Seven Noyce teachers earn National Board Certification

Shelby Aaberg, Scottsbluff High School; Danielle Buhrman, Grand Island Senior High; Alicia Davis, Scott Middle School, LPS; Katie Garcia, Bryan High School, OPS; Jill Luschen, Alice Buffett Magnet Middle School, OPS; Dan Schaben, Arapahoe Public School; K
Shelby Aaberg, Scottsbluff High School; Danielle Buhrman, Grand Island Senior High; Alicia Davis, Scott Middle School, LPS; Katie Garcia, Bryan High School, OPS; Jill Luschen, Alice Buffett Magnet Middle School, OPS; Dan Schaben, Arapahoe Public School; K

Seven Nebraska middle and high school mathematics teachers who are NSF Robert Noyce Master Teaching Fellows through the University of Nebraska-Lincoln earned National Professional Board Certification during the 2013 application cycle.

These seven teachers have doubled the number of active mathematics Board-certified teachers in Nebraska from seven to 14. Ten Nebraska teachers earned certification in any subject in 2013, bringing the total number of teachers in the state with active board certification to 86.

The 2013 Board-certified mathematics teachers from the Noyce program are:

Shelby Aaberg, Scottsbluff High School, Scottsbluff Public Schools

Danielle Buhrman, Grand Island Senior High School, Grand Island Public Schools

Alicia Davis, Scott Middle School, Lincoln Public Schools

Katie Garcia, Bryan High School, Omaha Public Schools

Jill Luschen, Alice Buffett Magnet Middle School, Omaha Public Schools

Dan Schaben, Arapahoe Public School

Katie Soto, Lincoln Southeast High School, Lincoln Public Schools

These teachers join two of their Noyce colleagues in this honor. In Lincoln, Davis and Soto join LPS math coach Darla Berks as Board-certified in mathematics, and in Omaha, Garcia and Luschen join McMillan Magnet Middle School math department head Connie Colton.

In 2013, 4,117 teachers achieved National Board Certification, bringing the total number of National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) nationwide to 106,365. The national pass rate of applicants to receive board certification is around 40 percent.

These accomplished teachers are at the vanguard of excellence and impact in teaching today. Nationally, the number of teachers who have achieved National Board Certification is equivalent to approximately 3 percent of the teaching force. Almost half of the nation’s NBCTs teach in high-need schools and 15 percent are certified in STEM-related areas. Research shows that students taught by Board-certified teachers consistently achieve higher gains in student achievement compared to peers who are not taught by Board-certified teachers, making learning gains equivalent to an extra one to two months in school.

The National Board seeks to elevate the status, voice and role of accomplished teachers in strengthening the teaching profession. NBCTs are leading the way to improved teaching and learning through effective classroom practices, standards-based instruction and a focus on student achievement.