Albuquerque Public Schools
Congratulations to Our National Board Certified Teachers!
In her weekly message, Superintendent Blakey thanks the educators for their hard work in achieving gold standard in teacher certification.
It’s a busy time of year for all of us as we wrap up the first half of the school year before the fast-approaching winter break, but I wanted to take a few minutes to recognize the 53 Albuquerque Public Schools educators who just earned their National Board Certification.
This was a multi-year commitment from these educators who ultimately had to present portfolios and pass rigorous assessments. To give you an idea of the magnitude of this accomplishment, it’s considered the gold standard in teacher certification.
These individuals persevered and made it happen! I’m incredibly proud of each and every one of them for their hard work and for being an example to our students that anything is possible when you set your mind to it.
The individuals at APS who track this stuff tell me this is the largest number we have certified in one year and that we now rank second nationally in the number of newly certified teachers. That’s something we can all be proud of.
Eisenhower Middle School led the way with four of its staffers achieving National Board Certification, followed by Albuquerque, Rio Grande and Volcano Vista high schools, which each had three. West Mesa, Highland and Cibola high schools each had two, as did Susie Rayos Marmon, East San Jose, Navajo and Sombra del Monte elementary schools and our Title I program.
Here’s a rundown of the certifications earned:
- 14 in literacy
- Seven in exceptional needs
- Five each in English Language Arts and Early Childhood Generalist
- Four each in Math and Counseling
- Three in Social Studies
- Two each in Science, English-New Language, Music and Library
- And one each in World Languages, PE and Art
So what does it mean to be a National Board Certified Teacher? The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, which awards the certification, builds the credential around five core principles:
- Teachers are committed to students and their learning
- Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students
- Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning
- Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience
- Teachers are members of learning communities
Board Certified Teachers have a tremendous impact on student learning. So please join me in congratulating our National Board Certified Teachers for their impressive accomplishment.
Have a great weekend.