Advancing Student Learning and Achievement: BSD Educators Earn National Board Certification

The Bellevue School District is proud to announce and honor the 39 educators who completed or renewed their National Board Certification this winter. They join more than 300 Bellevue School District educators who are board-certified, continuing BSD’s legacy as a National Board Accomplished District, with greater than 40% of teachers achieving this distinguished certification. Thank you, educators, for your dedication and for making the Bellevue School District a a community where students can belong, learn and lead. 

BSD Educators Lead the Way, Support Student Belonging and Learning 

Listen to the Voices of Bellevue Podcast, where several educators share their perspectives on what it means to be a Nationally Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) and the hard work it takes to earn this distinction. 

Core Prop[osition] 1 of National Board Certification is knowledge of students, and that is the heart of teaching. And if you think back to all the teachers that had an impact on you, probably the one thing you could say is ‘that teacher knew me,’ and that’s not by accident or by chance. Those teachers make an effort to get to know their students, not just within the classroom, but even beyond the classroom.

-Anna Hatlestad, NBCT, Literacy: Reading-Language Arts/Early and Middle Childhood 

New National Board Certified Teachers 

Maintained National Board Certified Teachers 

The Proven Impact of Board Certified Teachers on Student Achievement 

National Board Certification is a voluntary advanced professional certification for PreK-12 educators. Through National Board Certification, teachers demonstrate that their teaching meets the profession’s standards for accomplished practice through a rigorous, peer-reviewed and performance-based process, similar to professional certification in fields such as medicine. In achieving Board certification, teachers prove their ability to advance student learning and achievement. 

Washington state recognizes National Board Certification as fulfilling the requirements for advancing state teaching certification and certificate renewal for five years. Washington regularly ranks among the top five states in the nation with the most new NBCTs. 

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 NBCTs. Recognized as the “gold standard” in teacher certification, the National Board believes higher standards for teachers means better learning for students. 

Bellevue Schools Foundation Empowers Educators Through Community Support 

Since 2003, the Bellevue Schools Foundation (BSF) has supported National Board Certification for BSD teachers. In 2020, the Foundation received a generous gift of $500,000 from the Hanson Family Foundation to develop the Sherry Ladd Endowment for Teacher Development. This generous gift has been used to encourage and support National Board Certification for teachers in the district by paying for certification costs not otherwise covered. 

Learn how you can honor a teacher or staff member who have made an impact in your life by making a donation in their name through BSF’s Donate to Dedicate campaign. Donations fund the full breadth of BSF programs — STEM, mental health, early learning, and so much more.