1,248 Washington teachers earn prestigious designation

For a year, Newport High teacher Van Onishi spent hundreds of hours thinking, reviewing and writing about the way he teaches English to freshmen and sophomore students at the Bellevue school.

He wrote 151 pages' worth of material about his methods and approach, videotaped his lessons and took a three-hour exam about teaching.

Last month, Onishi learned the work paid off. He was one of 1,248 Washington teachers who passed the rigorous National Teachers Board certification, a prestigious feather in any teacher's cap, and one that puts more money in the paycheck as well.

The state ranked second in the U.S. this year in the number of teachers that received certification. North Carolina was first.

"From the research we've seen, national certification leads to better teachers," said state Rep. Pat Sullivan, D-Covington, one of the sponsors of legislation adopted in 2007 that gives teachers a $5,000-a-year bonus for earning national certification, which is good for 10 years.

That measure caused applications for the program to double and the numbers continue to surge. This year, the number of teachers receiving certification rose 36 percent.

"Almost 100 percent of candidates will say it makes a huge difference," said Jeanne Harmon, executive director of the Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession, a Tacoma nonprofit.

Chris Korsmo, executive director of the state League of Education Voters, called it "the only way we have right now to recognize and reward highly effective teachers."

The state now ranks fifth nationally in the total number of its teachers certified under the program, which is run by the private, nonprofit National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

About 7 percent, or 4,000, of Washington's 58,000 state-certificated teachers have received the credential.

Three of the state's districts — Bellevue, Seattle and Spokane — are among the nation's top 20 in terms of the number of teachers who achieved national board certification in 2009.

About 27 percent of Bellevue's teachers have board certification. In Seattle, it's 5.4 percent.

To receive certification, teachers must submit four portfolios, including an examination of student work and video recordings from the classroom. The process can take 200 to 400 hours.

Less than half of all teachers nationwide get certified on the first try.

"It was a long and arduous process," said Doris Reeves, a first-grade teacher at Mark Twain Elementary in the Lake Washington School District, who received certification this year.

Forty Lake Washington teachers earned certification in 2009, the fourth-highest number among districts in the state.

Reeves, a 20-year veteran, found that "You really have to analyze your teaching in a way you haven't done before. You look at your teaching in a new light." She called it "a wonderful process."

The state fronts most of the $2,565 cost of getting certified, in the form of a loan, which teachers pay back when they receive their first bonus. Teachers also have to buy books and research materials.

The state program encourages teachers in high-poverty schools to become certified by giving them an additional bonus of up to $5,000 a year for 10 years of teaching in those schools.

Of the Washington teachers certified this year, about 30 percent teach in a high-poverty school, according to Michaela Miller, the National Board Certification coordinator for the state Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Harmon, with the Center for Strengthening the Teaching Profession, said what's striking about nationally certified teachers is they are especially focused on viewing each student as an individual, and are always trying to determine how to move each one — not just the whole group — to the next level.

"Once you've forced yourself to do that kind of attention-paying to every student, it never goes away," she said.

Harmon's nonprofit works to leverage the state's nationally certified teachers into an "army" of leaders.

They're encouraged to get involved in state-level committees, take the lead in designing instruction and curriculum materials in their districts and come up with new initiatives for their schools, Harmon said.

During certification, teachers must get approval from parents and students to videotape lessons, and work with their peers as part of the process.

Teachers who begin certification "have really taken a risk and submitted their practice to a very high standard," Harmon said.

But it's also a good lesson for students, because taking risks and reaching for a high standard is "what we want our kids to do," she said.

Katherine Long: 206-464-2219 or klong@seattletimes.com