Self-Assessment of NBPTS

Directions: For each element, rate yourself in one of the following three categories. Then provide examples of your experiences in the
area of the NBPTS. Finally, identify areas within each domain where you are interested in growing. On the last page, summarize your
strengths and areas of possible growth. Boxes will expand as needed.
● Exploring/Emerging (E/E) - a level of practice in which the teacher relies on ongoing assistance from more experienced colleagues for
support, guidance, and survival. The teacher is moving toward becoming more self-directed and independent in her/his practice. ​
● Applying (A) - a level of practice in which the teacher is able to provide independent instruction and easily applies what s/he has
learned about educational practice.
● Integrating/Innovating (I/I) - a level of development in which the teacher is fully skilled and confident. The Integrating/Innovating
teacher is contributing to the broader educational community through staff development, research, or publication in professional
journals. ​

Proposition 1: Teachers are committed to students and their learning. E/E A I/I
1. Teachers Recognize Individual Differences in Their Students and Adjust Their Practice Accordingly ☐ ✔ ☐
2. Teachers Understand How Students Develop and Learn ☐ ✔ ☐
3. Teachers Treat Students Equitably ☐ ✔ ☐
4. Teachers Know Their Mission Transcends the Cognitive Development of Their Students ☐ ✔ ☐
Three Examples of Proposition 1 Experiences Areas of Interest in Growth
● In each class of students I am aware that they all
have different learning styles and different areas of
strength. Some are able to read and comprehend
easily while struggling with shyness and peer
pressure that affects their ability to air their
thoughts. Others can talk easily about subjects yet
struggle to get their ideas and show their knowledge
through writing.      
     I have been focused on the more academic side of
● I feel that now in my third year of teaching I have a teaching the past 2 years but this year have begun to
much better understanding of the ways in which incorporate more SEL activities in order to develop important
students process information and of the levels of good citizenship qualities in students and to help them
understanding they possess at the middle school realize that there are more important parts to life than
level. grades. I would like to incorporate more educationally
● Students all deserve an educational opportunity in appropriate and stimulating exercises in character building.
which they can feel secure, comfortable and be able
to grow. By providing a safe environment this helps
all students have a firm foundation at school in
which to learn, play and grow. I provide extra
scaffolding and differentiation to level the playing
field so that all students can experience growth and
success in their learning.

Proposition 2: Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to
E/E A I/I
students.
5. Teachers Appreciate How Knowledge in Their Subjects is Created, Organized, and Linked to Other
☐ ✔ ☐
Disciplines
6. Teachers Command Specialized Knowledge of How to Convey a Subject to Students ☐ ✔ ☐
7. Teachers Generate Multiple Paths to Knowledge ☐ ✔ ☐
Three Examples of Proposition 2 Experiences Areas of Interest in Growth

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Self-Assessment of NBPTS (adapted from NBPTS (http://accomplishedteacher.org/preface/).
 ●  As I become more experienced with the curriculum
and also the content that the other middle school
teachers cover I have been able to help students link
this knowledge by providing more opportunities for
them to share what they already know in order that
we can build rather than recover ground they have a
working knowledge of. Within my own subject
matter I am able to flow more easily from one topic      
to another by selecting and improving the order in
which I cover the standards. My colleague utilizes
the Big History Project for Social Studies material
and I can build on students' knowledge of content
through their SS class while teaching the scientific
proof behind evolution.
● I have a strong academic knowledge in my subject While I have a strong background in subject matter there are
matter with a degree in biochemistry and still one or two areas of the physics standards that although I
experience working in the scientific research field. I understand them at a deeper level than is necessary to teach
middle school I would like to improve my delivery of this
can utilize this experience to connect classroom
particular subject matter. I would like to improve my
learning and content to real world situations and my
background knowledge in order to improve the variety and
personal experience. types of classroom activities I can link to these topics.
● I am conscious that my choice of assignments for
students to complete to reflect their understanding
is growing and allows students with different
strengths to be able to showcase their knowledge in
such a way that is comfortable with them. Using
choice boards I can provide students with control of
their learning.

