Evergreen school district leads in new certified teachers

Washington ranks first nationwide for having the largest number of new National Board Certified teachers. A total of 946 Washington teachers achieved the certification this year. That is nearly twice the state’s 2013 number.

Evergreen Public Schools ranks fourth in the state, but first among Clark County school districts. The district had 46 teachers who earned the national certification in 2014.

Other county school districts had the following number of teachers achieve national certification this year: Camas, nine; Battle Ground and Vancouver, four each; La Center and Ridgefield, three each; and Woodland, one.

Certification takes 200 to 400 hours to complete. Candidates undergo 10 assessments. Some teachers completed the certification in a year. Beginning in January, certification will be a three-year process.

Teachers pay $2,500 to go through the process. Not all those who attempt certification attain it.

Those who become certified receive an annual $5,000 state-funded stipend. For those who teach in a challenging school, determined by the number of students who receive free or reduced-price lunch, the teachers receive an additional $5,000.

The numbers were released by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. To learn more, visit www.k12.wa.us/certification/nbpts.