NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFIES ALMOST 200 L.A. TEACHERS.

Byline: Lisa M. Sodders Staff Writer

Nearly 200 Los Angeles Unified schoolteachers have been certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

``National Board Certification is a powerful professional development tool,'' Gov. Gray Davis said Wednesday. ``It signifies a teacher has achieved excellence in the classroom.

``I congratulate all the teachers who have received this prestigious designation. National Board Certification strengthens the teaching profession and leads to greater academic achievement among California's students.''

In California, 651 teachers achieved national certification, including 189 in Los Angeles Unified. Nationwide, 7,886 teachers were awarded certification.

Merle Price, LAUSD deputy superintendent for instruction, said the newly certified teachers would serve as role models and coaches for new teachers entering the district.

``All the research shows that it's the professional development in the workplace that makes the biggest difference in student achievement,'' Price said. ``When teachers see a lesson that's modeled, or have someone they respect as an expert show them how to design the instruction and meet the needs of students, that is much more effective than going to a conference and just hearing about it.''

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards has certified 1,955 California teachers since 1993. The teachers receiving certification this year are the largest group of California teachers to be certified so far, exceeding last year's number of 516 teachers. Ninety-three percent of all teachers who have completed certification have done so in the past five years.

Teachers who receive certification receive a $10,000 bonus as part of the state's focus on professional development for teachers. An additional $20,000 bonus is made available to teachers who commit to teaching in low-performing schools.

In Los Angeles Unified, certified teachers also qualify for a 15 percent salary boost in return for providing professional development activities.

Teachers become certified through a performance-based assessment that takes nearly a year to complete and a fee of $2,300.

``It's a very rigorous process,'' Price said. ``They videotape lessons, have to take a written test and have to do an analysis on the students they have at the time and the different strategies they're using to meet the needs of the kids who may or may not have different needs. It's the equivalent of passing the bar exam for a lawyer or the medical exam for a doctor.''

John Perez, president of United Teachers Los Angeles, said Los Angeles has more than 600 board-certified teachers, more than any other city in the country. Nationally, California had the fourth largest number of newly certified teachers, according to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and the fourth for total certified teachers overall.

``The people who say there is no quality in the teaching force are misinformed,'' Perez said. ``There are lots of quality teachers all over this city and this state. That teachers are attempting to get their board certification shows that they are concerned about improving their skills and making themselves better teachers.''

UTLA has established a support network to help teachers achieve certification, Perez said.

``People say the union is unconcerned about quality, but the union is very concerned about quality,'' Perez said. ``We've negotiated into our contract a 15 percent premium for national certification.''