App State leads nation in certified teachers for 5th consecutive year

View larger image — Pictured in fall 2019, Appalachian State University alumna and National Board Certified Teacher Margaret “Meg” Kovacs '09 '13 (née Sanford) engages with students in her Wake County Schools classroom. Kovacs holds a B.S. in elementary education and an M.A. in reading education from App State. Photo submitted

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) logo. Image courtesy of NBPTS

“Our alumni place an intrinsic value on being leaders in their field and educators who continuously demonstrate the willingness and ability to engage in reflective practice. Certainly, during this year that has presented extraordinary challenges, our alumni have demonstrated their commitment of teaching excellence with resilience and distinction.”

Dr. Melba Spooner, dean of App State’s Reich College of Education

By Rebekah Saylors

Posted April 9, 2021 at 4:58 p.m.

BOONE, N.C. — For the fifth consecutive year, Appalachian State University leads the nation for the number of its Reich College of Education (RCOE) alumni who are National Board Certified Teachers (NBCT).

“Our alumni place an intrinsic value on being leaders in their field and educators who continuously demonstrate the willingness and ability to engage in reflective practice. Certainly, during this year that has presented extraordinary challenges, our alumni have demonstrated their commitment of teaching excellence with resilience and distinction.”

Dr. Melba Spooner, dean of App State’s Reich College of Education

The national certification is based on a rigorous performance-based assessment that typically takes from one to three years to complete and measures what accomplished teachers and counselors should know and be able to do.

The university topped the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards’ list of “Top 50 Alma Maters by Total Number of NBCTs” for 2020, with 2,178 alumni having earned the national credential to date.

Additionally, North Carolina continues to lead the nation in the number of teachers who have become NBCTs — 23,090 educators have earned the certification since 1987. In 2020, 467 North Carolina teachers gained the endorsement.

“We are proud to continue to lead the nation’s public and private universities and colleges with the highest number of alumni with the National Board Certification credential,” said RCOE Dean Melba Spooner.

Spooner continued, “Our alumni place an intrinsic value on being leaders in their field and educators who continuously demonstrate the willingness and ability to engage in reflective practice. Certainly, during this year that has presented extraordinary challenges, our alumni have demonstrated their commitment of teaching excellence with resilience and distinction.”

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) logo. Image courtesy of NBPTS

Nationally, 2,576 teachers earned certification in the 2019–20 academic year, raising the total among all states to more than 128,000. In addition, 2,484 teachers nationally achieved recertification, including 643 board-certified teachers in North Carolina.

North Carolina accounts for nearly one-fifth, or 18%, of all teachers nationally who are certified by the teaching standards organization. Nationally certified teachers also account for a larger percentage of the total teaching force in North Carolina than any other state, with more than one of every five having earned the credential.

In August 2020, RCOE’s Public School Partnership collaborated with the state’s Northwest Regional Education Service Alliance to create NBCTApps (National Board Certified Teacher-Apps) — a joint professional development program to help North Carolina educators achieve their National Board Certification. The program provides monthly professional development and mentoring sessions for NBCT candidates.

“This program helps lay the foundation for a commitment to lifelong learning through an initiative of pairing our nationally board-certified alumni with aspiring teachers in the field who are pursuing this advanced certification, which in turn creates a connection for our alumni to give back to the university and the profession,” Spooner explained.

App State was founded in 1899 as a teachers college and continues to have one of the largest teacher education programs in North Carolina. School systems in all 100 counties of the state employ at least one RCOE graduate.

Learn more about National Board Certification.

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NC leads nation for number of certified teachers

Nine North Carolina universities and colleges were named among the top 50 schools with the highest number of alumni with the national credential:

No. 1 — Appalachian State University (2,178 alumni).
No. 2 — East Carolina University (2,149 alumni).
No. 4 — University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1,490 alumni).
No. 6 — University of North Carolina at Greensboro (1,416 alumni).
No. 8 — University of North Carolina at Charlotte (1,284 alumni).
No. 14 — North Carolina State University (1,012 alumni).
No. 18 — Western Carolina University (929 alumni).
No. 19 — University of North Carolina at Wilmington (924 alumni).
No. 46 — Meredith College (477 alumni).

