For the eighth straight year, the Austin School District leads the state with more National Board Certified Teachers than any other school district in Texas.
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards has announced that 42 Austin teachers have earned National Board Certification, bringing to 218 the total number of National Board Certified Teachers in AISD.
“Statewide, a total of 83 Texas teachers earned certification this year. I’m proud to say that 50 percent were Austin teachers,” Superintendent Dr. Meria Carstarphen said. “The fact that Austin continues to have more Board Certified teachers than any school district in Texas speaks volumes about the high quality of teaching and learning that go on every day in AISD.”
According to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, Texas has a total of 627 National Board Certified Teachers. Almost 35 percent of them are teachers in Austin ISD.
AISD’s 42 new National Board Certified Teachers will be honored at a reception at 4 p.m. on Monday, May 2, at the Carruth Administration Center, 1111 W. Sixth St.
The Austin educators who have earned National Board Certification are:
High School — Matt Earhart, Vicki Gallen, Stacy Rodgers, Joseph Uhler, Anderson; Lesley Heurkins, Austin; Lynn Edgerton, Bowie; Rob Hillhouse, International; Mo Harry, LASA; Madonna Ramp, Travis.
Middle School —Katherine Deming, Covington; Amy Havard, Dobie; Kathy Ramke, Murchison; Amy Humphries, Patrick McNally, Erika Thomsen, O. Henry; Sara Owen, Small.
Elementary School — Neil McIntyre, ACES; Brynne Ovalle, Baldwin; Deborah Keenan, Baranoff; Shellie Carr, Blanton; Leti Peña, Blazier, Sue Raup, Doss; Erin Murdock, Jessi Murdter-Atkinson, Galindo; Gregg De Ately, Celange Santiso, Gullett; Debra Erck, Stephanie Perry, Hill; Heather Augustine, Houston; Diane Majek, Kiker; Katie Sahadi, Ortega; Judy Hart, Overton; Tana Tinsley, Ridgetop; Judith Hutchinson, Debra Overton, Pickle; Ann Smalley, Pillow; Monserret Garibay, Lucy Read; Deena Stanford, Sanchez; Christina Wrynn-Mercado, Sunset Valley; Melissa Dubick, Walnut Creek; Maggie Reed, Widen; Claire Cooper, Zilker.
“We applaud these teachers for their dedication to professional growth and congratulate them on this outstanding achievement. They represent the quality teaching that is taking place across the district — in all neighborhoods, in all academic areas, and at all grade levels,” Dr. Carstarphen said.
Founded in 1987, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan and non-government organization. Its mission is to establish high and rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do. National Board Certification is a voluntary process established by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. The certification process involves a rigorous performance-based assessment that takes nearly a year to complete. Through the assessment process, teachers document their subject matter knowledge; provide evidence that they know how to teach their subjects to students most effectively; and demonstrate an ability to manage and measure student learning.
More information is available at www.nbpts.org