7 area teachers earn prestigious certification

Earning the designation is an intensive process that can take as long as three years.

STAFF REPORT

YOUNGSTOWN — Seven area teachers have achieved the designation of National Board Certified Teacher, the highest credential awarded in the teaching profession.

Certification is a voluntary process involving an intensive, performance-based assessment that takes more than a year and sometimes as many as three years to complete. It measures what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do.

Candidates must submit portfolios of pupil work, classroom videotapes, evaluations and other documentation to affirm their knowledge of the subject they teach, as well as their ability to teach effectively and measure pupil learning.

The process also includes a comprehensive exam focusing on classroom practices, pupil assessment and the teacher’s subject area. Certification candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree and have at least three years of classroom experience.

Ohio continues its progress in advancing the National Board Certification education reform movement with the announcement of 213 new National Board Certified Teachers in 2009. The state ranked 14th nationwide in the number of teachers achieving board certification this year and ranks seventh in the total number of teachers earning that certification over time (3,194).

By contrast, Pennsylvania added 140 new certified teachers this year, bringing its total to 641.

An “extraordinary group,” is how U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan referred to this year’s class of National Board Certified Teachers. He said teachers who achieved National Board Certification have “demonstrated a commitment to taking their teaching practice and the teaching profession to a different level.”

Nationally, nearly 8,900 teachers achieved certification in 2009. The total number of teachers certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is now more than 82,000, more than double the number just five years ago. More than half of them teach in Title I eligible schools as reported by the National Center for Education Statistics.

The National Research Council confirmed that National Board Certified Teachers advance student achievement and learning, stay in the classroom longer, support new and struggling teachers, and assume other school-based leadership roles. The NRC acknowledged that students taught by National Board Certified Teachers make higher gains on achievement tests than students taught by non-board-certified teachers.

Area teachers achieving the designation in 2009 are:

Patricia Beil of Salem: Generalist, early childhood teacher in the Salem city schools; Certification valid until 11/20/2019.

Shirley Dorus of Sharon, Pa.: Literacy: reading-language arts/early and middle childhood teacher in the Sharon City schools; Certification valid until 11/20/2019.

Patricia Manning of Youngstown: Generalist/early childhood teacher in the Austintown schools; Certification valid until 11/20/2019.

Amanda McNinch of Struthers: Literacy: reading-language arts/early and middle childhood teacher in the Struthers City schools; Certification valid until 11/20/2019.

Michele Morneweck of Greenville, Pa.: Generalist/middle childhood teacher in the Reynolds schools; Certification valid until 11/20/2019.

Amy Murray of Bessemer, Pa.: Science/adolescence and young adulthood teacher in the Mohawk schools; Certification valid until 11/20/2019.

David Tomko of Sharon, Pa.: Generalist/middle childhood teacher in the Sharon City schools; Certification valid until 11/20/2019.