Pittsboro, NC – Candace Bailey, a teacher at Jordan-Matthews High School, became the 86th Nationally Board Certified Teacher currently in Chatham County Schools on November 5, 2016. Bailey is part of a larger trend across the state of North Carolina which boasts the most Nationally Board Certified Teachers (NBCT) in the nation.
National Board Certified Teachers are evaluated in five criteria areas which include knowledge of the subjects they teach, teaching practices, and the learning environments they create in their classrooms among others. This is done through a rigorous portfolio review, video reviews of the teachers in their classrooms, and an assessment given to each applicant. Certification takes up to three years to complete.
Once a teacher has earned their National Board Certification, they must renew it every ten years. Renewal requirements include a submission of a Profile of Professional Growth demonstrating how their practices continue to align with the core standards of their certificate areas.. This year, seven Chatham County Schools employees successfully renewed their certification:
● Rebecca Pickard – Literacy: Reading-Language Arts/Early and Middle Childhood
● Tami Henson – Literacy: Reading-Language Arts/Early and Middle Childhood
● Leslie Burwell – Art/Early Adolescence through Young Adulthood
● Dawn Streets – Social Studies-History/Early Adolescence
● Sara Self – Generalist/Early Childhood
● Teresa Meadows – School Counseling/Early Childhood through Young Adulthood
● Donna Barger – English Language Arts/Early Adolescence
North Carolina offers statewide support for teachers interested in pursuing National Board Certification as a result of legislation adopted in 1994 and enhanced via the Excellent Schools Act in 1997. Teachers who have have a current National Board Certification are moved to a higher salary schedule to recognize their accomplishment. Locally, the Chatham Education Foundation offers financial support to teachers who apply and, based on a competitive application process, awards partial scholarships to help offset the costs of earning National Board Certification. The school district also works with current National Board Certified Teachers to provide support for candidates.