(Name-mce) ListServ Number of National Board Certified Teachers(R) Tops 55, 000

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Number of National Board Certified Teachers(R) Tops  55,000 


 
   Nearly 7,800 Teachers Achieve National Board Certification(R) in 2006



    ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The teacher quality

movement has made a dramatic gain following today's announcement by the

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) that the number

of National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT(R)s) has climbed past 55,000.

    Nearly 7,800 of the nation's top teachers achieved National Board

Certification in 2006, a 7 percent increase over the number of teachers who

earned certification in 2005. The cumulative total of National Board

Certified Teachers stands at 55,306. The states with the highest number of

teachers who recently attained National Board Certification were North

Carolina (1,525), Florida (1,513), South Carolina (636), Illinois (431) and

Washington (407).

    Among evidence that the National Board Certified Teacher movement is

growing:

    * The number of National Board Certified Teachers has more than tripled in

      the past five years (from 16,040 in 2001 to 55,300 in 2006).



    * Nineteen states have at least 30 percent growth in the number of new

      2006 National Board Certified Teachers, as compared to 2005.



    * There is a westward increase in new National Board Certified Teachers.

      North Dakota, Utah, Texas, Colorado, South Dakota, Arizona, and Wyoming

      show the highest percentage growth of National Board Certified Teachers

      in 2006, as compared to 2005.



    * While the number of Caucasian teachers achieving National Board

      Certification remained steady between 2005 and 2006, other racial/ethnic

      groups increased. During the same period, African American National

      Board Certified Teachers increased 24 percent, Hispanic teachers

      increased 13 percent and Native American teachers increased 50 percent.

    In addition, nearly 39 percent of all National Board Certified Teachers

are teaching in Title I schools as defined by NCES. (NOTE: This percentage

is based on 44,206 teachers whose schools could be identified as Title I

using NCES criteria.)

    Since 2001, more than 5,000 math and science teachers have joined the

ranks of National Board Certified Teachers. One out of every 10 teachers

who hold National Board Certification teaches math or science. "Because of

the increasing importance of math and science education relating to U.S.

competitiveness, we are pleased to report increasing numbers of math and

science teachers achieving National Board Certification," said NBPTS

President and CEO Joseph A. Aguerrebere.

    "When more teachers achieve National Board Certification, they are

helping raise the quality of education across this country," said Edward B.

Rust Jr., chairman and CEO of State Farm Insurance Companies(R) and chair

of the NBPTS President's Roundtable. "As a business leader, I see evidence

every day that education is a critical ingredient in growing a strong

economy that is full of opportunity. State Farm's partnership with NBPTS

demonstrates our commitment to the strongest teaching force possible, which

will help lead us to a quality education for every child in America."

    "National Board Certification strengthens and reaffirms quality

teaching strategies, adds credibility to the teaching profession,

represents the profession's highest standards, and has a positive impact on

student learning," said former Georgia Gov. Roy E. Barnes, chair of the

NBPTS Board of Directors. "The single most important school-related factor

in raising student achievement is the quality of the teacher in the

classroom. These teachers are living proof that this process works to

generate some of the most highly accomplished teachers in the field."

    National Board Certification is the highest credential in the teaching

profession. A teacher-driven, voluntary process established by NBPTS,

certification is achieved through a rigorous, performance-based assessment

that typically takes one to three years to complete and measures what

accomplished teachers should know and be able to do. As part of the

process, teachers build a portfolio that includes student work samples,

assignments, videotapes and a thorough analysis of their classroom

teaching. Additionally, teachers are assessed on their knowledge of the

subjects they teach.

    All 50 states, the District of Columbia and more than 700 local school

districts recognize National Board Certification as a mark of distinction,

similar to the way the medical, engineering and accounting professions

recognize expertise.

    Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2007, NBPTS continues to be the

most thoroughly grounded, in research terms, of any assessment program in

the teaching profession. "The vast majority of research indicates that

National Board Certified Teachers make a significantly measurable impact on

teacher performance as well as student learning, engagement and

achievement," said Aguerrebere. "Teachers who earn this advanced teaching

credential are among the best qualified in the nation to improve

instruction, raise student achievement, and improve teaching practices in

their classrooms, schools and districts."

    For more information about NBPTS and National Board Certification,

visit the NBPTS Web site at _http://www.nbpts.org_ (http://www.nbpts.org/) 

    Created by educators and policymakers in 1987, 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, more

than 55,000 National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) are making a positive

difference in the lives of students across the nation.

    This project is funded in part with grants from the U.S. Department of

Education and the National Science Foundation. Through September 2006,

NBPTS has been appropriated federal funds of $159.0 million, of which

$145.1 million was expended. Such amount represents approximately 34

percent of the National Board Certification project. Approximately $278.0

million (66 percent) of the project's cost was financed by non-federal

sources.






SOURCE National Board for  Professional Teaching Standards
 
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Related links:
_http://www.nbpts.org_ (http://www.nbpts.org/) 
 
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