West Genny teachers earn National Board Certification

Four teachers in the West Genesee Central School District have recently achieved National Board Certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).

Three of the teachers received certification in Literacy: Reading-Language Arts/Early And Middle Childhood and they are: Christina Castaldo (Stonehedge Elementary School third-grade teacher), Denise Kaley (Stonehedge Elementary School instructional specialist), and Claire Schulz (Onondaga Road Elementary School fourth-grade teacher).

Lindsay Spinks (Stonehedge Elementary School fourth-grade special education teacher) received her certification in Exceptional Needs Specialist/Early Childhood Through Young Adulthood.

To earn certification from the NBPTS, successful candidates spend between 200 and 400 hours, over a year or more, in an extensive series of performance-based assessments that include teaching portfolios, students’ work samples, videotapes and a thorough analysis of the candidate’s classroom teaching and student learning.

Teachers also complete a series of written exercises that probe the depth of their subject-matter knowledge, as well as their understanding of how to teach those subjects to their students.

Founded 32 years ago, NBPTS is an independent non-profit, non-partisan, and non-governmental organization dedicated to advancing the quality of teaching and learning.

They will be recognized at the Board of Education meeting on Jan. 22.