West Teachers Now Nationally Certified

Two West Oahu public schoolteachers recently joined the ranks of nationally certified teachers, helping to maintain Hawaii’s reputation for the fastest-growing number of National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)-certified educators in the nation.

The latest local qualifiers include Alicia Nakamitsu of Aiea High School and Julie Bonilla of Holomua Elementary School in Ewa Beach.

Each candidate underwent a rigorous, peer-reviewed, yearlong series of performance-based assessments that include teaching portfolios, student work samples, videotapes and a thorough analysis of their own classroom teaching.

They also submitted written exercises of their subject content knowledge to NBPTS — standards created by and for teachers, defining what educators should know and be able to do to advance student learning.

In all, 13 private school-teachers and 46 Hawaii DOE teachers achieved certification in 2014.

According to the DOE, research has shown that students of NBPTS-certified teachers “outperform their peers in other classrooms.”