World Class Teaching Program paying off

For a group of Mississippi teachers, a year of intense study is paying off with passing grades on a difficult national assessment.

Nineteen teachers around the state recently completed performance-based testing requirements established by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. Of those, 15 achieved their goal with assistance from the World Class Teaching Program in Mississippi State's College of Education.

The WCT program was established by the Legislature and the state Department of Education to support Mississippi teachers seeking certification.

The standards "are some of the most rigorous in the nation" and compare in difficulty to exams for professional fields such as accounting, said Dean of Education William Graves.

"It is a demanding voluntary assessment that identifies master teachers for the future," he said. "Only three states-North Carolina, Ohio, and Minnesota-certified a larger number of teachers than Mississippi did this year."

The 19 Mississippi teachers are among more than 330 from nearly 30 states with new board certificates. In all, approximately 900 teachers nationwide now meet the new standards.

Until recently, Mississippi had seven teachers with NBTPS certification. Last year, however, state legislation was passed to provide a $3,000 salary supplement to the base salary of a board-certified teacher for the life of the certificate and a $2,000 reimbursement fee for those who complete the process.

"There is enormous potential for improving the quality of teaching and learning in schools when teachers can meet high standards," said Peggy Swoger, director of the university's World Class Teaching Program.

Swoger, a founding member of NBTPS, is a former high school English teacher and a Disney Salute to the American Teacher honoree.

"The success of these teachers will have a positive effect on students and on the learning environment," she said.

"Their work is evidence that our state has outstanding teachers in our classrooms."