Maryland has 207 new Nationally Board Certified Teachers, the highest teaching credential in the nation, and 45 of them are from Anne Arundel County.
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) has now certified 2,421 Maryland teachers with the profession’s top recognition. This year’s total was 9th among states, and Maryland’s overall total ranks 13th in the nation. Over the past five years, Maryland’s number of Nationally Board Certified Teachers has more than doubled, one of just 11 states to grow at that rate.
“National Board Certificated Teachers are educators at the top of our profession,” said State Superintendent of Schools Lillian M. Lowery. “Completing this rigorous program signifies that these teachers are committed to their classrooms and their students.”
AACPS ranks seventh in nation
Anne Arundel County’s 45-member class ranks seventh in the nation among school systems for the number of National Board Certified Teachers who achieved certification this year. It brings to 355 the number of educators to earn the honor while working in Anne Arundel County, and leaves AACPS second among Maryland school systems. Four members of the 2012 class achieved their second certification, renewing their original certification after 10 years.
“I continue to be incredibly impressed by these teachers who go above and beyond to better themselves and their instructional practices,” Superintendent Kevin Maxwell said. “Their dedication and passion to be the best helps every child in their classroom and beyond, because it also benefits other teachers in our schools.”
In all, 73 Anne Arundel County teachers sought the certification this year. The 61 percent achievement rate far surpasses the national average of 45 percent. Approximately 5 percent of the county’s teachers are now National Board Certified, the second highest percentage in the state of Maryland.
County educators who achieved National Board Certification will be honored at a reception on Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013, at Annapolis High School.
National Board Certification, a voluntary program established by NBPTS, is achieved through a performance-based assessment that typically takes more than a year to complete. It is designed to measure what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do. The process requires teachers to demonstrate how their activities, both inside and outside the classroom, strengthen student performance and contribute to student achievement.
Maryland has long been supportive of NBPTS and its goals, working with the National Board since 1997.
The certification process is open to anyone with a baccalaureate degree and three years of classroom experience. The certificate is valid for 10 years, after which a teacher may seek renewal. For more information on the program, see the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards website.
