Wayne County Public Schools gains 10 board-certified teachers
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on February 8, 2012 1:46 PM
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Ten Wayne County Public Schools teachers have earned National Board Certification. Front row, Meredith Williams, Brogden Primary School. Middle row, Susan Edwards, Charles B. Aycock High, Tracy Pittman, Fremont STARS Elementary, Lori Garcia and Holly King, both from Southern Wayne. Back row, Amanda Mozingo, Southern Wayne High, Veronica Fordham-Barrett and Beverly Taylor, both from Spring Creek Elementary, and Skyler Hardy, Spring Creek High. Absent was Emily Westbrook, Eastern Wayne High.
Ten teachers in Wayne County Public Schools have joined the ranks of those with National Board Certification.
The newly certified employees bring the district's total number of teachers and counselors to 181.
Earning certification is a stringent and time-consuming process, officials said. The assessment process requires candidates to complete two major components: a portfolio of classroom practice, including samples of student work and videotapes of teacher instruction, and an assessment of content knowledge administered by a computer-based testing center.
"It is estimated that the process will take the better part of a school year and involve a total of 200 to 400 hours of work outside of the classroom," said Rick Pridgen, school board member, in making the announcement at Monday night's board meeting.
National Board Certification is granted by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards, and, he said, is the most accepted symbol of teaching excellence in the United States. Candidates must hold a bachelor's degree, have completed three years of teaching or counseling and possess a valid state teaching or counseling license for that period of time.
The latest group of teachers were recognized and presented with a $500 check at the board meeting.
Honorees included Meredith Williams, Brogden Primary; Susan Edwards, Charles B. Aycock High; Emily Westbrook, Eastern Wayne High; Tracy Pittman, Fremont STARS Elementary; Lori Garcia, Holly King and Amanda Mozingo from Southern Wayne High; Veronica Fordham-Barrett and Beverly Taylor from Spring Creek Elementary; and Skyler Hardy from Spring Creek High.
Dr. Steven Taylor, schools superintendent, applauded the group's accomplishment, noting that the district has been a leader in producing National Board Certified educators for years.
"I'm proud to be part of that," he said. "That just shows the dedication and strong work ethic of our teachers.
"We have certainly highly qualified teachers in the school district who do a great job every year."