Five Vancouver Public Schools teachers earned National Board Certification in 2015, demonstrating the knowledge and skills necessary to prepare students for 21st-century careers. This year’s class includes:

  • Mugsy Carter, Hudson’s Bay High School, certified in science/adolescence and young adulthood
  • Jason Gregory, Discovery Middle School, certified in world languages other than English/early adolescence through young adulthood
  • Thomas Miller, McLoughlin Middle School, certified in English language arts/early adolescence
  • Allison Pizer Susen, Vancouver Home Connection, certified in generalist/middle childhood
  • Mason Quiroz, Gaiser Middle School, certified in mathematics/adolescence and young adulthood

They join the district’s 92 current Nationally Board Certified teachers, nearly half of whom work in VPS’ highest-needs schools.

Certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standard, the education profession’s highest mark of accomplishment, requires a rigorous, performance-based peer-review process that takes 200 to 400 hours of work. Teachers must submit a four-part portfolio and a six-exercise content and pedagogy assessment. The 10 entries document a teacher’s success in the classroom as evidenced by his or her students’ learning. The portfolio is then assessed by a national panel of peers.

Washington state’s 329 new Board-Certified Teachers represents the largest group in the nation for the third consecutive year, according to numbers released by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Washington ranks fourth, nationwide, in the total number of NBCTs.

“The National Board certification process is not easy,” said Randy Dorn, state superintendent of public instruction. “It takes content knowledge and commitment to student learning. I’m proud of the work these teachers have done for their students and their profession.”

(Pictured above, from left: Mason Quiroz, Allison Pizer Susen, Thomas Miller and Mugsy Carter. Not pictured: Jason Gregory.)