FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE      N.R. #93 1/24/00

 Date: January 24, 2000
Contact: Irene Cromer
(703)791-8720
 

On Wednesday, January 26, the Prince William County School Board will honor five county teachers who have earned National Board Certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).  Cynthia Baird, Karen Mirkovich, Blake Nicolai, Jennifer Rhawn and Lyndy VanHoutan are among 2,965 primary and secondary school teachers from 48 states and the District of Columbia who achieved the teaching profession's highest standards, National Board Certification, during the 1998-99 school year.

The recognition ceremony will be held at 5:00 p.m. in the administration building dining room of the Independent Hill School Administration complex, 14800 Joplin Road, Independent Hill.  The five will also be recognized at the School Board meeting that follows at 6:00 p.m.

National Board Certification, a voluntary process developed by teachers and other education stakeholders, is achieved through a rigorous performance-based assessment.  It documents a teacher's subject matter knowledge, provides evidence that teachers know how to teach their subjects to students most effectively; and demonstrates a teacher's ability to manage and measure student learning.

"This impressive level of achievement is a milestone for our organization, the teaching profession and the nation as a whole," said Betty Castor, NBPTS president.  "We believe the heart of education reform rests directly with the teacher in the classroom."

Richard Riley, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, said, "this great surge in the number of national Board Certified Teachers is wonderful news.  It reflects the impressive commitment of these teachers to undergo rigorous assessment as part of a continuing effort to improve their teaching skills and knowledge of their subjects.  It represents very encouraging progress in the vital drive to ensure a top quality teaching force for our students in every school in the coming century."

For more information, contact Paula Shoecraft, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, at 248-351-4444.