Record 36 educators receive national certification
It’s the highest credential in the teaching profession and considered one of the most demanding evaluations available.
The number of nationally certified teachers has climbed steadily in Tennessee, especially in school systems that offer hefty financial incentives, but the state as a whole lags behind much of the nation. Fewer than 1 percent of Tennessee teachers have the credential, compared with 1.5 percent of teachers nationally.
Such teachers normally qualify for higher pay.
“Certainly, the monetary incentives are a motivator,” said Carol Groppel, who oversees the program for the state Department of Education.
Additionally, she told The Tennessean newspaper, “As we get more teachers each year, they are saying, ‘This is making a difference in the way I’m teaching and the way I’m planning my lessons.’ “
However, attempts to create a statewide incentive program have not succeeded.
“That has been proposed many times,” said Groppel, who helps teachers apply for federal aid to pay for part of the exam fee. “There just aren’t funds to support it.”
After more than 20 years of teaching, Lorrie Graves was looking for a way to test what she knew and could do in the classroom. The third-grade teacher at Moore Elementary in Franklin city schools also stood to get a $4,000 annual raise if she got National Board Certification.
Graves, who has taught all grades from 1-6 during her 24 years of teaching, said the pay boost was appreciated but that the rigorous evaluation was the big payoff.
She spent nine months and 432 hours putting together a portfolio that forced her to evaluate and defend a set of lesson plans.
“I was wanting to further my knowledge. It’s an intensive process, but the rewards are there,” Graves said. “It all comes down to the student. The kids see my enthusiasm and passion and they’ll be able to use what I teach them.”