​​​​HONOLULU – Forty-six Hawaii State Department of Education (DOE) teachers are among 59 Hawaii teachers to receive National Board Certification this year from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). Board certification is considered the highest mark of accomplishment in the profession. It includes a rigorous, performance-based, peer-review process similar to Board certification in fields such as medicine.

To obtain certification, teachers must demonstrate mastery of knowledge and skills necessary to prepare students for 21st century success. Over the past three years, Hawaii has experienced the fastest growth in the number of National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) in the nation and now has more than 500 NBCTs.

To date, more than 110,000 teachers in all 50 states and D.C. have achieved the profession's gold standard for accomplished teaching, based on standards —created by teachers, for teachers —that define what educators should know and be able to do to advance student learning.

"The Department commends each of the 46 new NBCTs this year,"said Schools Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi. "We are particularly proud of the increase by neighbor island teachers whose remarkable determination and dedication resulted in their certification this year. As a state, we continue to pledge a strong commitment to supporting all teachers in their pursuit of National Board Certification."

Saluting the newest class of NBCTs, Ronald Thorpe, president and CEO of the National Board, said: "The public clearly sees the value in Board certification as an assurance that teachers have met the profession's highest standards and have the knowledge and skills necessary to advance student learning. Still, we have a long way to go to make Board certification the norm and the expectation in the profession. Today, only a small fraction of America's teachers are Board certified. We owe it to our students and our future to make them a majority –and to build the coherent trajectory that supports every teacher to reach accomplished practice."

Research has shown that NBCTs have a significant impact on student achievement and that their students outperform their peers in other classrooms. 

National Board Certification is available in 25 certificate areas from pre-K to grade 12. Accomplished teachers are represented at every level of the National Board, from key staff roles to the Board of Directors and the Certification Council, which guides policy and implementation of the certification program. This fall the National Board announced revisions to the certification process that will help ensure more students across the country have the opportunity to learn from Board-certified teachers. Learn more about the revisions here.

For a list of the DOE teachers who attained national board certification in 2014, click here.