3 Carson City teachers earn national board certification

The Carson City School District said three more teachers earned certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. The NBPTS is widely considered to be the highest professional recognition for educators and includes a 5 percent pay increase in acknowledgement of accomplished teaching.

The teachers earning certification are Nicolas Jacques, NBCT for Music in Early Adolescent to Young Adult, and Carson Middle School Director of Bands and Conductor of Community Band; Amy Jensen, NBCT as a Middle Childhood Generalist, master’s in teaching, fifth grade teacher and GATE coordinator at Bordewich Bray Elementary; and Joanna Kaiser, NBCT in Literacy: Reading and Language Arts (ages 3-12), masters in literacy studies and GATE implementation specialist.

Carson City School District, Northwestern RPDP and the Nevada State Education Association have partnered to encourage educators to be a part of the National Board Certification program. National Board Certification was developed by teachers to retain and recognize accomplished teachers and to generate ongoing improvement in schools nationwide.

“National Board certification requires a tremendous amount of work, dedication and years of classroom skill and expertise,” said Susan Keema, associate superintendent of Educational Services. “We are very proud of these wonderful educators and applaud them for their achievement.”

Each of these educators earned the profession’s highest mark of achievement through a rigorous process, demonstrating their proven impact on student learning and achievement. Jensen recommends the process to any teacher considering it.

“While pursuing National Board certification was the most demanding thing I have done in my teaching career, it was also the most rewarding and fulfilling,” she said.

These teachers join six other board certified teachers in the district: Lacey Carey, sixth grade social studies teacher at Carson Middle School; Jenny Chandler, Advanced Placement government/AP art history teacher and social studies department chair at Carson High School; Rachel Croft, STEM coach at Bordewich Bray Elementary; Leah Hampton, math teacher at Carson High School; Nicole Medeiros, third grade teacher at Bordewich Bray Elementary and Pamela Shank, fourth grade teacher at Fremont Elementary. Carson City School District also currently has a cohort of five additional teachers who are pursuing board certification this coming year.

Certification is a one- to five-year process that includes taking an assessment and assembling three portfolios. According to the NBPTS, each of these educators earned the profession’s highest mark of achievement through a rigorous, performance-based, peer-review process, demonstrating their proven impact on student learning and achievement. Completing the certification shows each teacher knows and practices “the definitive standards of accomplished teaching.”

The Carson City teachers are among 906 National Board Certified educators in Nevada and nationwide, there are 122,000. In the next year, National Board is hoping to grow those numbers to more than 150,000 educators. More than a decade of research from across the country confirms students taught by board-certified teachers are one to two months ahead of their peers taught by non-board-certified teachers. Jacques credits National Board Certification as one of the best professional development processes available.

“After going through the National Board certification process, I often find myself trying new ideas and techniques with students that would have never crossed my mind in the past,” he said. “I also find myself adjusting lessons more immediately and adapting based on how students respond. This process has helped me help students more effectively.”

The National Center for Education Statistics projected more than 3.6 million teachers are employed in public and private elementary and secondary schools. Carson City teachers interested in pursuing board certification are invited to contact Jaci McCune, jmccune@carson.k12.nv.us, 775-283-1796, or Candidate Service Providers Rachel Croft, rcroft@carson.k12.nv.us, and Jenny Chandler, jchandler@carson.k12.nv.us.