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Mrs. Jennifer Ward became the third teacher at River View High School to be recognized as a National Board Certified Teacher® (NBCT) on November 18. Ward, who teaches a plethora of vocational/CTE classes at the high school, received her official letter from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBTS) notifying her of the accomplishment. Last year during the 2010-2011 school year, RVHS counselor, Ms. Rebekah Duty, became Nationally Board Certified, following high school science teacher Mr. Brian Soiseth who received his certification in 2005.
According to the NBTS, National Board Certification is an advanced teaching credential which “complements, but does not replace, a state’s teacher license.” Teachers who work to meet the standards to become nationally certified undergo a process comparable to graduate level coursework. When teachers complete the coursework, they receive 45 continuing education credits, along with another 45 credits when they become nationally board certified.
Ward stated that she decided to begin the process of national certification in July 2010 as a logical next step beyond her Master’s degree.
“I have a lot of years teaching left,” Ward said, “so I figured it was one more notch to achieve.”
Teachers are required to renew their certificates by state law, and completing the NBTS coursework can be helpful in this process. Ward, Soiseth, and Duty were all required to submit four portfolio entries, along with passing a three-hour assessment demonstrating their content knowledge for their individual chosen certificate areas. The portfolio entries are classroom-based video recordings of students at work, establishing that the teacher is continuously building upon a concept, checking for understanding, and including an assessment component in his/her lessons.
While each certificate area looks for different indicators in the applications, all teachers are expected to show advanced questioning strategies that enforce higher level thinking from students. For example, Duty recorded herself teaching a career development class as well as counseling a student on maximizing academic learning, while Ward chose to videotape one of the health classes she teaches. Ward especially wanted to thank former Finley Technology Coordinator, Dan Cook, for all the help he provided in recording her classes.
All three Nationally Board Certified Teachers at RVHS have appreciated that, although arduous, the process has taught them to reflect on their professional practices and examine how they perform to meet the needs of their students.
“It definitely was a good program,” Ward stated. “It taught me to be a better writer and look at myself more in the classroom to make sure I was really questioning and not just giving answers.”
Duty echoed Ward’s sentiments by saying, “Being an NBCT is a nice validation of what I am doing. The process gave me a great opportunity to reflect on my practice as a School Counselor and look for ways I could streamline and improve upon what I was doing previously.”
Rebekah Duty, Jennifer Ward, and Brian Soiseth are just three of the many fantastic teachers in the Finley schools who honor the Finley School District with their outstanding work both inside and outside the classroom. |
