Eight WSD Educators Earn National Board Certification

Wenatchee School District has eight new National Board Certified teachers, bringing the total in the district to 113. National Board Certification is the highest and most rigorous certification process for teaching in the nation. 

• Ronda Brender, Orchard Middle School
• Sarah LeFebvre, Sunnyslope Elementary
• Aaron MacKenzie, Washington Elementary
• Kara Melton, Wenatchee High School
• Sharon Osborn, Lincoln Elementary
• Kelli Ottley, Pioneer Middle School
• Kimberly Rumley-Wells, Lewis & Clark Elementary
• Kelly Sims, Wenatchee High School

“We have exceptional teachers in our school district and we congratulate our newly certified staff for achieving this distinction in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Wenatchee School Superintendent Dr. Paul Gordon. “National Board Certification benefits our students as it helps our teachers have a deeper knowledge of learning and provides them with the tools they need to ensure success for all students,” said Gordon. 

Achieving national board certification is a rigorous and time-intensive process. The process can take anywhere from one to four years and includes four segments: teacher knowledge assessment; analyzing student work and setting goals based on that analysis; classroom management with filmed scenarios; and collaboration with teachers, parents, community members. The entire process takes about 300 to 400 hours to complete.

More than a decade of research from across the country confirms that students taught by National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) learn more than students taught by other teachers. Estimates of the increase in learning are on the order of an additional one to two months of instruction and the positive impact is even greater for high-need students.

About the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards 

The founding mission of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is to advance the quality of teaching and learning by: maintaining high and rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do; providing a national voluntary system certifying teachers who meet these standards, and advocating related education reforms to integrate National Board Certification in American education and to capitalize on the expertise of National Board Certified Teachers. Recognized as the “gold standard” in teacher certification, the National Board believes higher standards for teachers means better learning for students.