20 APS Teachers Earn National Board Certification

The National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) announced that 20 Arlington Public Schools teachers successfully earned their National Board Certification. National Board Certification is a priority for APS. To date, there are more than 200 APS teachers, or 7%, who are a National Board Certified Teachers. The state average is a little more than 4%. APS ranks second in Virginia for the number of National Board Certified teachers.

National Board Certification is a voluntary assessment program that recognizes, encourages and rewards teachers to strive for excellence. While state licensing systems set basic requirements to teach, teachers who earn National Board Certification have successfully demonstrated advanced teaching knowledge, skills and practices as determined by the NBPTS. Certification is achieved through a rigorous, performance-based assessment that typically takes one to three years to complete.

APS recognizes National Board Certification as part of the Career Advancement Program (CAP). CAP participants may choose National Board Certification as one portfolio option to demonstrate achievement of advanced professional skills and knowledge. The process requires teachers to build a portfolio that includes student work samples, assignments, videotapes and a thorough analysis of their classroom teaching. Additionally, teachers are assessed on their knowledge of the subjects they teach.

The teachers who successfully earned their certification are:
• Alesandra Bakaj – Yorktown High School
• Viviana Bolgiano – Kenmore Middle School
• Olympia Carranza – Claremont Immersion School
• Heather Clark – Discovery Elementary School
• Colette Cupid – Randolph Elementary School
• Paxton Helms – Gunston Middle School
• Virginia Hutcheson – Barrett Elementary School
• Hiromi Isobe – Washington-Liberty High School
• Meagan Kalchbrenner – Jamestown Elementary School
• Julie Landefeld – Jamestown Elementary School
• Jason Love – Wakefield High School
• Kaitlyn Mackrell – Jamestown Elementary School
• Tori Metzger – Dorothy Hamm Middle School
• Amanda Murray – Fleet Elementary School
• Lindsey Nathan – Jamestown Elementary School
• Morgan Norwood – Campbell Elementary School
• Susan Pacifico – Swanson Middle School
• Erin Puhl – Tuckahoe Elementary School
• Sarah Weisz – Tuckahoe Elementary School
• Jennifer Witt – Tuckahoe Elementary School

Last month, APS announced that two APS teachers successfully renewed their certification.

Due to submission delays caused by COVID-19 in the spring of 2020, another round of score releases will happen on February 27, 2021.

The teachers will be recognized by the School Board at the March 25, 2021 meeting.