National Board Certification is an advanced teaching credential achieved upon successful completion of a voluntary assessment program designed to recognize effective and accomplished teachers who meet high standards based on what teachers should know and be able to do. As part of the certification process, candidates complete 10 assessments that are reviewed by trained teachers in their certificate areas. The assessments include four portfolio entries that feature teaching practices and six constructed response exercises that assess content knowledge.

National Board Certification is recognized as the “gold standard” for professional educators as it gives teachers and schools the tools to define and measure teaching excellence. Similar to certification in fields such as medicine, the National Board Certification is a rigorous, peer-reviewed process to ensure teachers have proven skills to advance student achievement. As part of this process, teachers must analyze their teaching context and students’ needs, submit videos of their teaching, and provide student work samples that demonstrate growth and achievement. Their work must demonstrate:

1. A strong command of content;
2. The ability to design appropriate learning experiences that advance student learning;
3. The use of assessments to inform instructional decision making; and
4. Partnerships with colleagues, parents and the community.

Renewal is a rigorous process that begins in a teacher’s eighth year of certification and takes one to two years to complete. During this time, teachers reflect on their professional growth since originally becoming National Board Certified Teachers. They must demonstrate growth in their knowledge of content and research-based pedagogy, provide evidence of how they have incorporated these into their teaching practice, demonstrate how they have worked as teacher leaders, and demonstrate increased impact on student learning—both direct and indirect.

Currently (December 2021), 6,866 Illinois teachers hold National Board certification. Across the state there are 153 new certifications and 258 renewals. District 15 is thrilled to congratulate the following educators who have attained or renewed this prestigious credential:

• Kaitlyn Radtke, Pleasant Hill Elementary, New Certification in Literacy: Reading-Language Arts/Early And Middle Childhood
• Rita Chavez, Virginia Lake Elementary, Renewal Certification in English As A New Language/Early And Middle Childhood
• Kathryn Dengler, Educational Service Center, Renewal Certification in Generalist/Early Childhood
• Brooke Nyquist, Lake Louise Elementary, Renewal Certification in English As A New Language/Early And Middle Childhood

Teachers with National Board Certification set an inspiring example to their colleagues. We are delighted that we have 58 board certified teachers on staff. Please join us in thanking them for their dedication and perseverance in going above and beyond to obtain and maintain this advanced recognition!

https://www.nbpts.org/nbct-directory/

(Search "Community Cons School Dist 15" in the School District box.)