you receive your confirmation of testing accommodations. Call to schedule your appointment and ask to speak with Accommodations Program Coordinator. CERRA National Board Toolkit 7

Changing/Cancelling Appointments Pearson website ( or by phone (World Languages must call.) Deadline is 24 hours prior to assessment. Penalties Fail to test Deferment Withdrawal Reschedule your appointment within your authorized testing window. CERRA National Board Toolkit 8

Test Day Arrive 30 minutes early. Dress in layers. Security – show photo ID, photographed, palm vein scan, previous Pearson test-takers will be fingerprinted. Some candidates will record responses in a response booklet. Bring a candidate ID bar code, see page 12 in “Assessment Center Policy and Guidelines.”) Center/2012_ACPG_final.pdf) Center/2012_ACPG_final.pdf Art candidates--bring your art product. Response booklet, pencil, and erasable note board are provided. Online scientific calculator provided for math and science candidates. CERRA National Board Toolkit 9

Testing Schedule Nondisclosure Agreement 5 minutes Computer tutorial 10 minutes Exercises minutes BREAK 15 minutes Exercises minutes CERRA National Board Toolkit 10

Assessment Exercises Most consist of multiple prompts. Number of prompts displayed in right corner of screen (ex. 1 of 4) to help you monitor/pace. Prompts designed to elicit content knowledge Scenario or a student profile may be presented prior to prompt(s). Follow directions; answer all prompts. Timed (30 minutes) (clock will show time) CERRA National Board Toolkit 11

Assessment Exercises (cont.) Most prompts focus on themes, ideas, and principles that represent core concepts in a certification area. Exercises may also address pedagogy—the knowledge of how to teach the content. Prompts do not require recall of trivia or obscure content. CERRA National Board Toolkit 12

Responding to Prompts Before writing, read each entire descriptor, scrolling down to read all its parts initially. Respond to all of the questions. You may include bulleted lists. Stay focused; avoid getting off topic. Note if prompt is asking for a certain number of examples. Follow those guidelines. Write concisely, keeping aware of the time. CERRA National Board Toolkit 13

Scoring Each entry scored independently by peers NS – not scored, not scoreable Rubric Level –4.25 Clear, consistent, and convincing Level –3.74 Clear Level –2.74 Limited Level –1.74 Little or no evidence CERRA National Board Toolkit 14

Scoring (cont.) You will receive an individual score for each of the six assessment exercises. Any entry earning 2.75 or higher demonstrates “achievement” for that entry. Grammar and spelling are not scored. Quality and depth are more important than quantity. These six exercises weigh 6.67% each (40% of your whole score). CERRA National Board Toolkit 15

How to Prepare Review exercise descriptions and sample exercises in Assessment at a Glance. Review scoring rubrics in Scoring Guide for Candidates. Review Assessment Center Policies and Guidelines. Review your Certificate Standards Use the tools on Pearson VUE website CERRA National Board Toolkit 16

Other Materials to Help with Preparation Textbooks (students’ texts and teachers’ manuals) Websites Professional journals Resources recommended by other educators Recent publications pertaining to your certificate area CERRA National Board Toolkit 17

Dissect the Assessment Center Descriptions Find the Assessment Center exercise description in the Assessment at a Glance document. Highlight key words or phrases in each description. Identify applicable words or elements from NB standards. What do I already know/do that I can use for this exercise? What do I need to research or learn more about for this exercise? What resources are available to me? CERRA National Board Toolkit 18

Examples In this exercise, you demonstrate your ability to identify mathematical misconceptions or difficulty in a student's work, to state the fundamental prerequisites needed by this student in order to learn this particular mathematical concept, and to plan an instructional strategy based on real-world applications. You are also asked to choose the materials and to provide a rationale for your choice of these materials that will be used to teach these prerequisites. ( Early Childhood Generalist Exercise 2: Mathematics) CERRA National Board Toolkit 19

Examples In this exercise, you show an understanding of the writing process. You are asked to read a student response, identify and discuss weaknesses, and provide strategies for correction. (EA/ELA: Early Adolescence English Language Arts Exercise 6: Teaching Writing) CERRA National Board Toolkit 20

Sample Topics AYA-Sci-Chem (chemistry) Data Analysis, Interrelationships, Fundamental Concepts ECYA-Couns (Guidance Counselor) Human Growth and Development, School Counseling, Diverse Populations CERRA National Board Toolkit 21

More Sample Topics ECYA-Lib (Media Specialist) Organizational Management, Ethical and Legal Tenets, Technologies, Collection Development EC-Gen (Early Childhood Generalist math, science, social studies, children’s play CERRA National Board Toolkit 22

In Summary… You may take an online tour of a Pearson Professional Center on the Pearson VUE website. You may access the Web Tutorial and Sample Exercise on the Pearson VUE website to prepare for the assessment center. This contains representative NB content and navigation functions. You can scroll through an exercise for practice. CERRA National Board Toolkit 23

NB Assessment Resource On the NB website: “Assessment Center: Policy and Guidelines”— 19-page document that will serve as a valuable resource in preparing for the assessment center for first-time and retake candidates: Authorization to Test Scheduling/Rescheduling/Checking your appointment Reviewing exercises/Accessing on-line preparation tools Reporting to the assessment center and what to bring Assessment rules, duration Taking and completing the assessment CERRA National Board Toolkit 24

Resources Assessment Center Policy and Guidelines Guide to National Board Certification Scoring Guide for Candidates NB Customer Support TEACH (83224) NB link CERRA National Board Toolkit 25