Five South Dakota teachers– including one in Pierre– and four school counselors have earned national certifications in 2018.
Robin Beck New, Exceptional Needs Specialist/Early Childhood through Young Adulthood teacher at Pierre Indian Learning Center, is one of the five teachers.
According to the state Department of Education, teachers achieve National Board Certification through a rigorous, performance-based, peer-reviewed assessment of a teacher’s teaching skills and content knowledge. The certification process takes one to three years to complete.
South Dakota teachers who earn National Board Certification receive $2,000 per year for five years, with $1,000 paid by the South Dakota Department of Education and $1,000 paid by the teacher’s school district. As long as funds are available, the department will also pay National Certified School Counselors $1,000 annually for five years.
The National Certified School Counselor certification recognizes counselors who demonstrate specialized knowledge and skills in school counseling.
To learn more about these certifications and stipend and reimbursement opportunities, visit https://doe.sd.gov/nationalboard/ or call the South Dakota Department of Education at 605-773-3134.
Others first time National Board Certification recipients include:
- Trey Krier, Mathematics/Adolescence and Young Adulthood, Yankton School District
- Sara Lorensberg, Mathematics/Early Adolescence, Northeast Education Service Cooperative
- Kelsey Buchholz, English Language Arts/Adolescence and Young Adulthood, Garretson School District
- Amy Berke, Literacy: Reading-Language Arts/Early and Middle Childhood, Rapid City Area School District
- RENEWED National Board Certificate Amelia Meyer, Literacy, Reading-Language Arts/Early and Middle Childhood, Black Hills Special Services Cooperative
The National Certified School Counselor certification recognizes counselors who demonstrate specialized knowledge and skills in school counseling. The following school counselors reported to the South Dakota Department of Education that they became National Certified School Counselors in 2018:
- Dadra Avery, Meade School District
- Melissa Good, Rapid City Area School District
- Sonja Smith, Sioux Falls School District
- Nicole Weron, Hill City School District