Four D-15 Teachers Earn National Board Certification

According to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), four District 15 teachers have earned their National Board Certification this year.

This means District 15 remains among the state’s leaders in number of National Board Certified Teachers with a total of 84.

National Board Certification is an advanced teaching credential achieved upon successful completion of a voluntary assessment program designed to recognize effective and accomplished teachers who meet high standards based on what teachers should know and be able to do. As part of the certification process, candidates complete 10 assessments that are reviewed by trained teachers in their certificate areas. The assessments include four portfolio entries that feature teaching practices and six constructed response exercises that assess content knowledge.

Like board-certified doctors and accountants, National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) have met rigorous standards through intensive study, expert evaluation, self-assessment, and peer review.

In a congressionally-mandated study, National Board Certification has been recognized by the National Research Council as having a positive impact on student achievement, teacher retention, and professional development.

The District’s 2011 class of NBCTs is comprised of …

• Jennifer Buelow, a reading and writing teacher at Walter R. Sundling Junior High;
• Anna Hofmann, a fifth-grade teacher at Gray M. Sanborn School;
• Mike Knudsen, a fifth- and sixth-grade bilingual teacher at Lake Louise School; and
• Brittney Schmelzer, a special education teacher at Marion Jordan School.

-Story Submitted by Community Consolidated School District 15