CARSON CITY, Nev. – The Nevada National Board Professional Learning Institute: Empowering Teachers as Leaders & Learners (National Board Institute) is pleased to announce that The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards has declared this week (December 10 – 14) as #TeamNBCT week in recognition and celebration of more than 122,000 National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) throughout the country.

Tonia Holmes-Sutton, a member of the Nevada State Board of Education who is also NBCT and Program Director for the National Board Institute, stressed the value of the certification and increased participation in the state.

“As Nevada endeavors in its commitment to being the fastest-improving state in the country, our state education leaders and teachers contribute to the charge by steadily increasing its numbers of National Board Certified Teachers who lend to improved student growth and achievement,” Holmes-Sutton said.

The number of National Board Certified Teachers in Nevada has nearly tripled in the last three years to 906.

“We are proud to engage in such a rigorous and celebrated process that recognizes 129 new NBCTs in Clark County, 16 in Washoe, three in Carson City, one in Churchill, one in Douglas, one in Elko, and three in charter school communities,” Holmes-Sutton said. “Each of these accomplished teachers makes a difference for the students in our diverse urban, rural, charter, and private communities. Together, we are impacting the change necessary to better serve students and families throughout Nevada.”

The National Board Institute is excited to celebrate Nevada’s 154 newly certified NBCTs along with the more than 20,000 teachers currently pursuing Board certification nationwide. Additionally, 32 existing Nevada NBCTs join the 4,446 teachers across the United States to renew their certification as an NBCT this year.

“National Board Certified Teachers have proven that they teach to the highest standards in the profession – and 10 years later, they have put in the work to show their commitment to their practice and to their students. Research makes clear that their students are the true beneficiaries,” said Peggy Brookins, NBCT and President and CEO of the National Board.

Holmes-Sutton said engagement in the National Board certification process with the National Board Institute “is less prescriptive and more about ownership of professional practice. There is a focus on elaborate reasoning, deep learning, critical thinking, and creativity. A transition occurs throughout the National Board certification process from routine cognitive learning to complex thinking and working; and teachers become high-level professional knowledge workers. The National Board certification process emphasizes rigor, focus, and coherence; analyzing, solving, comparing and contrasting; interdisciplinary learning and transferability of skill generalization; as well as character development, collaboration, and collective responsibility.”

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is at work across the country, helping set the expectation that all teachers should demonstrate accomplished teaching via National Board certification and become leaders in their schools and communities. Every child should have the opportunity to learn from an accomplished teacher.

During #TeamNBCT Week, the National Board Institute will present at Thursday’s State Board of Education meeting on National Board certification and promote other key engagements to celebrate the newly certified and renewed NBCTs, and their commitment to Nevada’s students and accomplished teaching.

The founding mission of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (http://www.nbpts.org/) is to advance the quality of teaching and learning by: (1) maintaining high and rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do; (2) providing a national voluntary system certifying teachers who meet these standards; and (3) advocating related education reforms to integrate National Board Certification in American education and to capitalize on the expertise of National Board Certified Teachers. The National Board believes higher standards for teachers mean better learning for students. This recognition by Governor Brian Sandoval supports the research indicating that National Board Certified Teachers average one to two months of additional student learning over the school year than teachers who are not yet Board Certified. Lt. Governor Mark Hutchison and the cities of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, and Reno have also designated National Board Certified Teacher Day through official proclamations and recognition.
The Nevada National Board Professional Learning Institute, supported by the Nevada Department of Education Great Teaching and Leading (GTLF) Fund develops accomplished teaching and teacher leadership networks across the professional continuum – from pre-service teaching through national teacher leadership activities. Co-founded by Holmes-Sutton and Dr. Katie Dockweiler, the National Board Institute serves teachers statewide through collaborative leadership networks as well as the Nevada National Board Professional Learning Network.

For information about the Nevada National Board Professional Learning Institute, please go to www.nationalboardinstitute.com