Maryland this month welcomed 307 new Nationally Board Certified Teachers (NBCT), joining 14 other states that had at least a 20 percent increase in the number of 2009 NBCTs over the number of teachers who achieved certification last year.

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) has now certified 1,772 Maryland teachers with the profession’s top recognition. This year Maryland ranks 7th nationwide in the number of teachers achieving board certification – ranking 14th in the total number of NBCTs over time. In 2008, Maryland had 302 teachers gain national certification, 227 teachers in 2007, and 161 teachers in 2006.

“National Board Certified Teachers represent the best that our schools have to offer,” said State Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick. “These teachers have gone through a rigorous program, proving their commitment to their students, their schools, and their profession.”

Maryland joins the ranks of nearly 8,900 accomplished teachers nationwide who achieved certification this year – bringing the total number of NBCTs to more than 82,000. Three Maryland school districts are among the top 20 for 2009 NBCTs – Montgomery 7th with 87, Prince George’s 18th with 51, and Anne Arundel 19th with 48.

National Board Certification, a voluntary program established by NBPTS, is achieved through a performance-based assessment that typically takes more than a year to complete. It is designed to measure what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do. The process requires teachers to demonstrate how their activities, both inside and outside the classroom, strengthen student performance and contribute to student achievement.

In many schools, districts, and states across the nation, NBCTs are assuming leadership roles – serving as mentors, facilitating professional development, and leading education reform efforts in their districts and states.

Maryland has long been supportive of NBPTS and its goals. The state has coordinated a Candidate Support Network since 1997 and has established regional sites across the state to assist candidates as they progress through the assessment process. In addition to incentives offered by local school systems, Maryland matches up to $2000 per year during the validity of the NBCT certificate for a NBCT who works in a school identified as a Comprehensive Needs school and up to $1000 to a NBCT who works in a non-comprehensive needs school.