National Board Certification
Thirteen teachers in Chesterfield County Public Schools recently
achieved one of the highest credentials in education: National Board certification.
This brings Chesterfield's total number of National Board Certified Teachers to
64. These new NBCTs were honored during a pinning ceremony Jan. 9
at Virginia Commonwealth University:
· Frank Cardella, science teacher
at Manchester High
· Beth Carter, third-grade teacher at Elizabeth Scott
Elementary
· Crystal Chandler, preschool teacher at Falling Creek Elementary
·
Heather Curran, English teacher at Clover Hill High
· Kim Kuhn, library
media specialist at Bailey Bridge Middle
· Lara Lavelle, third-grade
teacher at Beulah Elementary
· Diane Sanders, second-grade teacher at
Grange Hall Elementary
· Beth Sawyer, third-grade teacher at Hening
Elementary
· Tami Slater, reading specialist at Winterpock Elementary
·
Teresa Summers, Center Based Gifted science teacher at Manchester Middle
·
Suzanna Thomas. Center Based Gifted third-grade teacher at Hening Elementary
·
Christy Weisiger, Center Based Gifted fourth-grade teacher at Grange Hall Elementary
·
Lisa Williams, English teacher at Clover Hill High
Educators in Chesterfield
County Public Schools who achieve National Board certification receive pay supplements
of $5,000 for the first year and $2,500 annually for the next 10 years. A knowledgeable
and competent workforce is one of the four priority goals of the Design for Excellence,
the school system's strategic plan.
A voluntary process established by
the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, certification is achieved
through a rigorous performance-based assessment that takes one to three years
to complete and measures what accomplished teachers should know and be able to
do. Designed to recognize and reward great teachers ― and to make them better
― the process includes teachers being assessed on their knowledge of the subjects
they teach and building a portfolio that includes student work samples, assignments,
videotapes and a thorough analysis of their classroom teaching.
According
to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, Chesterfield County
Public Schools ranks fourth among Virginia school divisions in terms of total
numbers of NBCTs. Virginia ranks seventh nationwide this year in the number of
new NBCTs (285) and 11th in the total number of teachers who have achieved certification
(1,434). Nationally, the number of National Board Certified Teachers has almost
tripled in the past five years ― from 23,930 in 2002 to nearly 64,000 in 2007.
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is an independent,
nonprofit, nonpartisan and nongovernmental organization governed by a board of
directors, the majority of whom are classroom teachers. Its mission is to establish
high and rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be
able to do. For more information about NBPTS, visit http://www.nbpts.org
.