Contact: Mychal Frost

              Public Information Coordinator

              CERRA – South Carolina

              P| 803-323-4032

              frostm@cerra.org

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

 

Number of National Board Certified TeachersTM Now Exceeds 5,700

 

ROCK HILL. S.C.—Six hundred fifty-five South Carolina teachers have achieved National Board Certification, according to information released today by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

 

“Strong, effective teachers are critical to ensuring the academic success of our young people,” said State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex.  “The National Board process is a major part of our efforts to elevate the teaching profession here in South Carolina.  Teachers who participate say that it strengthens what they do in the classroom and makes them better teachers. Ultimately, our students are the real winners.”

 

This year’s newly certified teachers increases the total number of nationally-certified teachers in the Palmetto State to 5,734, the third highest in the country behind North Carolina (12,770) and Florida (10,875). National Board Certified teachers represent 12.1 percent of the state’s teaching force.

 

“The number of National Board Candidates and National Board Certified Teachers speaks volumes to the dedication South Carolina educators have for their students and the profession,” said Brett Vaughn, National Board Program Director with the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA).

 

There has been significant growth in the 14-year history of South Carolina’s involvement in the certification process; five teachers earned the designation in 1994 and the highest single-year total came in 2002 with 1,073 teachers achieving National Board Certification.

 

CERRA continues to provide an infrastructure of support for not only high levels of awareness for National Board initiative, but also for the retention of candidates once they identify themselves as accomplished teachers who desire support in achieving National Board Certification. This tri-level infrastructure includes a district liaison in each of the state’s 85 school districts (available here), the Board Certification Network of South Carolina Educators, and collaboration with other state agencies including the State Department of Education.

 

“We’re proud of all South Carolina’s teachers who participate in the National Board Certification process and we celebrate with those who received certification this year and offer continued support and encouragement to those teachers who are still in the process,” said CERRA Executive Director Dr. Gayle Sawyer.

 

“NBC standards are incorporated in the teaching performance standards in many states and in the standards for teacher preparation programs around the country.  We are fortunate that our legislature appreciates the impact of the NBC process as a high level of quality professional development and as a career path for our teachers” she said.

 

The National Board process defines the knowledge, skills and accomplishments that symbolize teaching excellence. It was created so teachers, like professionals in other fields, can achieve distinction by demonstrating through a demanding performance assessment they meet high and rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do.

 

 

 

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“Each year teachers embark on this incredible journey knowing they will grow professionally and we are committed to being supportive to teachers throughout the journey,” said Vaughn. “We know the outcome; these teachers make a difference.

 

Teachers seeking National Board Certification undertake a two-part process that takes from one to three years to complete. The process requires candidates to reflect on their classroom practices, their understanding of subject material and their preparation techniques.  In addition to preparing a portfolio with videotapes of classroom teaching, lesson plans, student work samples and reflective essays, teachers must complete assessment center exercises based on content knowledge that proves they have mastered the subjects they teach and also know how to teach them.

 

Since 2000, CERRA has been charged by the South Carolina General Assembly to administer the South Carolina National Board Certification Loan Program for teachers choosing to pursue NBPTS certification.

 

CERRA, an independent state agency located on the campus of Winthrop University, is the oldest and most established teacher recruitment program in the country. The purpose of CERRA is to provide leadership in identifying, attracting, placing and retaining well-qualified individuals for the teaching profession in South Carolina. CERRA’s programs have been adopted at school, district and state levels in more than 30 states in the United States.

 

 

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REMINDER:

A complete list of all newly certified National Board Teachers will be available on the CERRA web site beginning at 9:00 a.m. today through January 11 at 4:00 p.m.