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RMS teacher Kays earns National Board Certification
Riverton Middle School teacher Drew Kays recently joined a select group: she has earned National Board Certification.
Kays, an Olivet Nazarene University graduate who has been at Riverton for six years and teaching for 10, is one of just 771 Illinois teachers to earn the honor.
Kays already had earned her Master’s degree from Illinois State, but “I was looking for another way to further my education and to challenge myself.”
She started working on it in the summer of 2009 and finished it all in the summer of 2010, and she had to complete four portfolios. Her certification is in English/Language
Arts, early adolescence.
In one portfolio she looked at student writing and analyzed it. How did they improve? What to do next? In another portfolio she videotaped a whole class lesson and analyzed it,
seeing what worked and did not work and why she did what she did, and so on.
She also videotaped a small group discussion and analyzed it as well, while the fourth portfolio was a look at her professional accomplishments. Then she had to take a test
that had six essay questions and 30 minutes to answer each question.
The process is not for the faint of heart, Kays admitted.
“It was tough and very stressful,” she said. “I spent all the free time and time off working on this. But I met with a group of others who were trying to accomplish this, and they
helped keep me on track.”
As difficult as the process was, it was also a rewarding one.
“I learned how important it is to be reflective on my teaching process,” she said, and “yes, it did make me feel more confident in my teaching.”
Former RMS teacher Kim Buis was Nationally Board Certified, noted RMS Principal Fred Lamkey.
“This award is just another indicator of the quality of instructors Riverton Schools has the honor of employing,” he said.
Riverton Elementary School teacher Susan Zanger recently earned National Board Certification as well, noted Superintendent Dr. Tom Mulligan.
“It is tremendous professional development that a teacher goes through to receive that certification,” said Mulligan. “In addition, it takes a great deal of work and commitment
and most importantly reflection on teaching practices.
“This to me is the heart of the success of national board certification,” Mulligan continued. “It instills a ongoing commitment of a teacher to reflect on his/her performance in the
classroom.
“This is at the heart of an excellent teacher. As administrators, we can support and encourage teachers to grow but we can’t be in the classroom every day. Teachers that
reflect on their own practice on a daily basis are the teachers that truly become “excellent” teachers!”
A voluntary assessment program designed to develop, recognize and retain accomplished teachers, National Board Certification is achieved through a performance-based
assessment that typically takes one to three years to complete. While state licensing systems set basic requirements to teach in each state, NBCTs have successfully
demonstrated advanced teaching knowledge, skills and practices.
In the most rigorous and comprehensive study to date about National Board Certification, the non-partisan National Research Council found that students taught by NBCTs
make higher gains on achievement tests than students taught by other teachers
Riverton Middle School teacher Drew Kays recently joined a select group: she has earned National Board Certification.
Kays, an Olivet Nazarene University graduate who has been at Riverton for six years and teaching for 10, is one of just 771 Illinois teachers to earn the honor.
Kays already had earned her Master’s degree from Illinois State, but “I was looking for another way to further my education and to challenge myself.”
She started working on it in the summer of 2009 and finished it all in the summer of 2010, and she had to complete four portfolios. Her certification is in English/Language
Arts, early adolescence.
In one portfolio she looked at student writing and analyzed it. How did they improve? What to do next? In another portfolio she videotaped a whole class lesson and analyzed it,
seeing what worked and did not work and why she did what she did, and so on.
She also videotaped a small group discussion and analyzed it as well, while the fourth portfolio was a look at her professional accomplishments. Then she had to take a test
that had six essay questions and 30 minutes to answer each question.
The process is not for the faint of heart, Kays admitted.
“It was tough and very stressful,” she said. “I spent all the free time and time off working on this. But I met with a group of others who were trying to accomplish this, and they
helped keep me on track.”
As difficult as the process was, it was also a rewarding one.
“I learned how important it is to be reflective on my teaching process,” she said, and “yes, it did make me feel more confident in my teaching.”
Former RMS teacher Kim Buis was Nationally Board Certified, noted RMS Principal Fred Lamkey.
“This award is just another indicator of the quality of instructors Riverton Schools has the honor of employing,” he said.
Riverton Elementary School teacher Susan Zanger recently earned National Board Certification as well, noted Superintendent Dr. Tom Mulligan.
“It is tremendous professional development that a teacher goes through to receive that certification,” said Mulligan. “In addition, it takes a great deal of work and commitment
and most importantly reflection on teaching practices.
“This to me is the heart of the success of national board certification,” Mulligan continued. “It instills a ongoing commitment of a teacher to reflect on his/her performance in the
classroom.
“This is at the heart of an excellent teacher. As administrators, we can support and encourage teachers to grow but we can’t be in the classroom every day. Teachers that
reflect on their own practice on a daily basis are the teachers that truly become “excellent” teachers!”
A voluntary assessment program designed to develop, recognize and retain accomplished teachers, National Board Certification is achieved through a performance-based
assessment that typically takes one to three years to complete. While state licensing systems set basic requirements to teach in each state, NBCTs have successfully
demonstrated advanced teaching knowledge, skills and practices.
In the most rigorous and comprehensive study to date about National Board Certification, the non-partisan National Research Council found that students taught by NBCTs
make higher gains on achievement tests than students taught by other teachers
Issue Date: Jan. 20, 2011
