The Board Member Awards Program, with basic certification as its cornerstone, was developed in 1990 with input from both veteran Michigan school board members and representatives from higher education and state administrator organizations. Its goal is to enhance the ability of school boards to improve Michigan public schools and the achievement of 1.6 million Michigan students.
Seven Levels of Certification/Awards
Level 1
Certified Boardmember Award - All 100-level CBA Classes (101–109)
Level 2
Award of Merit - Completed level 1 & 45 education credits
Level 3
Award of Distinction - Completed levels 1 & 2 Total of four advanced (200- or 300-level) CBA classes and minimum of 208 education credits
Level 4
Master Boardmember Award - Completed levels 1, 2 & 3 Total of nine advanced (200- or 300-level) CBA classes and minimum of 368 education credits
Level 5
Master Diamond Award - Completed levels 1, 2, 3 & 4 Total of 14 advanced (200- or 300-level) classes and minimum of 528 education credits
Level 6
Master Platinum Award - Completed levels 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 Total of 19 advanced (200- or 300-level) classes and minimum of 813 education credits
Level 7
President's Award of Recognition - Completed levels 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 Total of 29 advanced (200- or 300-level) classes and minimum of 1,383 education credits
Awards for Boards of Education
Honor Board Award*
The Honor Board Award is given to boards when all board members achieve certification status. Renewals are made annually if all board members continue to have certification status.
Standard of Excellence Award*
MASB offers the Standard of Excellence Award to boards when all board members have received the Award of Merit.
Distinguished Achievement Award*
MASB offers the Distinguished Achievement Award to boards when all members have received their Award of Distinction.
Master Board Award*
Boards on which all members have achieved the Master Board Member Award earn the Master Board Award.
Master Diamond Board Award*
When all board members achieve the Master Diamond Award, boards of education are honored with the Master Diamond Board Award.
Board Visionary Leadership Award
This new award recognizes outstanding leadership for student achievement by boards and superintendents who work together as a team for the continuous improvement of public education in their district. It will be presented at our annual conference to qualifying local and ISD boards. Each board must document its efforts on behalf of student achievement and provide evidence of its success in meeting the criteria. Click here to review the criteria for local boards and ISD boards of education.
* All board members must have the appropriate certification level for half of the year in order to qualify for the whole board awards.
Specialty Certifications
Advocacy Skills Specialty
To receive the prestigious Advocacy Skills Specialty, board members must complete requirements for Level 1 and completion of the following CBA classes: CBA 246: Advanced Community Relations; CBA 252: Media Relations; CBA 260: Public Speaking; CBA 261: Advocacy for Public Education (new requirement); and CBA 262: Spokesperson Training.
Also mandatory is completion of one of the following classes: CBA 232: Risk Communication; CBA 263: Focusing on Feedback; or CBA 264: Shaping Public Opinion
Data Specialty
To receive the Data Skills Specialty, board members must complete requirements for Level 1 with a recommendation of completing the new CBA 109 - Board Governance for Data Informed Decision Making and completion of the following classes: CBA 251: District Strategic Planning and Goal Setting; CBA 341: Data First: Foundations 1; CBA 342: Data First Foundations 2; CBA 343: Data First: Teacher Quality; CBA 344: Data First: High School and Beyond; CBA 345: Data Dashboards for Board Members.