Thirty-Five MCPS Teachers Achieve National Board Certification

January 7, 2014

Thirty-five MCPS educators achieved certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) in 2013. This brings the number of Board-certified teachers in MCPS to 672.

Montgomery County far surpasses all other districts in Maryland and ranks eighth among school districts in the nation in the number of new National Board Certified educators.

“Congratulations to our newest National Board Certified teachers on reaching this milestone in their career,” said Superintendent of Schools Joshua P. Starr. “The number of board-certified teachers in MCPS is an indicator of just how dedicated our staff is to excellence and continuous improvement.”

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.

Educators earn National Board Certification after completing a series of assessments that include teaching portfolios, student work samples, videotapes, and rigorous analyses of their classroom teaching and student learning. Candidates also complete a series of written exercises that probe the depth of their subject-matter knowledge and their understanding of how to teach those subjects to their students.

Full-time, non-administrative MCPS educators receive an additional $2,000 in their MCPS salary each year as long as they retain valid certification. The state also provides a stipend to certified teachers that meet certain qualifications, pending annual funding.

MCPS uses the rigorous standards of NBPTS as part of the Professional Growth System for all teachers in the school system. 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.

New MCPS National Board Certified Teachers

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