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Education Specialists Convene to Validate American Board’s

WASHINGTON, DC (October 15, 2004) — The American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (American Board) recently assembled 29 distinguished judges from throughout the United States to validate the American Board’s certification exam. During the four-day study each judge participated in a rigorous process that included a thorough content and statistical review of all test items in the Passport to TeachingSM certification examinations and assessment of the knowledge and skills required to successfully pass the exams.

A passing score indicates the candidate has the requisite knowledge and skills to receive certification and enter the teaching profession. The American Board certification process is based on nationally recognized education standards.

“We are pleased to have the support and dedication of these talented educators to help us validate our standards setting process,” said Kathleen Madigan, president of the American Board. “Their ability to effectively judge test material content applicable to our standards and research-based approach underscores the thoroughness and high quality of each candidate’s preparation.”

Targeting mid-career changers, recent college graduates and teachers seeking certification, the American Board’s Passport to TeachingSM offers an alternative route for qualified individuals to join the teaching field. Candidates must complete a standards-based process which includes a preassessment; development and completion of an individualized learning plan with an advisor. The process culminates when the candidate passes two teaching examinations, one dealing with the prospective teacher’s knowledge of his/her subject, and the other probing knowledge of professional teaching. Teachers earning American Board certification will be able to transfer their credentials easily among the states that adopt the American Board. Currently, Pennsylvania, Idaho and Florida have approved the American Board program.

About the American Board

The American Board addresses the need to place a highly qualified teacher in every classroom. Through assessments of rigorous standards in professional teaching and subject area knowledge, the American Board offers a new approach to certification that helps states identify qualified individuals with the knowledge to impact student academic achievement.

The American Board is recognized as approved provider of teacher certification in the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The recently released Teaching Commission report, Teaching at Risk: A Call to Action cited the American Board’s program as a promising and innovative model for testing and certification. The American Board was recently recognized by Secretary Paige as an innovative new option for teacher certification in “Meeting the Highly Qualified Teachers Challenge,” The Secretary’s Second Annual Report on Teacher Quality, July 2003 and also in the U.S. Department of Education Toolkit for Teachers, September 2003.

Validation Study Judges Michelle Anderson Edmond, OK Susan Battershell Chickasha, OK Esther Bell Shawnee, OK Walter Chadwick New York, NY George Cunningham Louisville, KY Sandra Cupp Cookeville, TN Peg DeBoer Elkhart, IN Holly Dunsmore White Bear Lake, MN Cheryl Ellis Charlotte, NC Charmaine Juneau Gonzalez, LA Julie Krch Ely, NV Paula Laney St. James, MO Jason Leon New York, NY Valyncia Lindsay Washington, DC Elizabeth McCorry Mishawaka, IN Nora Miller Wakefield, LA Linda Montgomery Warren, AR Justin O’Brien New York, NY Margaret Price Boulder, CO William Proser Coeur d’Alene, ID Shelly Reid Lubbock, TX Aletha Rogers Topeka, KS Harold Schenbly Mesa, AZ Regina Simmons Maple Valley, WA Donna Sloan Cookeville, TN Mary Lou Terry Cedar Park, TX Jill Thomas Charlotte, NC Cheryl Walton Liberty, MO

To learn more about the American Board visit http://abcte.org/.