Thanks to the efforts and support of Temple University’s Center for Teaching Excellence, students in 44 more Pennsylvania classrooms will have the top-flight teachers they deserve.

This is the first group of teachers supported by the center to receive the prestigious certification issued by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). NBPTS is a non-profit group that has developed rigorous teaching standards and a voluntary assessment process based on what good teachers should know and do.

The year-long professional growth experience helps take good teachers to the next level, said Christine Sadjian-Peacock, regional coordinator. To qualify, participants must be highly skilled teachers and have a command of their content area. Teachers who participate receive a fellowship for the $2,500 certification fee as well as mentoring, workshops, supervised work sessions and other assistance to help them reach their goal, Sadjian-Peacock said.

During the certification process, experienced teachers analyze and reflect on the candidates’ teaching and how it impacts the way students learn.

“We provide them with mentors, who are national board certified teachers, who assist them by asking probing questions about their practices so that they can think deeper about their teaching, said Sadjian-Peacock. “We push them to be better.”

The center was created in 2006 through a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education and is part of the Urban Education Collaborative in the College of Education’s Institute for Schools and Society. It is one of four regional centers created through that grant and serves teachers in 169 school districts from Philadelphia to Harrisburg.

The recent recipients join the ranks of 73,000 teachers nationwide who hold the highest certification in the teaching profession. Pennsylvania now has 496 teachers certified statewide.

Increasing the number of board certified teachers in Pennsylvania is important because studies have shown that having these teachers in the classroom leads to better educational outcomes for students. According to studies by the National Research Council, students taught by national board certified teachers score higher on achievement tests than their peers.

The next cohort of 150 potential certified teachers is currently beginning the process and will conclude next December, Sadjian-Peacock said.