Board of Examiners (BOE) members are nominated by one of NCATE’s member organizations (e.g., AACTE, NEA, AFT, CCSSO, NAEYC, CEC, or NCTM). After they have successfully completed NCATE’s five-day training session, they are assigned to a visit in the following semester. Successful team members:

read the institutional report and visit the professional education unit’s website prior to the on-site visit;

• work effectively as a team member;

• use multiple evaluation tools effectively;

• have good interviewing skills;

• can analyze assessment data;

• can keyboard, review online material, and use the web effectively;

• can clearly and comprehensively write their sections of the BOE report; and

• are professional in all aspects of their NCATE work.

BOE team members are usually assigned to a team three or four months before a visit. Soon after they accept the assignment, they should receive an email from their team chair with preliminary information about the visit. They may be asked by their team chair to indicate the standards to which they would like to be assigned and people they would like to interview during the visit. The team chair should be contacted for any information on the logistical details for the visit.

Before traveling to the on-site visit, team members should have read the institutional report and visited the unit’s website. They also should have completed the Planning Instrument (MS Word) and assigned a previsit rating for the conceptual framework evidence and standard’s elements. If a number of the unit’s exhibits are available online, team members may have had the opportunity to review them before the visit. However, the online exhibits should be available on a CD during the visit so that exhibits can be reviewed throughout the on-site visit.

Team members have the responsibility for making their own travel arrangements online or through NCATE’s travel agent. Travel arrangements should be made three weeks or more before the visit to take advantage of lower airfare rates.

Team members are expected to arrive for the visit on Friday night or Saturday morning as indicated by the team chair. Visits to large, comprehensive institutions may begin on Saturday morning. Some team members may have to travel on Friday to be available for an early Saturday afternoon team meeting because of where they live and the availability of flights.

Team members usually begin to review exhibits on Saturday morning or afternoon. An orientation to the state partnership agreement is usually conducted by the state consultant during an early team meeting. Depending on the arrangements made by the team chair and the institution, poster sessions by faculty and candidates may occur on Saturday or Sunday. Team members are expected to participate actively in all of the planned activities.

At one of the early team meetings, team members are expected to share their previsit ratings from the planning instrument. Team members should begin taking notes related to the standards for which they have primary or secondary writing assignments as their standards are discussed in team meetings and as they review exhibits.

By Sunday evening, the team should have determined which team members are reviewing which people on the interview schedule. Team members develop a list of questions related to the standards that should be asked in those interviews. Team members will be collecting data from the interviews that are related to the standards that other team members are writing. They can not be tunnel-visioned and only look for evidence related to the standards they have been assigned.

Team members will spend most of their time on campus Monday and again Tuesday morning in individual and group interviews with faculty, administrators, candidates, alumni, cooperating teachers, internship supervisors, principals, etc. Between interviews, they review documents in the exhibit room or on the CD, compile their notes, and begin writing their sections of the BOE report. Tuesday afternoon should be dedicated to writing the BOE report.

During the Tuesday team meeting, team members should be clear about the positive findings they need to highlight as well as concerns to include in the BOE report. They should write the areas for improvement that team members think should be cited for the standards they are assigned. Between the Tuesday and Wednesday team meetings, team members must complete their sections of the BOE report for presentation on Wednesday morning. Team members must give the team chair both a printed and electronic copy of their sections before they depart for the airport.

The work of a team member is not complete when they leave the visit on Wednesday. They still have responsibility for reading the edited report when the team chair sends it to them several weeks after the visit. Team members should read the full report and point out to the team chair any discrepancies from the team’s discussions and any inconsistencies across standards. Team chairs appreciate any other editing that a team member is willing to undertake. After the team chair receives feedback from NCATE staff and other team members, she/he may need to contact team members to clarify data in the report or to rewrite a section.

As on-site visits are intensive and often involve long hours, BOE members should have the stamina to participate fully. A BOE member should assure that his/her employer is willing to grant the appropriate time (e.g., release, contractual, professional) to take BOE assignments.

The performance of team members is evaluated by the institution visited and the state and national BOE members on the team. If team members regularly accept assignments and perform at an acceptable level, they usually remain on the BOE for two to three terms.