Proposition 3: Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning. E/E A I/I
1. Teachers Call on Multiple Methods to Meet Their Instructional Goals ☐ ✔ ☐
2. Teachers Support Student Learning in Varied Settings and Groups ☐ ✔ ☐
3. Teachers Value Student Engagement ☐ ✔ ☐
4. Teachers Regularly Assess Student Progress ☐ ✔ ☐
5. Teachers Engage Students in the Learning Process ☐ ✔ ☐
Three Examples of Proposition 3 Experiences Areas of Interest in Growth
● I vary my instructional approaches to appeal to
different learning modalities and strengths of the
students. Whenever possible I include having the
students complete labs or demonstrations of
particular phenomena to improve their
understanding of concepts. The use of building
models and examining the differences that exist      Last semester my POP cycle involved making
between the model and real life event helps to build student-centered learning a bigger part of my classroom
spatial reasoning. Likewise in order to show routine. I would like to continue to build on my progress by
understanding I include options such as recording an engaging students in the learning process even more and
informational podcast, making a video, designing a having the self assess as we work toward a common goal.
poster or perhaps writing a piece of poetry.
● Collaboration and communication are 21st century
goals for education and to that end I utilize
groupings for projects and laboratory work. At times
allowing students to choose to work alone or with a
partner of their choosing while taking other
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Self-Assessment of NBPTS (adapted from NBPTS (http://accomplishedteacher.org/preface/).
 opportunities to pair either a stronger student with
one who needs some support or pairing up leveled
pairs who can research and work at a comfortable
level of detail.
● Assessing student progress is essential to check on
understanding of content. I employ varied strategies
to assess understanding including exit tickets, quick
poster production, online games and forms, written
quizzes and informal conversations. 

Proposition 4: Teachers think systematically about their practices and learn from experience. E/E A I/I
1. Teachers Make Difficult Choices That Test Their Professional Judgment ☐ ✔ ☐
2. Teachers Use Feedback and Research to Improve Their Practice and Positively Impact Student Learning ☐ ✔ ☐
Three Examples of Proposition 4 Experiences Areas of Interest in Growth
● I utilize end of unit or semester questionnaires for
students to get data on the activities they enjoyed
most or least. Students have a chance to share what
worked well for them in their learning and to rank
activities in order of preference. Their responses are
always interesting as some activities I thought they
enjoyed are not their favorites while some lessons
that I did not find favorable work well for their
understanding. So by taking the plunge and asking
teenagers for their frank opinion I am improving my
teaching practices by utilizing their feedback when
possible.
● Teaching is a practice that requires changes to be
made based on how successful each and every     I’d like to continue to give more informal surveys to my
assignment is. By keeping a record of successful students and also have colleagues observe my practice to
lesson plans and those that did not go so well I can help suggest improvements and highlight positive practices.
improve my future lesson plans to accommodate the
particular class of students. year to year the mixture
of learning styles is different so even informal
observations can help steer the direction of lesson
delivery.    
● More formal feedback in the form of standardized
testing can help give direction and improvement in
future students' learning. I became aware that I was
not providing students with enough scientific
reading to help strengthen their comprehension so
began to either front load lessons or provide
supplemental reading in order to develop their
critical reading and annotating skills.

Proposition 5: Teachers are Members of Professional Communities E/E A I/I

1. Teachers Collaborate with Other Professionals to Improve School Effectiveness ☐ ☐ ☐
2. Teachers Work Collaboratively with Families ☐ ☐ ☐
3. Teachers Work Collaboratively with the Community ☐ ☐ ☐
Three Examples of Proposition 5 Experiences Areas of Interest in Growth

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Self-Assessment of NBPTS (adapted from NBPTS (http://accomplishedteacher.org/preface/).
 ● In December I appealed to 8th grade families for
help sharing engineering experiences as the
students and I explored how engineering impacts
our world and the steps in the engineering design
process. I was amazed at the videos that parents
and guardians recorded and shared about their
varied and interesting careers. The students enjoyed
learning a little more about one another’s family
too.  I’d like to develop community relationships further by taking
● I am lucky to be part of a supportive middle school students on more local field trips to areas of interest in the
faculty. We talk daily about challenges and local area. There is a nature preserve close by so a visit there
encouraging signs in order to strengthen our work as could be incorporated into the ecology unit in science.
we strive to provide not only a good education but Perhaps having parents come into school and share their
help our students to become kind and considerate experiences is one route to strengthen school-family ties.
adults.  
● My school utilizes student led conferences in order
to share progress with parents. This format allows a
collaborative three way approach with the student
leading the way with support from both their family
and me, the educator. We can discuss progress and
brainstorm ways to further improve student success
and sense of achievement.

Summary of Strengths and Areas of Possible Growth

     I am an independent teacher eager to try new strategies in the classroom while being comfortable asking colleagues
for advice. My knowledge of subject matter is strong and enables me to differentiate content for students based on their
ability and background knowledge. I am utilizing student feedback in order to drive future plans for lesson delivery while also
being aware of the vagaries of teenage opinion.
I would like to increase community cooperation - both with the student families and also the professional learning
community. I would like to join some study groups in order to strategize and develop lesson plans together in a collaborative
fashion. Being the only middle school science teacher has both benefits and downsides - the biggest downside being having
no-one to work closely with on content delivery and lesson planning. I’d like to join other middle school science teachers to
share my experience and gain from their shared successes.

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Self-Assessment of NBPTS (adapted from NBPTS (http://accomplishedteacher.org/preface/).