Oklahoma CareerTech’s 38 National Board Certified Teachers for 2007 are part of the largest group of Oklahoma teachers to reach this distinction since 1997.

Five Ponca City area Career and Technology Education instructors are part of the group of 439 Oklahoma teachers who recently earned this prestigious status. Diane Bull and Heather Swineheart teach Marketing Education, and Helen Coleman, Family and Consumer Sciences Education at Ponca City High School. Sheila Foxworthy teaches Business and Information Technology Education and Beth Frantz, Health Careers Education at Pioneer Technology Center.

Oklahoma now ranks sixth in the nation and ninth overall with 1,995 NBCT. Of those, 157 are now CareerTech teachers in junior and senior high schools and technology centers.

National Board Certification is a voluntary assessment program designed to recognize and reward great teachers-and make them better. In Oklahoma, the state provides additional revenue for teachers who earn NBC. While state-licensing systems set basic requirements to teach in each state, NBCs have successfully demonstrated advanced teaching knowledge, skills and practices.

Certification is achieved through a rigorous, performance-based assessment that typically takes one to three years to complete.

"National board teacher certification is part of state and local efforts to improve teacher quality and meet the federal requirements for a highly qualified teacher in every classroom," said Phil Berkenbile, state director of the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education. "CareerTech commends the dedication of these talented instructors who are leading the way in preparing Oklahoma’s diverse student population with the skills needed to compete in the 21st century."

As part of the process, teachers build a portfolio that includes student work samples, assignments, videotapes and a thorough analysis of their classroom teaching. Additionally, teachers are assessed on their knowledge of the subjects they teach.

"National Board Certification is the most prestigious credential a teacher can earn," said National Board for Professional Teaching Standards President and CEO Joseph A. Aguerrebere.

Like board-certified doctors and accountants, teachers who achieve National Board Certification have met rigorous standards through intensive study, expert evaluation, self-assessment and peer review," he said. "Research is consistently positive about the impact of National Board Certification on improvements in teacher practice and areas of school improvement critical to raising student achievement."

All 50 states, the District of Columbia and more than 700 local school districts recognize National Board Certification as a mark of distinction. More than 55,000 NBCTs are making a positive difference in the lives of students across the nation.