Four Gainesville area teachers receive national certification

GAINESVILLE - Four Gainesville area teachers have received national certification.

Elaine Sanders teaches at Gainesville High School; Karen Craft at East Hall Middle;Wanda Madsen at South Hall Middle and Billie Varnum-Gallant at West Hall High School.

They are among 7,800 teachers from around the country tapped for the desgination by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), according to the organization's Web site.

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® 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."

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.