Over 300 district employees honored as National Board Certified Teachers

January, 2024

Congratulations to 106 district employees who achieved National Board Certification, considered the gold standard in teaching certification, in December 2023. In addition, 214 of our district’s National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) renewed their National Board Certification through the Maintenance of Certification process, according to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). This number represents a 13% increase in the number of new and newly renewed WCPSS NBCTs as compared with December 2022. 

See a list of newly certified and renewed teachers.

The National Board Certification program is grounded in the belief that establishing higher standards for teachers equates to increased student achievement. To achieve board certification, teachers must provide clear, consistent, and compelling evidence of “accomplished teaching practices'' as measured against a set of national content area standards. The board certification process is rigorous; NBPTS estimates that teachers invest 200-400 hours engaged in examining their teaching practices, reflecting on the learning process, and analyzing how their instructional decisions impact student learning. 

Our district recognizes the value of National Board Certification and remains committed to supporting teachers at every step of the certification process, from initial candidacy through the Maintenance of Certification process. Support for teachers includes our Beginner to Board Certified Program (B2BC), the first of its kind in the nation. B2BC is a professional learning opportunity designed to help beginning teachers become more familiar with the National Board Certification process and increase their confidence in starting their board-certification journeys during a future school year. 

“Simply becoming familiar with the language, format, and key concepts associated with the board-certification process can make a significant difference in candidates’ confidence in their capacity to successfully achieve board certification,” said district National Board coordinator Sherri Morris.  

In addition to the B2BC program, teachers and counselors who are actively pursuing National Board certification or renewal through the Maintenance of Certification process have the opportunity to participate in a district National Board support cohort led by a National Board Coach. 

“The board certification journey is intense and demanding. It is important that our colleagues know they don’t have to navigate the journey alone,” said Morris. “Connecting with peers and developing a support network not only makes the process a little less daunting, it also encourages teachers to engage one another in the reflective process that is so critical to achieving Board certification.” 

In January 2023, NBPTS changed their data collection and reporting methods. Rather than posting national rankings based on school districts’ total numbers of National Board Certified Teachers, NBPTS now ranks districts exclusively based on their numbers of new NBCTs. WCPSS ranked third in the nation for the number of new NBCTs in 2023. More than 3,000 teachers have achieved board certification while employed in our district. 

“We could not be more proud of the accomplishments of our newly certified and newly renewed NBCTs or more grateful that they are WCPSS teachers who serve our students, families, and community with such excellence,” said Morris.  

The district’s new and newly renewed NBCTs will be honored at a Celebration of Teaching Excellence in March.

To learn more about the National Board Certification process, please visit https://www.nbpts.org/.