Two Teachers Achieve National Board Certification® in 2007
The teacher quality movement in Georgia takes another step forward
following the announcement by the National Board for Professional Teaching
Standards (NBPTS®) that 87 Georgia educators have become National Board
Certified Teachers in 2007. The Georgia Professional Standards Commission
and MCSD recently announced that two Muscogee County teachers have achieved
this advanced teaching credential: Charles Spraggins of Columbus High and
Terri Wyrosdick of Dawson Elementary.
National Board Certification is a voluntary assessment program designed
to recognize and reward great teachers—and make them better. 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.
"A school board‘s role is to ask, 'What is the best use of teacher talent in
a school system?‘ If we are going to employ teachers, we need to use them as
resources to bring about the standardization of teaching excellence," said
Anne L. Bryant, Executive Director, National School Boards Association.
"What we have found is that teachers who go through the National Board
Certification process become a school district‘s best change agents to raise
the level of classroom instruction which results in greater student
achievement."
Teaching quality in America‘s classrooms made a substantial gain in 2007
as the number of teachers achieving National Board Certification® rose by
8,491––the largest one-year increase in the history of the National Board
for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). Today, 2,418 National Board
Certified Teachers (NBCTs) are making a positive difference in the lives of
students across Georgia.
Created by educators and policymakers in 1987, the National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) is an independent, nonprofit,
nonpartisan and non-governmental organization. NBPTS advances the quality of
teaching and learning by developing professional standards for accomplished
teaching; creating and administering National Board Certification, voluntary
system to certify teachers who meet those standards; and integrating
certified teachers into educational reform efforts.
