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California High School Teacher Achieves National Board Certification

 

Virginia Glasscock After a two-year application process that she describes as a “a long and rewarding journey,” California High School teacher Virginia Glasscock received her National Board Certification in November, successfully passing all the requirements necessary to obtain her Adolescent and Young Adult Science (AYA Science) Certificate.

“We congratulate Virginia on this significant achievement,” said Whittier Union High School District Superintendent Sandra Thorstenson. “She joins a distinguished circle of 18 District teachers who have now received their National Board Certification.”


“The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards establishes and maintains high and rigorous standards for accomplished teachers, such as Glasscock,” said California High School Principal Bill Schloss. “I cannot overstate the great benefit this is to student learning in our school.”


Offered on a voluntary basis, National Board certification establishes advanced standards for experienced teachers, complementing but not replacing the state licensing systems that set entry-level standards for beginning teachers.

The application process involved intensive study, expert evaluation, self-assessment, and peer review. Glasscock prepared several in-depth papers that examined her classroom practices and teaching accomplishments, and even created a video that shows her teaching in class. She also was required to pass six exams on science.

“This was my best professional development to date,” says Glasscock, who has taught science at California High School for 14 years. “Through the process I assessed what I do in the classroom and why. It really took me to the next level in my teaching.”

Only 5,293 teachers in California are National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) through the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards, bringing the total number nationwide to 97,291. These accomplished teachers comprise approximately 3 percent of the national teaching force -- more than half teach in high-need schools and 15 percent are certified in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math or STEM-related areas.