Livingston Parish Honors

National Board Certified Educators

            LIVINGSTON, La. – The Livingston Parish School Board recognized at Thursday’s meeting nine teachers and 11 counselors who recently earned National Board Certification in their fields of educational instruction and counseling.

            The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards requires that teachers and counselors  meet strict standards through intensive study, expert evaluation, self-assessment and peer review to qualify for the NBCT designation. The process typically takes up to three years for the educators to assemble portfolio entries, including video recordings of their classroom teaching and student interaction, written analysis of student learning using student work samples, and reflection and evaluation of their teaching and counseling practices.

            The following Livingston Parish teachers earned national board certification in classroom instruction in December 2009:

·         Tracy Andry, First Grade Teacher, Albany Lower Elementary

·         Avery Churchman, Pre-K Teacher, South Walker Elementary

·         Robin Coxe, Special Education Teacher, Holden High School

·         Hope Dupuy, Fifth Grade Teacher, Eastside Elementary

·         Elizabeth Jordan, Kindergarten Teacher, Northside Elementary

·         Amanda Lavigne, Third Grade Teacher, Gray’s Creek Elementary

·         Selena Oswalt, Advanced Math Teacher, Live Oak High School

·         Gretchen Parrill, Pre-K Teacher, Albany Lower Elementary

·         Jeffrey Seighman, Art and Music Teacher, Walker High School

The following Livingston Parish school guidance counselors earned national board certification in educational counseling in December 2009:

·         Kelli Bertrand, Guidance Counselor, Albany High School

·         Vera Harris, Guidance Counselor, Westside Junior High School

·         Emily Iem, Guidance Counselor, Frost School

·         Keri Kistrup, Guidance Counselor, Live Oak Middle School

·         Kimberly McKee, Guidance Counselor, Springfield Middle School

·         Karen Nolan, Guidance Counselor, South Walker Elementary

·         Pamela Owen, Guidance Counselor, Live Oak Middle School

·         Staci Polozola, Career/Vocational Technology Education Coordinator

·         Kristy Poynor, Guidance Counselor, Northside Elementary

·         Tina Wood, Guidance Counselor, South Live Oak Elementary

·         Valerie Smith, Guidance Counselor, Lewis Vincent Elementary

“These teachers and counselors are now part of an elite group of educators.  We are very proud of the way they have dedicated themselves to bettering their skills and learning best teaching practices through this highly rigorous undertaking. Their pursuit of personal excellence will no doubt greatly benefit our students for years to come,” Superintendent Bill Spear said.

Livingston Parish currently has a total of 65 national board certified teachers and 41 national board certified counselors, according to Curriculum Director Jan Benton.

According to the Louisiana Department of Education, there are a total of 1,532 NBCTs in Louisiana, which ranks the state 15^th in the nation for the total number of NBCTs in its teaching population.

The National Research Council reports that national board certification has a positive impact on student achievement, teacher retention and professional development.  Independent studies have also demonstrated that students of NBCTs perform better on standardized tests than students of non-NBCTs, and those same students show learning gains equivalent to an extra month of school.

Teachers who complete the national board certification process earn a $5,000 salary supplement from the state for the life of the certificate.

The Livingston Parish School Board recognized nine teachers who recently earned National Board Certification in their educational fields.  They were, pictured from left to right, Robin Coxe, Amanda Lavigne, Gretchen Parrill, Jeffrey Seighman, Tracy Andry, Elizabeth Jordan, and Hope Dupuy.  Not pictured are Avery Churchman and Selena Oswalt.

The Livingston Parish School Board recognized 11 school guidance counselors who recently earned National Board Certification in school counseling.  They were, pictured from left to right, Karen Nolan, Pamela Owen, Tina Wood, Valerie Smith, Kimberly McKee and Vera Harris.  Not pictured are Kelli Bertrand, Emily Iem, Keri Kistrup, Staci Polozola and Kristy Poynor.