Here’s some bright, shiny holiday season news from Debra Pastore, director of our program that supports teachers seeking certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

Writes Deb:

“National Board scores came out recently and again WSU did quite well. We had 104 first-time candidates, and 70 of them certified.  That puts us at a 67 percent certification rate.  Compared to the national rate (38-39 percent) and state of Washington rate (48-50 percent) for first-time candidates, WSU is a shining star.”

Deb credits the program’s faculty for the stellar results. “Our instructors are just amazing.”

State bonuses are one incentive that Washington teachers have for doing hard year-long certification work. But those bonuses are being challenged.  For an explanation and opinion on the subject, read:  Teachers ‘performance pay’ is promise the state should keep.