Schools

Two Mercer Island Teachers Achieve National Board Certification

Fifty-one Mercer Island teachers are now among the 6,740 in the state who are National Board Certified.

Two more Mercer Island School District teachers achieved National Board Certification, as announced by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. There are currently 51 National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT) working full-time in the Mercer Island School District’s schools.

NBC is a voluntary assessment program designed to recognize great teachers—and make them better. The application process is intense. NBC candidates average about 400 hours throughout the school year putting together a two-part submission package that includes: 1. A portfolio with a lesson plans, student work samples, and a videotape of live classroom teaching, all of which demonstrates the teacher’s impact on student learning; and 2. A written assessment that shows the teacher’s mastery of subject-area knowledge, classroom practices, and curriculum design. A national panel of teachers either approves the submission or returns it to the applicant for further development. National Board certification is considered the highest professional credential a teacher can obtain.

Numbers released by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards show that the state of Washington is fourth overall in the total number of NBCTs (6,740).

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Each teacher achieves certification in a subject area and age range. The new National Board Certified Teachers, along with their field, are:

Lakeridge Elementary School: Michael Aguilera, Generalist/Middle Childhood

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Lakeridge Elementary School: Erik Wallin, Generalist/Early Childhood

Nationwide, Washington state ranks fourth for total number of NBC teachers (6,817) and second for the largest number of newly Certified teachers in 2012 (575) among all states.

“I’ve been a strong supporter of the National Board program for years now,” said Randy Dorn, superintendent of public instruction. “All the certified teachers I’ve talked to said that the process was great. It made them look deeply into their teaching habits. Many of them became better teachers. And that results in better students.”

Locally, the Mercer Island Schools Foundation covers the cost of the course for  NBC candidates once they pass — a value of up to $3,500.

In the 2012-2013 school year, the MISD and the schools foundation has supported an NBC program instructor to come to Mercer Island for a larger group of teachers who hope to receive certification at the end of the year.

A Congressionally-mandated report by the National Research Council in 2007 affirmed the positive impact Board certification has on student achievement and teacher retention. Recognizing its value, the state Legislature enacted a $5,000 bonus for Washington teachers who complete the process.

More information is online at the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards website.

 

 


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