LAUSD TEACHERS TOP NATION IN NUMBER OF NEW NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFIED TEACHERS.

Rose ceremony at UTLA honors the 189 educators achieving the prestigious distinction this year.

From the UTLA United Teacher | http://bit.ly/tURMBw

Dec 16, 2011 :: For the first time, LAUSD teachers have outpaced educators across the nation in the number of candidates achieving National Board certification.

With 189 successful candidates this year, the District topped the number of all schools district nationwide—and even beat most states’ overall totals.

UTLA honored the new NBCTs at our annual Rose Ceremony at LAUSD headquarters on December 8, where teachers celebrated with family and colleagues and reflected back on the many months they spent working on certification.

Calling the process a “roller coaster ride,” Fulbright Elementary teacher Laura Garcia said that the process made her try new teaching styles and think in-depth about how to reach her students.

“Going for certification has always been one of my longtime goals because I wanted to challenge myself as a teacher,” Garcia said. “I consider myself a lifelong learner. Whether I had been successful or not [in achieving certification] it made me a better teacher.” Allesandro Elementary teacher Carolina Romero, who was inspired by colleagues at her school who had gone through certification, said that the intensive National Board process lived up to her expectations.

“It is highly reflective,” Romero said. “You focus on a series of questions that you constantly ask yourself: How will this help my students be successful? How is this relevant? Why are they learning this?” National Board Certification is a voluntary assessment program designed to recognize and reward accomplished teachers. Like board-certified doctors and accountants, teachers who achieve National Board Certification have met rigorous standards through intensive study, expert evaluation, selfassessment, and peer review. The work amounts to 200 to 400 hours on top of an already full teaching load, and many candidates take two to three years to achieve certification.

More than 2,000 teachers have become National Board certified while working in LAUSD—the largest number of any school district in California and one of the highest totals in the nation. LAUSD also has one of the most diverse populations of NBCTs in the country.

To help them through the certification process, many LAUSD candidates join the Support Network, a joint UTLALAUSD program that offers facilitated workshops and peer support. It is the largest union-supported program of its kind in the country.

Susie Chow, who heads the Support Network, is especially gratified that UTLA members continue to lead the way in pursuing certification.

“It’s the most valid, reliable assessment out there because it assess teachers’ pedagogy and content knowledge,” Chow said. “Because it is so reflective, it cannot help but be a model to help us grow in our profession.” In a congressionally mandated study by the National Research Council, National Board Certification was recognized as having a positive impact on student achievement, teacher retention, and professional development. Successful LAUSD candidates receive a 15 percent salary increase (for which they must work an additional 92 hours a year), a benefit negotiated by UTLA to encourage accomplished educators to stay in the classroom.