IMSA Faculty Members Receive "Master Teacher" Status
Nearly 30% Of Faculty Now NBPTS-Certified
For Immediate Release, November 2005
For comment, contact Brenda Buschbacher at
(630) 907-5033
AURORA — Three members of the faculty at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy® (IMSA) have successfully completed all of the requirements to receive certification with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). Nearly 30% of the IMSA faculty are nationally certified through the program.
The three teachers are English faculty Margaret Cain of Westmont, World Languages/French faculty Brenda Crosby of Downers Grove, and Science/Physics faculty Dr. Mark Horrell of Millbrook. These teachers are among 7,289 primary and secondary school teachers nationwide to complete the rigorous national certification process that credentials successful candidates as Master Teachers. They join a group of only 1,555 other NBCTs in the state of Illinois.
As part of the National Board Certification® process, the teachers compiled and submitted a teaching portfolio which included videotapes of classroom teaching, lesson plans, student work samples and reflective written commentaries. They also had to complete an assessment involving a series of written exercises designed around challenging teacher issues such as curriculum design, student assessment and content knowledge.
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, founded in 1987, is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan and non-governmental organization dedicated to raising the level of teaching excellence in classrooms throughout America.
The internationally recognized Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy® (IMSA) develops creative, ethical leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. As a teaching and learning laboratory created by the State of Illinois, IMSA enrolls academically talented Illinois students (grades 10-12) in its advanced, residential college preparatory program, and it serves thousands of educators and students in Illinois and beyond through innovative instructional programs that foster imagination and inquiry. IMSA also advances education through research, groundbreaking ventures and strategic partnerships. (www.imsa.edu)