National Standards Board Announces 72 New Wyoming Board Certified Teachers

The Wyoming Department of Education, the John P. Ellbogen Foundation and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards announced today that 72 teachers in Wyoming achieved National Board Certification this year. Over the past three years, Wyoming has had the second-fastest growth in the nation in its number of accomplished teachers, following Hawaii, and now has a total of 497 National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs).

National Board Certification is available in 25 certificate areas from Pre-K−12th grades. National Board Standards are written for teachers, by teachers. To date, more than 106,000 teachers in all 50 states and around the world have achieved this highest mark of accomplishment in the profession through a rigorous, performance-based, peer-review process.

Rich Crandall, director of the Wyoming Department of Education said of Wyoming’s newest NBCTs, “Their achievement is not only a testament to their hard work, determination and impact on their students’ learning, it is a reflection of the state’s strong commitment to supporting all teachers in their pursuit of National Board Certification.”

Wyoming state legislation provides Wyoming teachers who achieve National Board Certification with a $4,000 stipend. In addition, the Ellbogen Foundation has launched a statewide initiative in support of boosting the number of NBCTs in Wyoming schools, in partnership with the Wyoming Department of Education, the State Standards Board, the University of Wyoming and the Wyoming Education Association.