Belinda Tillery of Cedar Bluff School is among the 147 Alabama teachers who have achieved the teaching profession's highest standards during the 2005 school year, creating a record number of teachers in the state with National Board Certification.

The addition of the 2005 class brings the total number of Alabama teachers, who are certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), to 930.

Tillery is certified in mathematices and early adolescence. Her certification expires Nov. 18, 2015.

Alabama's financial commitment to the program provides money to pay application fees for the first 100 applicants and a $5,000 annual salary increase for teachers achieving National Board Certification.

``Working hard to become National Board Certified exhibits a dedication to student learning and upholds high standards for the teaching profession,'' said State Superintendent of Education Joe Morton. ``By using their expertise, NBCTs are making positive changes in the classroom, school systems, and education communities.''

National Board Certification, developed by teachers, with teachers, and for teachers, is a symbol of professional teaching excellence. Offered on a voluntary basis, it complements, not replaces, state licensing. While state licensing systems set entry-level standards for beginning teachers, National Board Certification has established advanced standards for experienced teachers.

New research shows NBCTs use more effective teaching strategies than teachers who are not National Board Certified. The report, Investigating the Classroom Assessment Literacy of National Board Certified Teachers released in July 2005, was conducted by a team of researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Western Region Education Service Alliance, and the Assessment Training Institute. Data reflect that student assessments used by NBCT teachers yielded results more closely tied to learning goals than the work of non-NBCTs.

Margaret Petty, 2005 Alabama Teacher of the Year says gaining National Board Certification was not an easy undertaking. ``The process of becoming a national board certified teacher required three intense years of hard work. Yes, I am one of those teachers who did not meet the required score not just once, but twice,'' said Petty. ``I began the process in 2002 and met the standard in 2004 and although the process was grueling, I am so glad that I went for it because it has taught me so much. I am now more focused on my instruction and using assessment results to determine what to teach next. This method of professional development brought out the best in me as a teacher and caused me to settle for nothing short of what my students truly have a right to expect - professional standards lived out in the classroom on a daily basis.''

The NBPTS, celebrating its 18th anniversary, was founded in 1987 as an independent, non-profit, non-partisan and non-governmental organization. Its mission is to establish high and rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do and to raise the level of teaching excellence in classrooms across America. The NBPTS hopes to reach a goal of 250,000 NBCTs by its 25th anniversary