CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Sixty-three West Virginia teachers earned National Board Certification in 2008, the highest credential in the teaching profession.

 

The additional certifications bring the total number of board certified teachers in West Virginia to 422, placing the state 24^th in new certified teachers and 26^th overall, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards announced Tuesday on National Board Certification Day.

 

“National Board Certified Teachers not only have to prove they know their subject matter, but they also must provide evidence they know how to effectively teach their subjects to students,” said state Superintendent Steve Paine. “National Board Certified Teachers know how to bridge the gap between what students learn today and what they need to know to be successful in the 21st century. Teachers who receive national certification are clearly among America’s best and most effective teachers in our classrooms today.”

 

About one-third of the state’s National Board Certified Teachers teach in Title I eligible schools, which often have students who face the most challenges at home.

 

The state’s top five school districts with the most National Board Certified Teachers are: Wood County with 61; Cabell County, 36; Putnam County, 22; Monongalia, 22; Kanawha, 17; and Wayne, 17.              

 

This year’s National Board Certified Teachers and their counties are: Gusta Arrington, Jackson County; Maria Baxter, Marion County; Kelly Beckner, Monongalia; Denise Berrebi, Monongalia; Brandy Bochna, Monongalia; Linda Boley, Fayette; Beverly Bowers, Marion; Teresa Conley, Wood; Thisbe Cooper, Tucker; Denice Corder, Monongalia; Cheryl Cowie, Cabell; Peggy Criswell, Ohio; Lee Cumpston, Wood; Sandra Dalesio, Hancock; Teresa Damron, Cabell; Heather Deluca, Tucker; Erica Drennan, Putnam; Teresa Epperley, Raleigh; Kimi Estep, Kanawha; Laura Fiscus, Mineral; Joy Gaines, Marion; Kelly Garcia, Marion; Carol Graham, Putnam; Catherine Grim, Putnam; Tonya Hatcher, Mingo; Mark Higginbotham, Putnam; Joy Hunt, Mingo; Melissa Isaacs, Putnam; Karen Kersey, Kanawha; Marian Koller, Braxton; Gerald Leigh, Upshur; Sandra Lewis, Monongalia; Beth Lyons, Berkeley; Shelly Mason, Ritchie; Jacqueline McDaniels, Upshur; Denise Miller, Hancock; Lisa Morris, Cabell; Sarah Morris, Morgan;  Vickie Orsini, Cabell; Katie Owens, Ritchie; Brenda Parsons, Cabell; Mary Patton, Lincoln; Karen Pitchok, Hancock; Judith Pittinger, Hancock; Amanda Poole, Gilmer; Sheila Powell, Mineral; Elizabeth Ray, Cabell; Jenny Santilli, Harrison; Heather Scarberry, Cabell; Whitney Scholl, Jackson;  Deborah Sgroi, Ohio; Gretchen Shaffer, Monongalia; Jacqueline Shaver, Harrison; Sandra Shaw, Raleigh; Kelly Stanislawczyk, Mineral; Elizabeth Stanton, Marion; Wanda Starcher, Putnam; Jennifer Weddington, Putnam; Lara Whorton, Ohio; Trena Wise, Cabell; Sandra Wiseman, Ohio; Patricia Wolfe, Mineral; and Shannon Wykle, Greenbrier.

 

“I congratulate the West Virginia teachers who have shown such a commitment to professional excellence by earning National Board Certification,” said U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va. “The efforts of these teachers are an inspiration, and their training translates into greater learning opportunities for our students.”

 

West Virginia NBCTs joined the ranks of 9,600 accomplished teachers nationwide who achieved certification in 2008, setting a national record for the second straight year. This achievement bring the total number of teachers who achieved National Board Certification to nearly 74,000.

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan and nongovernmental organization governed by a 63-member board of directors made up of mostly classroom teachers. Its mission is to establish high and rigorous standards for what teachers should know and be able to do and to voluntarily assess and certify teachers who meet those standards.

In West Virginia, the state Department of Education has launched a campaign to encourage West Virginia’s 20,000 teachers to become nationally certified. Educators who opt to pursue certification often can qualify for financial assistance. Once certified, they often can qualify for additional compensation.

“Getting more West Virginia teachers to pursue the rigors of National Board Certification is one of the best ways to achieve our goals of teaching not only the basics but 21st century skills,” Paine said.  

For more information on National Board Certification, contact the West Virginia Department of Education's Office of Professional Preparation at (304) 558-7826 or the Office of Communications at (304) 558-2699.

 

 

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