SEQUIM — Two Sequim School District teachers have earned National Board Certifications from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, district officials have announced.
The teachers are Shannon Green, a third-grade teacher at Greywolf Elementary School; and Marcia Garrett, a Sequim Middle School sixth- and eighth-grade science teacher who first received her national board certification in 2006 and was recertified this year.
Board certification of a teacher is the equivalent of an advanced teaching credential, according to the nonprofit.
Altogether, 25 teachers employed by the Sequim School District have earned National Board Certification.
“I applaud the teachers who have devoted their time, energy and resources to improve upon their practice,” said Superintendent Gary Neal.
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards “inspires professionals to undergo a deep reflection of their practice with the ultimate goal of improving student success,” he said.
The nonprofit organization, established in 1987, is based in Arlington, Va., and works to advance accomplished teaching for all students nationwide.
To date, more than 110,000 teachers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia have achieved National Board Certification.
“After teaching for seven years, I realized that I wanted to advance the quality of my teaching and student learning,” Green said.
“I am dedicated to this profession and my students.”
Green said the “most important part of my job is having a meaningful impact on my students by engaging [them] in purposeful learning experiences tied to their unique needs and interests.”
The national board “has helped me grow stronger in leadership and collaboration with my community and district,” Green said.
Garrett said she has spent the “last 10 years working toward this National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification renewal.”
“When I first certified, I realized so much more was possible in my teaching than I had previously believed [and] made a conscious choice to keep applying the teaching standards to my own teaching practice.”
Garrett said she also “chose to become more involved in the professional development of other teachers, hoping they would become more excited about high-quality teaching.
“I stepped up to serve two years as the district science instruction coordinator in Shoreline School District and have served for seven years as a support facilitator for National Board for Professional Teaching Standards candidates.”
Garrett said she is “always inspired to spend time with amazing teachers. I learn much about how to increase student learning from their work.”
As part of the rigorous certification process, candidates must complete a series of assessments that are reviewed by other teachers.
Candidates must create portfolio entries that feature teaching practices, including video recordings and samples of student work.
Those were submitted by Green and Garrett in March.
The next phase, constructed response exercises, were completed by both teachers in mid-April.
The candidates then waited until October to hear results from the national board.
For more information about the certification program, visit www.nbpts.org.
Certified teachers
The certified teachers currently employed in the district are Brian Berg, Sheri Burke, Christy Ditlefsen, Matt Duchow, Garrett, Green, Laura Gould, Stephanie Grotzke-Nash, Jim Heintz, Charles Kleinberg, Kimberly Knudson, Mark Knudson, Ione Marcy, Stuart Marcy, Brad Moore, Renee Mullikin, Shannon Paselk, Isaac Rapelje, Linsay Rapelje, Chelsea Reichner, Jake Reichner, Rebecca Stanton, Joe Sullivan, Jennifer VanDeWege and Jorn Van de Weghe.
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-681-2390, ext. 5052, or cmcdaniel@peninsuladailynews.com.
