Six SD Teachers Achieve National Board Certification


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Department of Education
700 GOVERNORS DRIVE
PIERRE, SOUTH DAKOTA 57501-2291

For immediate release
Contact:  Roxie Thielen, 605-773-5669

Six SD Teachers Achieve National Board Certification®
Earn Profession’s Top Honor

(Pierre) – Six classroom teachers from South Dakota are among the 8,195 elementary and secondary school teachers nationwide who achieved National Board Certification in 2003, according to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).  This achievement brings the total number of National Board Certified Teachers® (NBCTs) in South Dakota to 18; the national total is 32,130.

South Dakota’s 2003 recipients include:

  • Barbara Desnoyers, Early Childhood/Generalist, Clark School District;
  • Thomas Grode, Adolescence and Young Adulthood/Social Studies-History, Brandon Valley School District;
  • Lori Keleher, Adolescence and Young Adulthood/Mathematics, Wolsey School District;
  • Reva Potter, Early Adolescence/English Language Arts, Belle Fourche School District;
  • Christle Robinson, Early Adolescence through Young Adulthood/Art, Lead-Deadwood School District;
  • Mary Williams, Early Adolescence through Young Adulthood/Career and Technical Education, Wall School District.

National Board Certification is the highest credential in the teaching profession.  A voluntary process established by NBPTS, certification is achieved through a rigorous performance-based assessment that takes between one and three years to complete and measures what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do.

“We are thrilled that the number of nationally board-certified teachers in South Dakota keeps climbing,” notes Governor Mike Rounds.  “This elevates teaching in our state to the highest level of professionalism, and gives other teachers inspiring role models to look up to.  I encourage all teachers to aspire to achieve national certification at some point in their career.”

“The accomplishments of teachers who earn national board certification are admirable,” states Department of Education Secretary Rick Melmer.  “Through our partnership with higher education in the EveryTeacher program, we are hoping to recruit and support even greater numbers of teachers for the program in the future.  It really guarantees that our children are taught by the finest, most accomplished teachers. In this era of No Child Left Behind, the spotlight is really on teachers who can demonstrate high quality knowledge and skills.”

“NBPTS celebrates and congratulates all teachers who went through the rigorous National Board Certification process,” says NBPTS Board Chair Roy E. Barnes.  “This impressive achievement is widely recognized at the national, state and local levels as a benchmark for teacher quality.  This is also an indication that policymakers, educators, business and community leaders, and parents recognize that when it comes to a quality education, quality teaching matters.”

Founded 16 years ago, NBPTS is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan and non-governmental organization dedicated to advancing the quality of teaching and learning.  

“Teacher quality has never been more important, and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) is the only organization of its kind helping states to identify and certify highly accomplished teachers,” says NBPTS President Joseph A. Aguerrebere.  “Through National Board Certified Teachers, states and communities are realizing the enormous benefits of using National Board Certification as a tool to attract, reward and retain highly accomplished teachers as required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act.”

Forty-nine states and more than 500 school districts across the nation have implemented policies and regulations to recruit, reward and retain National Board Certified Teachers.  “In this environment of economic concern, the National Board is extremely grateful to the growing number of states, school districts and municipalities that support National Board Certification and the impact it has on the teaching profession and improved student learning,” says Barnes.

“National Board Certified Teachers distinguish themselves in the field of education by their dedication to their profession and their demonstrated abilities in the classroom,” says Edward B. Rust, Jr., chairman and CEO of State Farm Insurance Companies®.  “As a member of the business community, we will continue to support the National Board because we know that creating more opportunities for teachers to attain this credential will help lead to a stronger teaching force, higher student achievement and an economy that benefits from skilled and productive citizens.”

“It is important to understand that the National Board Certification process not only identifies accomplished teachers, but also is a profound professional development experience,” says Aguerrebere.  “This is a process that forces teachers to demonstrate how their activities, both inside and outside of the classroom, improve student achievement.”           

In its effort to measure the impact of National Board Certification and the effects of NBCTs on the quality of teaching and student achievement in America’s schools, NBPTS has engaged in an independent, rigorous research agenda.  There have been more than 140 studies, reports and papers commissioned on the value of the National Board Certification process, as well as its standards and assessments.  Findings and results from a number of research studies are expected to be completed in 2004 and 2005.  

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The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan and nongovernmental organization governed by a board of directors, the majority of whom are classroom teachers. Its mission is to establish high and rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do. For more information about NBPTS, please visit http://www.nbpts.org.