Sixteen educators are among the 3,833 nationwide who achieved the highest professional credential they can earn – they attained first-time certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in 2019.
New National Board Certified Teachers mentored through Emporia University are:
- USD 229 Blue Valley – Laura Bock, Kerry Kinkelaar, Cheryl Lee, Jeremy Mohn, Karen Stohlmann Henderson, Nancy Torgler
- USD 233 Olathe – Meg Richard
- USD 259 Wichita – Melanie Kiser, Frances Oare
- USD 262 Valley Center – Katherine Orr
- USD 383 Manhattan-Ogden – Ashley Nichole Eckelberry
- USD 457 Garden City – Sarah Wise
- USD 489 Hays – Misty Lohmeyer, Lisa Renz
- SE Kansas Interlocal (Columbus) – Stephanie Withrow
- Kearney, Missouri – Michelle Lawrence
National board certification is recognized nationwide as a model for identifying accomplished teaching practice. Teachers were notified in December if they achieved the certification they worked for during the last school year.
“This process of board certification is similar to how a doctor becomes certified in a special area,” said Alvin Peters, director of Emporia State University’s program which assists teachers working toward national certification. “This is voluntary — no state, school district or program is demanding them to go through this process, and each teacher can take from one to three years to complete the process.”
The program hosted at ESU, Great Plains Center for National Teacher Certification, has an estimated a 78% initial certification rate over the past 14 years. This is nearly twice the national initial certification rate of 40%.
With these new additions, Kansas now has a total of 467 National Board Certified Teachers; Missouri has 1,091. To date, more than 125,000 teachers in all 50 states are NBCTs. Before certification, teachers must have a bachelor’s degree, a valid state teaching license and three years’ experience in the classroom.
The process is often misunderstood to mean a teacher passed a test or was nominated for the award. Peters adds, “National Board certification is a different kind of honor. Teachers must submit extensive documentation of their instruction, including videos of their students at work in the classroom.”
The national board standards were created by teachers. The standards represent a consensus for 25 certificate areas in 16 disciplines, including art, English, mathematics, science, world languages, school education and physical education, from pre-kindergarten through high school and six student development levels from early childhood through adolescence.
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards was launched in 1987. A decade of research shows board-certified teachers positively impact student learning. The goal is to create standards for high-quality teaching and to professionalize teaching through licensure, following the lead of fields like medicine, engineering, and architecture. More information about ESU’s program can be found at www.emporia.edu/gpcntc.
More information about Kansas and National Board Certification can be found at www.nbpts.org/in-your-state/in-your-state/ks/.