13 teachers are board-certified
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on February 4, 2004 2:02 PM
The Wayne County school board recognized 13 teachers who have earned National Board certification.
This brings the total number of board-certified teachers in the school system to 106.
On Monday, board members Lehman Smith and George Moye presented the recipients with certificates and a stipend.
"Wayne County continues to be a leader in the state with one of the highest percentages of teachers earning board certification," Smith said. "North Carolina has the highest number of board-certified teachers in the nation."
Dr. Steven Taylor, superintendent of schools, said there are also a number of teachers who are still working toward certification.
"We want to maintain that trend," he said.
"We are pleased that our teachers continue to go forward with the National Board Certification. Our ranking among the state, being one of the highest among other school districts with nationally board certified teachers, speaks to the quality and dedication of teachers we have in our classrooms on a daily basis."
He said the designation shows an additional level of preparation and expertise that is a positive example for the students, the schools and the school system.
The National Board of Professional Teaching Standards, the most accepted symbol of teaching excellence in the country, gives teachers an opportunity to earn the certification. Nationally, an estimated half of all applicants receive certification.
It is a challenging and time-consuming process. Candidates must prepare portfolios with written and video-taped documentation of classroom instruction. They also take a four-hour essay exam designed to show their subject knowledge and understanding of how to teach.
A study in 2000 by the National Board concluded that teachers who had achieved the certification tended to have an edge over non-certified teachers in terms of delivering instruction to students. The certified teachers were seen as more likely to use a variety of instructional approaches to meet the needs of students.
North Carolina has one of the most generous incentive packages for earning certification. The state supports efforts by teachers to achieve National Board Certification in several ways. The recipients receive a payment up front for the $2,300 assessment fee, three paid release days from normal teacher responsibilities in order to develop their portfolios, a 12 percent salary supplement to their regular salary good for the 10-year life of the certification, and 15 continuing education units for completing the certification process.
The list of newly certified teachers is as follows: Beth Jorgensen of Eastern Wayne Middle, Annita Rao of Carver Heights Elementary; Edward Acorn Jr. and Patricia Lynn Collins of Eastern Wayne Elementary; Sharon Barber-Dentzer of Southern Wayne High; Vivian Lamm of Northwest Elementary; Sonia Jordan and Selena Smith of Rosewood High; Rachel Lovett Jones of Brogden Primary; Bernard Barnes Jr. of Norwayne Middle; Sheila Edwards McCullen of Eastern Wayne High; Jennifer Edmundson of Charles B. Aycock High; and Pamela Grady Beaman of Grantham.