Sixteen teachers earn National Board Certification
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on January 17, 2018 5:50 AM
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The latest round of educators in Wayne County Public Schools who are National Board Certified, back row from left, Coletta Campbell, Kimberly Hughes, Mary Sauls, Julie Fail and Karri Jernigan. Middle row, Rebekah Moore, Tammy Braswell, Barbara Weber, Melissa Wise, Gail Mason and Toni Tadlock. On the floor middle right, Tyshaun Bryant, Mary Capen and Melissa Fedderson. Not pictured are Tammy Wallace and Stace Fail.
Sixteen teachers from Wayne County Public Schools have earned National Board Certification -- eight for the first time and eight others renewing the credential.
National Board Certification is granted by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and is considered the most accepted symbol of teaching excellence in the United States. Among the criteria to be eligible, educators must have earned a bachelor's degree, have completed three full years of teaching or counseling experience and possess a valid state teaching or counseling license for that period of time.
"These teachers have worked hard to better themselves professionally and demonstrated through the certification process that they are an accomplished educator," said Dr. Yvette Smith Mason, assistant superintendent for human resources and professional development. "In addition to recognizing our newest National Board Certified teachers, each teacher who received certification for the first time will also be presented a $500 check from the district."
Local educators earning the certification for the first time included Julie Fail of Grantham Elementary; Kimberly Hughes of Charles B. Aycock High; Karri Jernigan of Tommy's Road Elementary; Rebekah Moore of Spring Creek Middle; Mary Jo Sauls of Norwayne Middle; Toni Tadlock of Mount Olive Middle; Barbara Weber of Eastern Wayne High; and Melissa Wise of Rosewood Elementary.
Earning certification is a challenging and time-consuming effort, officials said. As part of the assessment process, candidates are required to complete four components -- three of them portfolio-based, which include artifacts of student work, videotaped lessons, collaboration and assessment. The other component is an assessment of the teacher's content knowledge and "pedagogy at a computer-based testing center."
The process of working toward the certification can take the bulk of a school year, involving between 200 and 400 hours of work outside of the classroom. The district supports the effort, officials said, with the human resources department providing monthly meetings and other resources as needed.
The following teachers renewed their certification: Tammy Braswell of Spring Creek Elementary; Tyshaun Byrant of Brogden Primary; Coletta Campbell of CBA; Mary Capen of Eastern Wayne Middle; Stacie Fail of Northwest Elementary; Melissa Feddersen of Northeast Elementary; Gail Mason of Mount Olive Middle; and Tammy Wallace of Fremont STARS Elementary.
The renewal process can be equally involved, officials said, as educators are required to demonstrate they are continuing to grow in the profession. Candidates must create a Profile of Professional Growth, showing how their practices align with the Five Core Propositions in their area of certification. The PPG is a single submission composed of three interrelated components and a reflection. These components draw upon a single group of PGG experiences that have occurred during the candidate's certification.
The district currently has 133 teachers and counselors who are National Board Certified.