Michigan State University celebrates 19 teachers receiving National Board Certification

Teachers who have achieved or sustained the National Board Certification through Mississippi State University’s (MSU) WCTP in 2023 were recently recognized at a pinning ceremony held on the campus, representing various school districts statewide.

According to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), Mississippi State University is ranked 14th in the country for the total number of National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs), boasting 1,086 graduates who have earned this esteemed certification. The state of Mississippi is ranked seventh nationally with 4,818 NBCTs.

“The addition of these teachers to the NBCT ranks from across the nation is a source of pride for MSU’s World Class Teaching Program,” stated Stephanie McGee, the Director of WCTP. “Their commitment to the teaching profession and the effort they invested in achieving this distinction deserve our applause.”

Since its inception in 1996, the WCTP has actively recruited and guided teachers in their pursuit of advanced certification through the NBTPS process. The program provides candidates with various forms of support, including component preparation sessions and certificate area support cohort meetings. The NBPTS describes the National Board Certification as the “highest certification attainable for teachers and highly respected within the field.”

The teachers who have obtained certification through the WCTP, categorized by the school district, are as follows:

Choctaw Tribal Schools—Michael Wilson in career and technical education

Columbus Municipal School District—Darcel Brandon and Bridgett White as exceptional needs specialists

Enterprise School District—Jacqueline Lewis in career and technical education and Amber Smith in English language arts: adolescence/young adulthood

Greene County School District—Denise Jones and Chris Turner in career and technical education

Lee County School District—Erin Rowland in mathematics: early adolescence

Lowndes County School District—Emily Ballard in mathematics: early adolescence and April Downey in literacy: reading-language arts

Monroe County School District—LaShae Brown in mathematics: early adolescence

Pearl Public School District—Laura Jo Ferguson in early childhood generalist​

Rankin County School District—Kim Minshew in mathematics: early adolescence

Scott County School District—Amanda Richardson as an exceptional needs specialist​

Starkville Oktibbeha School District—Karis Cobb, Denesha Howell, Erica Johnson, and Amy Barrett Lee in various teaching specialties

Winona-Montgomery Consolidated School District—Regina Ballard in mathematics: adolescence/young adulthood

The teachers who have maintained their certification through the WCTP, listed by school district, are as follows:

Choctaw Tribal Schools—Dawn Harrell in literacy: reading-language arts

Itawamba County School District—Lacie Edge Snider in social studies​: early adolescence

Starkville Oktibbeha School District—Pamela Everitt in literacy: reading-language arts

Webster County Schools—Dawn Tabb in early childhood generalist​

For more information about MSU’s World Class Teaching Program, located in the College of Education, visit https://www.wctp.msstate.edu/.