Seventy-One Educators Receive National Board Certification in 2010

January 25, 2011

Total number in MCPS now reaches 634

Seventy-one educators in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) achieved certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) in 2010, widely viewed as the gold standard for identifying accomplished teaching.

With 634 National Board Certified educators overall, Montgomery County far surpasses all other counties in Maryland and ranks eighth among school districts in the nation in the number of new National Board Certified educators. Another 19 renewed their National Board certifications.

The educators were honored on Jan. 20 during a pinning ceremony at the Montgomery County Education Association.

The National Board Certification program was created so educators, like professionals in other fields, can achieve distinction by demonstrating that they meet high standards for what accomplished educators should know and be able to achieve.

Educators earn 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 a valid NBPTS certification. The state matches the local salary supplement with a stipend up to a maximum of $1,000 per year for educators who meet the eligibility requirements set by the state.

MCPS uses the rigorous professional standards devised by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards for all teachers in the school system. Last fall, NBPTS singled out MCPS for its use of those top-notch standards for hiring, training and evaluating teachers, and featured the school system in an event on Capitol Hill.

A listing of the 71 new National Board Certified MCPS educators and their schools is at the link below.

List of 2010 NBCTs

National Board of Professional Teaching Standards

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