KANNAPOLIS — Two teachers from Kannapolis City Schools recently achieved certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). Certification from the NBPTS is the highest professional credential in the field of teaching.
The teachers who achieved national certification are Melanie Edelman of Shady Brook Elementary School, and Alice Graham of Forest Park Elementary School.
With these certifications, KCS now has 81 teachers certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. That means that one out of every five KCS teachers is nationally board certified.
National Board Certification is a voluntary process established by the NBPTS. Certification is achieved through a rigorous performance-based assessment that takes nearly a year to complete. Teachers must document their knowledge of their subject matter, provide evidence that they know how to teach their subjects effectively to students, and show their ability to manage and measure student learning. Edelman teaches kindergarten at Shady Brook. She has been teaching for 12 years, all in Kannapolis City Schools. Edelman earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Appalachian State University. Her National Board Certification is in generalist—early childhood.
Graham is a reading intervention coach at Forest Park. She has spent 20 years as an educator. This is her 17th year with Kannapolis City Schools. She earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her National Board Certification is in the field of literacy: reading and language arts/early and middle childhood.
“We are extremely proud of these outstanding teachers,” said Superintendent Dr. Pam Cain. “The National Board Certification process is a wonderful learning experience and tremendous measure of teaching excellence. We encourage our teachers to get their National Board Certification because having great teachers in the classroom is one of the best ways to improve student achievement. These two teachers are among the best in their field, and we congratulate them on achieving this prestigious honor.”
The Kannapolis City Board of Education will honor the system’s newly board certified teachers at its February meeting and give them certificates of recognition.