- Scottsdale Unified School District
- SUSD National Board Certified Teachers
SUSD National Board Certified Teachers
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As an education leader among Arizona K-12 public school districts, Scottsdale Unified School District is committed to delivering outstanding learning opportunities every day to its 23,000 students. We achieve that by ensuring that there are exceptional leaders in the classrooms of our 30 schools. A growing number of Scottsdale Unified teachers choose, and are encouraged by the District, to augment their state certification through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
That organization’s National Board Certification program, launched in 1987, was created by teachers for teachers. It is the pinnacle of professional development programs for U.S. classroom teachers and is the most significant way in which the nation’s teaching profession encourages the development, retention and recognition of accomplished teachers, with the goal of creating ongoing improvement in schools nationwide from the inside out. Those who achieve certification status report that going through the up-to-three-year process forever changes the way they think about their profession, profoundly impacting the way they teach students for the rest of their careers.
One of SUSD’s greatest strengths is its 87 National Board Certified teachers. SUSD is a leader among Arizona school districts in the number of teacher who have furthered their passion for teaching into national certification. These exemplary educators, based at 26 SUSD schools, its online learning program and in District instructional leadership, are evidence of our teaching staff’s commitment to accomplished teaching. They dedicate themselves to the ongoing improvement and mastery of their skills in order to provide Scottsdale students with the outstanding educational experiences at all grade levels for which SUSD has been known for 125 years. We know that SUSD students are successful during their years with us, and beyond, because of the District’s ongoing mission to deliver relevant, rigorous, world-class instruction to all of our students and to dedicate all of the resources necessary to achieve that.
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards issues certificates are issued in 16 content areas, from art, health education and mathematics to language arts, science and music. Certificates are also based on developmental levels, from early and middle childhood to early adolescence and young adulthood.
Certification candidates put a microscope on their teaching practices and reflect on how they demonstrate and implement, in an ongoing way, National Board standards. Candidates for National Board certification are examined by a panel of local and national peers in four key areas:
- competency in the subject area they teach
- how they differentiate their instruction, based on student strengths and needs
- how they engage students in learning and
- how they continuously apply what they learn about their students to adapt their teaching practices to impact student learning growth and deliver excellent, meaningful instruction.
The process of becoming a National Board Certified teacher, the most respected professional certification in K-12 education, is voluntary. Candidates must have at least three years of successful experience teaching in a K-12 school setting. The challenge of taking on national certification while also teaching full-time is a major commitment that can take up to three years to complete. Teachers must renew their National Board certification every five years.
In SUSD, teacher candidates are supported along the way by a cadre of current and retired SUSD teachers who volunteer to mentor their colleagues’ journey to certification. Board-certified teachers themselves, these mentors share their insights and passion for continuous improvement within District classrooms and their profession. Working in conjunction with the Arizona K-12 Center, SUSD teachers receive the peer guidance necessary to complete the certification process successfully. Upon certification, SUSD teachers also receive a $3,000 a year stipend from the District.
SUSD candidates also receive financial assistance from the community as they engage in the certification process. The Scottsdale Unified School District Foundation, a local 501(c)(3) organization that supports SUSD students, teacher, programs and schools, provide grants to teachers. Since 2011, the SUSD Foundation has contributed more than $33,000 to support the National Board Certification efforts of SUSD educators.
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Anasazi Elementary
Kyle Bragg
Patricia VassauxArcadia High
Jennifer Dukelow *
Kimberly Mayorg
Sarah Wagner BoustilaChaparral High
Ted Anderson
Kathleen Beder
Stephen Geislinger
Claren Gustkey
Malcolm Leinwohl
Jennifer MaccollCherokee Elementary
Lori Campos
Laurie Jones-Ritt
Brenda Nelson
Donna Sheber
Anne WaddingtonCheyenne Traditional
Andrea Dersch
Lindsey SaylorCochise Elementary
Tamara Andreas
Patricia Hanlon
Erin Hansen
Rebecca Hirschfeld
Patty Malley
Marina RodriguezCocopah Middle
Karen Brisbane *
Danette Imafidon *
Tristin Miller
Cathy SaranieroCopper Ridge K-8
Kimberly Vallejo
Coronado
Joseph Olney, Assistant Principal
Desert Canyon Elementary
Tammy Kohli
Nancy Cavenaugh Laak
Katheryn Honeycutt
Curtis Robinson *
Julie Sparks *Desert Canyon Middle
Kelly O'Rourke
Heather Robinson
Shannon Stapley **Desert Mountain High
Laura Kamka
Thomas RoxboroughHohokam/Yavapai Elementary
Rachel Mazzullo
(shared with Navajo, Pima & Pueblo)
Brianna Maxwell
Jessica ValenciaHopi Elementary
Diana Bode
Emily Deck
Jennifer Fox
Nicole Packer
Deborah Voris
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Ingleside MS
Jena Krahl
Susan Leonard
Karen Savittieri
Wesley WagnerKiva Elementary
Sheila Fullerton
Ashley SoriceLaguna Elementary
Jennifer Bethke
Abbey Bobbett *
Linda Graham
Debra Hawkins
Carrie Miller
Stephanie Shamy *
Robin WynneMohave Middle
Bert te Velde *
Navajo Elementary
Rachel Mazzullo
(shared with Hohokam/Yavapai, Pima & Pueblo)
Cristi YoungkinPima Traditional
Rachel Mazzullo
(shared with Hohokam/Yavapai, Navajo & Pueblo)
Christina SmithPueblo Elementary
Alicia Majercin
Rachel Mazzullo
(shared with Hohokam/Yavapai, Navajo & Pima)Redfield Elementary
Kelly Acridge *
Darci Aronson
Megan Kraatz
Jill Schadt
Cathy Skinner
Kelly VandeheuvelSaguaro HS
Ashley Crose
Tammy DiasSequoya Elementary
Judith Droz
Karen Wiebel *Scottsdale Online
Jennifer Antrim *
Erin Hansen *
Cathy SaranieroSUSD District Office
Diane Murphy, Teaching and Learning
Tavan Elementary
LeeAnn Holt
Tonalea K-8
Joy Funk
Kim Keck
Michelle Piazza
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* These teachers' certifications have been renewed for 2022
** This teacher is newly certified in 2022