The National Board Resource Center (NBRC) celebrates the National Board Class of 2021 and the 153 new Illinois National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) who achieved certification per the December 11 score release, as well as the 258 Illinois teachers who renewed their National Board certification through Maintenance of Certification.
These individuals join a growing community of board-certified teachers—now more than 7,000 strong in Illinois. Each of these accomplished educators earned the profession’s highest mark of achievement through a rigorous, performance-based, peer-review process, which demonstrated their proven impact on student learning and achievement.
In an address honoring Illinois NBCTs last April, Governor J. B. Pritzker praised these dedicated educators.
“Your tremendous achievement means you’re setting a higher standard for all teachers and providing expert instruction for our students,” Pritzker said. “It also further cements Illinois as a national leader in providing a quality education to our young learners.”
The governor went on to thank all NBCTs for their perseverance during these difficult times.
“Throughout this pandemic, it’s our teachers who have continued to go above and beyond,” he said. “And, those incredible efforts most certainly deserve our recognition. I take great pride in the fact that we have such devoted, creative, and passionate educators from every corner of our state.”
In addition to the new NBCTs, hundreds of teachers are currently pursuing board certification in Illinois. An increasing number of states and districts support growing the number of board-certified teachers because of the positive impact they see on teachers and students.
