Mililani Teachers Are Nationally Certified

Three Mililani public schoolteachers recently joined the nationally certified ranks, helping to keep Hawaii’s reputation of having the fastest-growing number of NBPTS-certified educators in the nation.

Local qualifiers include Lance Fujioka of Mililani Uka Elementary, Andrea Kubo-Nakasone of Mililani Waena Elementary and Kaiewa Muranaka of Mililani High School.

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 teach ing.

They also submitted written exercises of their subject content knowledge to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards — 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.”