14.8% Increase in Number of National Board Certified Teachers (WI)
December 17, 2010
State Superintendent Tony Evers commended the 101 Wisconsin teachers who earned certification this year through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. They are among 8,639 receiving the advanced credential nationwide in 2010.
“These teachers are the vanguard of educator effectiveness,” Evers said. “Earning national board certification is no easy task. It involves careful scrutiny and documentation of professional teaching practice. It is a proven model for improving the effectiveness of teachers in our classrooms.”
Wisconsin increased the number of teachers earning national certification by 14.8 percent from 2009 when 86 teachers earned the credential. The state was among 22 that had an increase of 10 percent or more in the number of teachers earning national certification. Wisconsin ranks 18th in the nation for the total number of national board certified teachers with 783. Nationally, there are more than 91,000 teachers who have earned the credential.
National board certification is a voluntary program designed to develop, recognize, and retain accomplished teachers. Certification is achieved through a rigorous 10-part performance assessment that includes video portfolios, analysis of classroom practice, and evaluation of content knowledge. The assessments typically take from one to three years to complete.
“Those who earn national certification have successfully demonstrated advanced teaching knowledge, skills, and practices,” Evers said. “We need more national board certified teachers in Wisconsin’s public schools to ensure every child is a graduate ready for the workforce or further education.”
In his 2011-13 budget proposal, Evers included several provisions to enhance educator effectiveness. Additionally, he recently named an Educator Effectiveness Design Team to develop recommendations for an educator evaluation system that builds on Wisconsin’s ongoing work and leads to improved student learning.
In Wisconsin, teachers can receive up to $2,000 to reimburse the cost of earning national board certification and nine annual stipends of $2,500 if they remain employed as educators, making national board certification a model of pay for performance that is supported by teachers and administrators nationwide. Wisconsin teachers who work in high-need, high-poverty state schools can receive an additional $2,500 annually.