Posted on: Sunday, December 5, 2004

24 more teachers nationally certified

By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Education Writer

Two dozen public school teachers have received national certification this year, bringing to 79 the number of Hawai'i teachers with the profession's highest credentials.

Five years ago, the state had just one nationally certified teacher.

The yearlong certification process requires teachers to demonstrate — through videotaped classroom sessions, a daylong exam and a portfolio of teaching highlights — that their teaching practices measure up to the high national standards.

Charlene Miyashiro, chairwoman of the Hawai'i Teachers Standards Board and one of the state's first certified teachers, said the assessment measures what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do.

She credits pay incentives — $50,000 over 10 years — and teacher support for encouraging more teachers to undertake the rigorous, performance-based assessment.

The certification process is an opportunity for teachers not only to prove what they know, but to improve on their craft, said Roger Takabayashi, Hawai'i State Teachers Association president.

"Teachers seeking certification often tell us that just going through the process helps make them better teachers because the process includes time to review and analyze what they are doing in the classroom and its impact on students," he said.

The Hawai'i teachers were among 8,056 teachers across the nation who received certification this year. The certifications are from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

The number of teachers gaining certification is growing steadily. While only one teacher received certification in 1999 — becoming Hawai'i's first nationally certified teacher — more teachers have sought certification since the union negotiated a bonus for successful completion. Fifty teachers have been certified in the past two years alone.

The DOE employs about 13,400 teachers.

Under the education reform law passed earlier this year, the teachers will receive a bonus of $5,000 a year for the length of the 10-year certificate and up to $2,500 in reimbursement for application expenses.

The Hawai'i Teachers Standards Board, which sets teacher licensing standards, also received $92,000 for training, assistance, operational expenses and recognition incentives.

Takabayashi, of the HSTA, said he is glad the union's efforts to improve incentives for certified teachers is paying off. "We believe getting more teachers to be nationally certified will help us make the case that public school teachers are highly skilled and highly trained professionals who must be paid what they deserve," he said.

Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8014.