169 teachers get new certification

A total of 169 Arkansas teachers recently received certification by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards, raising the state’s total number of nationally certified educators to 3,378, according to the organization.

Arkansas is one of 11 states to have more than 100 new nationally certified teachers in 2019.

The newly certified Arkansas teachers are among 3,831 such educators in the nation.

There are more than 125,000 board-certified teachers across the 50 states. The certification is good for 10 years.

To become a national board-certified teacher, teachers complete a performance-based, peer-reviewed process, showing their impact on student learning and achievement.

In Arkansas, nationally certified educators are eligible for state-funded salary supplements of $2,500 to $10,000 a year for five to 10 years. The amounts vary depending on the teachers’ workplaces, with those working in high poverty schools in high-poverty school districts receiving the most. Some Arkansas school districts and universities also offer salary supplements or credit for the national certification.

Arkansas ranks 10th nationally in numbers of national certified educators. Topping the nation is North Carolina with 22,653 nationally certified teachers. Other states with more nationally certified teachers than Arkansas are Florida, Washington, South Carolina, California, Illinois, Mississippi, Kentucky and Virginia.