Collaborating for certification

To help North Carolina educators achieve their National Board Certification, App State’s Reich College of Education has created NBCTApps (National Board Certified Teacher-Apps) — a joint professional development program between RCOE’s Public School Partnership and the state’s Northwest Regional Education Service Alliance (NW RESA).

Through this program, National Board Certified App State alumni serve as mentors to NBCTApps participants, who are invited to attend monthly support group sessions in which the alumni provide instruction, support and resources for educators completing the National Board Certification process. A total of 138 alumni are available to assist teachers.

Learn more about the program and how to participate.

App State named No. 1 nationally for certified teachers

Dec. 18, 2019

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards ranked Appalachian No. 1 in its “Top 50 Alma Maters by Total Number of NBCTs” list for the fourth consecutive year. Appalachian leads the nation for the number of National Board Certified Teachers — 2,057.

Read the story

Reich College of Education

Appalachian offers one of the largest undergraduate teacher preparation programs in North Carolina, graduating about 500 teachers a year. The Reich College of Education enrolls approximately 2,400 students in its bachelor's, master's, education specialist and doctoral degree programs. With so many teacher education graduates working in the state, there is at least one RCOE graduate teaching in every county in North Carolina.

Learn more

About the Reich College of Education

Appalachian State University offers one of the largest undergraduate teacher preparation programs in North Carolina, graduating about 500 teachers a year. The Reich College of Education enrolls more than 2,000 students in its bachelor's, master's, education specialist and doctoral degree programs. With so many teacher education graduates working in the state, there is at least one RCOE graduate teaching in every county in North Carolina. Learn more at https://rcoe.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls nearly 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.

“Our alumni place an intrinsic value on being leaders in their field and educators who continuously demonstrate the willingness and ability to engage in reflective practice. Certainly, during this year that has presented extraordinary challenges, our alumni have demonstrated their commitment of teaching excellence with resilience and distinction.”

Dr. Melba Spooner, dean of App State’s Reich College of Education

NC leads nation for number of certified teachers

Nine North Carolina universities and colleges were named among the top 50 schools with the highest number of alumni with the national credential:

No. 1 — Appalachian State University (2,178 alumni).
No. 2 — East Carolina University (2,149 alumni).
No. 4 — University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1,490 alumni).
No. 6 — University of North Carolina at Greensboro (1,416 alumni).
No. 8 — University of North Carolina at Charlotte (1,284 alumni).
No. 14 — North Carolina State University (1,012 alumni).
No. 18 — Western Carolina University (929 alumni).
No. 19 — University of North Carolina at Wilmington (924 alumni).
No. 46 — Meredith College (477 alumni).

Collaborating for certification

To help North Carolina educators achieve their National Board Certification, App State’s Reich College of Education has created NBCTApps (National Board Certified Teacher-Apps) — a joint professional development program between RCOE’s Public School Partnership and the state’s Northwest Regional Education Service Alliance (NW RESA).

Through this program, National Board Certified App State alumni serve as mentors to NBCTApps participants, who are invited to attend monthly support group sessions in which the alumni provide instruction, support and resources for educators completing the National Board Certification process. A total of 138 alumni are available to assist teachers.

Learn more about the program and how to participate.

Reich College of Education

Appalachian offers one of the largest undergraduate teacher preparation programs in North Carolina, graduating about 500 teachers a year. The Reich College of Education enrolls approximately 2,400 students in its bachelor's, master's, education specialist and doctoral degree programs. With so many teacher education graduates working in the state, there is at least one RCOE graduate teaching in every county in North Carolina.

Learn more