The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards announced that 26 East Baton Rouge Parish School System teachers have successfully completed the rigorous application for National Board Certification and are now recognized as among the nation's top educators. This is the highest credential in the teaching profession.
Louisiana ranked 10th in the nation for the number of new National Board Certified teachers in 2006 and East Rouge Parish tops the state list. In addition, seven of the educators who achieved the coveted credential teach in schools cited by the state as low performing.
In an effort to help raise the bar for excellence in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System these teachers voluntarily took part in the one to three year process to complete certification.
"This is a wonderful career achievement for these dedicated teachers and a great step forward for our system, as we continue to strive for the highest standards in the classroom," said East Baton Rouge Parish School System Superintendent Charlotte Placide.
The teachers will receive a salary supplement for this accomplishment. The state will pay $5,000 per year, while East Baton Rouge Parish School System will pay $2,500 dollars toward the increase. The pay supplement will last ten years, and will continue if the teachers renew their certification at that time.
About 35 percent of teachers that apply for National Board Certification actually receive the award. Certified teachers must show a complete knowledge of their teaching areas.
Additionally, teachers create portfolios which include student work samples, assignments and videotapes of their teaching techniques. For more information on the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards go to www.nbpts.org
Our outstanding new National Board Certified teachers are:
Liza Armshaw- Exceptional Needs Specialist/Early Childhood through Young Adulthood
Vanessa Bloss- English Language Arts/Adolescence and Young Adulthood
Michele Braud- World Languages Other than English/Early Adolescence through Young Adulthood
Beanka Brumfield-Williams- Generalist/Middle Childhood
Angie Byrd- Mathematics/Adolescence and Young Adulthood
Deborah Casselberry- Exceptional Needs Specialist/Early Childhood through Young Adulthood
Andrea Cox- Generalist/Early Childhood
Frankie Day- Literacy: Reading-Language Arts/Early and Middle Childhood
Deborah Dornier- Generalist/Middle Childhood
Andrea Farmer- English Language Arts/Adolescence and Young Adulthood
Neola Fleniken- Generalist/Middle Childhood
William Haydel- Library Media/Early Childhood through Young Adulthood
Leila Inoue- Social Studies - History/Early Adolescence
Rose Kendrick- Mathematics/Early Adolescence
Christina Knight- Library Media/Early Childhood through Young Adulthood
Catherine Lucas- English Language Arts/Adolescence and Young Adulthood
Alan Madden- Social Studies - History/Adolescence and Young Adulthood
Susanne Navo- Generalist/Early Childhood
Melanie Newport- Generalist/Middle Childhood
Lisa Reese- Mathematics/Early Adolescence
Carolyn Schneider- Social Studies - History/Early Adolescence
Margaret Soskin- Literacy: Reading-Language Arts/Early and Middle Childhood
Jessamyn Stidham- English Language Arts/Early Adolescence
Robbyn Wax- Library Media/Early Childhood through Young Adulthood
Lori Wells- Physical Education/Early and Middle Childhood
Debra Wilkerson- Career and Technical Education/Early Adolescence through Young Adulthood
