Wednesday, Jan. 11 2012 7:10AM
LS North teacher earns national certification
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ReprintStacy Collins, a communications arts teacher at Lee’s Summit North High School, has earned the highest credential available to American educators by becoming a National Board Certified Teacher through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
She earned the credential in English language arts/adolescence and young adulthood.
Collins has taught at Lee’s Summit North for 13 years. She also teaches online recovery classes for the R-7 School District and is an assistant examiner for the International Baccalaureate organization. At LSNHS, Collins also is the Project Graduation sponsor and serves as coordinator for Freshman Transition Day.
Collins earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and her teacher certification and master’s degree in English literature from the University of Central Missouri.
The national certification is achieved through a rigorous, performance-based assessment of a teacher’s pedagogical skills and content knowledge. The certification takes one to three years to complete.
While state licensing systems set the basic requirements to teach in each state, National Board Certified Teachers have demonstrated advanced teaching knowledge, skills and practices. NBPTS certification identifies qualified teachers as leaders in their field, much like the certifications earned by experts in law and medicine.
“As the nation focuses on building the strongest possible teaching work force, National Board Certification is the gold standard in affirming excellence in the classroom,” said Ron Thorpe, NBPTS president and CEO. “These highly qualified teachers are true ‘nation builders’ and are the educators who are best positioned to lead the ground-up movement our schools need to reach their potential.” A recent comprehensive study by the nonpartisan National Research Council found that students taught by board certified teachers make higher gains on achievement tests than students taught by other teachers. In fact, improved student learning and achievement are two key benefits of the programs and services provided through NBPTS.
