Isle teachers jump at certification
By Jennifer Hiller
Advertiser Education Writer
With a new $5,000 pay bonus and a community support system in place, Hawai'i teachers in increasing numbers are signing on for the journey to national accreditation.
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser
While in the past two years the state has had just seven public school teachers out of 13,000 achieve national accreditation, 50 teachers are in the middle of the application and testing process now.
Teresa Tugadi is a newly certified teacher at Pohakea.
It's an increase in volume that education leaders attribute to the financial incentives, the establishment of workshops and — importantly — a reimbursement of the $2,500 testing fees.
"I think we're going to see the interest grow each year," said Karen Knudsen, member of the Board of Education.
National certification is often likened to the legal profession's bar exam. The application process takes one year, during which time teachers must pass four two-hour exams and submit an extensive portfolio.
Under the latest teacher contract, teachers who earn such certification are eligible for a $5,000 annual pay differential.
Sherene Kaulia with the Hawai'i Teacher Standards Board, said teachers interested in the program have called her office in increasing numbers since the contract was approved.
"I think it's something that these teachers will really benefit from," Kaulia said. "The certification lasts for 10 years. Some people call and say they just want information and may go for it later. I tell people, 'Just try it. What do you have to lose except maybe some time?' "
The certification program was established by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in 1987 to boost teacher quality. Although there are more than 9,300 certified teachers nationally, there are only seven in Hawai'i.
Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser
Many states have hundreds of board-certified teachers, but Hawai'i teachers were effectively prevented from seeking national certification because the closest testing site until this year was California.
'Ewa Beach teacher Lisa Yanase earned her certification this month.
Now the standards board is providing a testing site. And the financial support to cover the $2,500 application fee also became available this year thanks to a collaboration organized by the Hawai'i Institute for Educational Partnerships, including the Hawai'i State Teachers Association, Hawai'i Business Roundtable, University of Hawai'i College of Education, Hawai'i Teachers Standards Board and the Department of Education.
Certification is voluntary, and educators say it helps refine skills so teachers are more effective in the classroom.
Two Hawai'i teachers joined the ranks of nationally certified teachers this month. Teresa Tugadi, a special education teacher at Pohakea Elementary School and Lisa Yanase, a fifth-grade teacher at Waialua Elementary School, were certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
Tugadi said the process has changed the way she looks at her job and the decisions she makes in her home life.
"It was the most wonderful experience," Tugadi said. "You learn how to evaluate yourself, which is not something teachers are used to doing. Now I find that I evaluate everything I do. I'm very hard on myself."
Karen Ginoza, president of the HSTA, called national certification the highest honor a teacher can attain.
"Teachers say it's the best staff development they've ever gone through," Ginzoa said. "They do it for personal satisfaction."
Even though it started in the late '80s, the certification process is still in its early stages on a national level. Ginzoa noted that the certification isn't available for all teaching specialities at this time, although all areas are under development.
"We're really in the early stages of holding teachers to a high standard," Ginoza said. "You've seen it in law, in medicine, in accounting. It's been very hard to document what makes an effective teacher. How do you standardize those behaviors?"
Tugadi said she jumped at the chance to try for national certification. "I've been waiting for this," she said. "This was the first year for special education to be offered."
Reach Jennifer Hiller at jhiller@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8084.
Correction: Lisa Yanase, a fifth-grade teacher who has earned certification from the National Board for Professional Teacher Standards, teaches at Waialua Elementary School. Because of news source and reporting errors, an earlier version of this story misidentified the school.
