Friday, February 7, 2003

Fulton leads state in teachers earning national certification

With the addition of 29 teachers earning National Board certification, Fulton continues to lead the state in achieving this prestigious credential.

The system now claims 73 National Board Certified Teachers .

National Board Certification is considered one of the most prestigious honors an educator can achieve.

The credentialing represents extraordinary dedication and a significant time commitment to the process, as most candidates spend more than a year preparing for the assessments and portfolio review.

During the certification process, teachers demonstrate their knowledge and skills through a series of performance-based assessments tied to national standards. Educators document subject matter knowledge, provide evidence of effective teaching skills, and demonstrate their ability to manage and measure student learning.

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards established national certification in 1993 to provide advanced evaluation of experienced educators and to complement the state certification process.

Teachers can gain national certification in their select teaching areas including English/language arts, foreign language, social studies, physical education/health, music, art, exceptional needs, library media, career and technical education, mathematics, and science. Certification for other teaching areas is under development.

To support its teachers, the Fulton County Board of Education funds the application fee. The school system, through its staff development department, also offers twice-monthly support workshops.

One workshop each month is structured around general topics such as videotaping, descriptive, analytical and reflective writing, choosing work samples and artifacts, and scoring and assessing commentaries. The second workshop focuses on group collaboration in one of three major certificate areas.

In addition, individual appointments are scheduled with National Board Certified teachers to address specific questions. Once certified, teachers receive not only the 10 percent salary increase on the state salary schedule, but also an additional 10 percent increase on the local Fulton County supplement.

In return for the financial and professional support, Fulton candidates agree to complete the certification process, remain in Fulton for at least two years following certification, and assist future candidates.

The teachers earning National Board certification are:

Barbara Adams, Northwestern MS

Sandra Antrobus, Webb Bridge MS

Kathleen Barkley, Taylor Road MS

Janet Bethel, State Bridge Crossing ES

Kathy Chester-Burton, Banneker HS

Suzanne Doll, Milton HS

Kirk Elliott, Banneker HS

Robin Estavan, Hembree Springs ES

Mary Drummer, Roswell HS

David Hedges, Woodland Charter ES

Jennifer Heyser, Heritage ES

Jan House, Alpharetta ES

Marilyn Katz, State Bridge Crossing ES

Maryann Damelio, Alpharetta ES

Diane Cloud, Milton HS

Debra Mooney, Evoline C. West ES

George Nicolatos, Holcomb Bridge MS

Chrissy Nielsen, Manning Oaks ES

Rebecca Peace, Chattahoochee HS

Josette Perez, Creek View ES

Barbara Pozen, Webb Bridge MS

Dina Savage, Camp Creek MS

Heather Silber, New Prospect ES

Shari Spokes, Milton HS

Vicki Alvis, State Bridge Crossing ES

Robin Wexler, Taylor Road MS

Wanda White, Barnwell ES

Richard Williams, Milton HS

Catherine Wilson, Northwood ES