Teachers earn national certification

Grant is one of 54

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

— Jessie Grant, a teacher at Pea Ridge Elementary School, is one of 54 newly-certified teachers in northwest Arkansas school districts.

The teachers are among a group of 289 Arkansas teachers who received National Board Certification recently from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Arkansas now has 1,690 nationally certified teachers, ranking 15th in the nation for the overall number of teachers with the certification.

Among the newly nationally certified teachers, 18 are from Rogers;

13 from Springdale; nine from Bentonville and eight from Fayetteville. Teachers in Farmington, Gentry, Huntsville, Lincoln, Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove also received the certification.

The process a teacher goes through to become nationally certified provides an avenue for selfreflection on the teaching methods.

The Fayetteville district now has 34 teachers at all levels who are nationally certified. Rogers has 77 teachers on the roll; and Springdale has 61 teachers, according to a news release from the professional standards board.

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certifies teachers after a rigorous evaluation process. The process is designed to help teachers improve their instruction and allows them to receive increasedpay from the state when they are certified. Applicants submit teaching portfolios, student work samples, and videotapes.

Their classroom teaching and student learning are also thoroughly analyzed to ensure they meet high standards.

The teachers also earn extra money. The Arkansas Department of Education reimburses the teachers’ expenses to become certified. Teachers are also eligible for a state stipend of $5,000 per year for the 10-year life of the certifi cation.

Community, Pages 6 on 12/29/2010