NEWS RELEASE from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
Teacher effectiveness has become one of the most critical issues facing America’s schools today. Teaching excellence in the Bryant School District has taken a step forward following the announcement by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) that Lisa Clanton, a special education teacher at R.L. Davis Elementary[more] has achieved National Board Certification in 2010.
A voluntary assessment program designed to develop, recognize and retain accomplished teachers, National Board Certification is achieved through a performance-based assessment that typically takes one to three years to complete. While state licensing systems set basic requirements to teach in each state, National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) have successfully demonstrated advanced teaching knowledge, skills and practices.
“For more than a decade, National Board Certified Teachers have been transforming our nation’s schools by demonstrating effective teaching practice,” said Joseph A. Aguerrebere, NBPTS president and chief executive officer. “I am proud that Mrs. Clanton is among a select group of excellent teachers nationwide who have achieved National Board Certification. These outstanding educators are making a positive difference in the lives of students.
“Like board-certified medical doctors, National Board Certified Teachers have met high standards through intensive study, expert evaluation, self-assessment and peer review,” added Aguerrebere.
NBCTs consistently receive top teaching honors while representing about two percent of the nation’s teaching population. For example:
• Three of the past five National Teachers of the Year are National Board certified.
• One-third of the 2010 State Teachers of the Year are National Board certified.
• More than one-third of the recipients of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching are National Board certified.
• Four of the five National Teachers Hall of Fame 2010 honorees are National Board certified.
In the most rigorous and comprehensive study to date about National Board Certification, the non-partisan National Research Council found that students taught by NBCTs make higher gains on achievement tests than students taught by other teachers.
National Board Certification is recognized as a model for identifying accomplished teaching practice and is supported by teachers and administrators nationwide. All 50 states, the District of Columbia and hundreds of local school districts recognize National Board Certification as a mark of distinction. Many states and local school districts provide salary incentives and cover the cost for teachers who pursue and achieve this advanced teaching credential.
For more information about NBPTS, visit the NBPTS Web site at www.nbpts.org.
About the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
NBPTS is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan and nongovernmental organization. NBPTS advances the quality of teaching and learning by developing professional standards for accomplished teaching; creating and administering National Board Certification, a voluntary system to certify teachers who meet those standards; and integrating certified teachers into educational reform efforts. Today, approximately 90,000 National Board Certified Teachers are making a positive difference in the lives of students across the nation.
