Cedar Wood Elementary’s Linda Adams and Dianne Lundberg have much to be thankful for this holiday season. Just before Thanksgiving, they both heard the news that they had received National Board Certification, an achievement that required almost one year for the application process and then five months waiting for the results.
Certification is a credential that assesses accomplished teachers at a high and rigorous standard, said Washington National Board for Professional Teaching Standards coordinator Terese Emry.
“It’s like the bar exams for teachers,” Emry said.
The process is voluntary and complements state licensing, and Emry said only 1 percent of teachers in Washington are National Board certified.
Adams is a speech-language pathologist at Cedar Wood, and she is one of the few SLPs in the nation who have achieved exceptional needs specialist certification through the National Board. Almost all SLPs nationwide are certified through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and have master’s degrees, and this new honor goes above what is typical for her field.
Lundberg, who is in her 13th year of teaching, received the middle childhood/generalist certificate. She teaches fourth- and fifth-grade highly capable students at Cedar Wood.
In Washington this year, 235 teachers were certified, 10 of whom teach in the Everett School District. The district now has 19 National Board certified instructors.
Jill Tokumoto, Cedar Wood’s principal, is impressed by the hard work of Adams and Lundberg.
“They truly care about children,” Tokumoto said, “and they will do whatever it takes for children to succeed.”
Teachers had to complete portfolio entries and a three-hour written assessment. Applicants had until March to complete the four portfolio submissions, and they had to complete the testing by June. Adams, who works mostly with preschool, kindergarten and primary students, said she prepared for all possible situations for the exam, and she studied for the assessment during every spare moment.
While the application took a lot of time and effort, Adams and Lundberg both said they learned a lot throughout the process.
“It’s well worth it,” Adams said. “Everything you learn is so useful.”
Lundberg said the biggest challenge of the application was “thinking about how you teach and the impact it makes on your students.” She said the focus was looking at the individual needs of the students.
This is Adams’ 30th year in education, and she decided to apply for certification because it was a great opportunity to expand her knowledge.
“I’m always looking for professional growth opportunities, and this seemed like the ultimate,” Adams said.
Applying is expensive, but Washington now offers scholarships to help cut costs. The fee for 2005 applicants is $2,500, and not all applicants receive certification. There is a $3,500 annual stipend for Washington teachers who achieve certification, which was appropriated by the Legislature.
Most teachers who apply for the exceptional needs specialist certificate are special education teachers, Adams said, so she learned a lot about working with a variety of special-needs children.
The portfolio portion of the application required teachers to document their accomplishments, leadership, community involvement and methods of communication, among other things. Adams and Lundberg both said they learned about their own learning and teaching style as well.
“You’re teaching yourself,” Adams said. “You’re learning about your own teaching (style). It makes you more aware.”
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