3 MUSD teachers achieve national board certification

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) has announced that three MUSD teachers, Jennifer Gomez – Butterfield Elementary School, Katie Honeycutt – Saddleback Elementary School and Tina Leach – Maricopa Elementary School, have achieved National Board Certification in 2010.

For 2010 in Arizona only 88 teachers achieved this certification, and three of them were in Maricopa.

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 Jennifer Gomez, Katie Honeycutt and Tina Leach are 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.

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 www.nbpts.org.

Photo courtesy of National Board for Professional Teaching Standards