Parents and politicians across the country have been concerned about the status of our schools and the quality of the teachers educating our children. This spurred the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and focused attention on teacher certification. The most respected form of certification is provided by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. (NBPTS) This non-profit, non-partisan organization has been applying their rigorous testing standards to teachers nationwide since 1987.

The state of Maryland is ranked in the top ten states having teachers certified by NBPTS. In February, two teachers from the Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) joined the 2,124 Maryland teachers who have achieved this prestigious certification.

Charles County teachers Cary Smith of North Point High School and Marcie Jett of Piccowaxen Middle School achieved certification after a difficult yearlong performance evaluation. The NBPTS standards are high yet both CCPS teachers were able to rise to the challenge to join the 31 of district teachers who have already met the rigorous NBPTS criteria.

Cary Smith teaches English at North Point High School and achieved her certification in language arts. Her certification was aimed at adolescence and young adulthood. Smith was first hired by CCPS as a language arts instructor at Mattawoman Middle School in 2003. She moved to North Point when the school first opened its doors in 2005.

Marcie Jett, a special education instructor at Piccowaxen Middle School, achieved her certification in working with special needs students. The certification covered children from early childhood through young adulthood. Smith originally joined the CCPS as a special-ed instructor at Dr. Thomas L Higdon Elementary School in 2001 before moving to Piccowaxen in 2007.

Both Charles County teachers Cary Smith and Marcie Jett started on their road to certification in 2010 as did the other 6,200 educators nationwide who would later be certified by the NPPTS in 2011. The yearlong certification process revolves around a teacher achieving the standard of the Five Core Propositions:

  • 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

The propositions are tested throughout the one-year assessment phase through many different methods including student work samples, reviewers observing the instructor in class or by video, and analysis of their student’s achievements and challenges. How the instructor interacts with their students and presents their material is rigorously scrutinized before a series of written exams. These exams rate the instructor’s knowledge in their field and how they are able to communicate this information successfully to their students.

There are many advantages of NBPTS certification for Charles County teachers and the school district. The certification is good for 10 years and leads to career advancement and higher salaries. It also allows teachers to move between states more easily as many states waive having to take state certification test if the teacher is NBPTS certified. The school districts benefit as studies have shown that NBPTS certified teachers have proven to produce students with higher grades and fewer in-school problems. The certification also helps a school and their district meet many of the Federal standards of the No Child Left Behind Act.