Press Room

Michelle Gilmer, teacher of mathematics and 2011 ABCTE South Carolina Teacher of the Year, will be honored at the South Carolina State Board meeting in Columbia on Thursday, Oct. 13 at 1 p.m.

ABCTE Teacher of the Year is an annual competition where ABCTE teacher alumni from each state are nominated for the award by their principals and compete for online votes from the education community.

“It has always been my dream to be a math teacher,” said Gilmer, who left a lucrative career in engineering for a new career path in the classroom. “I hope to utilize my work experience by bringing real-world mathematics applications to the classroom.”

“Ms. Gilmer may be newer to the profession but if you saw her teach you would think she has been challenging minds for 15 years,” said Pendleton Principal Heather Gordon after nominating Gilmer for the award. “She has a kind, sincere and comedic personality that enables her to make math exciting to students of all ability levels.”

Gilmer is now one of six finalists competing for the ABCTE National Teacher of the Year award. The national winner will be selected by ABCTE senior staff. Interviews will be led by ABCTE Chief Executive Officer Shawn McCollough and will cover professional development, student achievement and instructional design and delivery. The national winner is scheduled to be announced by winter break 2011 and will be honored at an award ceremony hosted by the US Department of Education.

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This April, the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE) will visit four states to host free, live information sessions about its online teacher certification program.
The information sessions will include a 45 minute to one hour-long introduction to the program and offer an opportunity to have questions answered in-person by members of the ABCTE staff.

Idaho
April 12th through April 14th, 2011
Idaho Falls, Nampa and Boise

Florida
April 13th through April 16th, 2011
Coral Springs, Hollywood and Miami

Missouri
April 19th through April 21st, 2011
Shrewsbury, St. Ann and Clayton

South Carolina
April 18th, 26th and 28th
Florence, Sumter and Chesterfield

To register for an upcoming event or to view a list of all upcoming ABCTE events please go to: http://www.abcte.org/teach/events

About ABCTE
The American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence is a non-profit organization that offers an innovative teacher preparation and certification program for highly knowledgeable individuals who want to change careers and become teachers. ABCTE is accepted as a route to teacher certification in Florida and ten other states and has certified over 3,000 new potential teachers through the program.

Candidates for ABCTE certification must hold a bachelor’s degree in any subject area and pass a background check, an examination in teaching knowledge and an examination in the subject area they want to teach. Candidates are not required to take additional college courses in order to earn a teaching certificate.

For more information about ABCTE, please visit www.abcte.org

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Washington, D.C. — In February, 2011, the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE) received confirmation from the Nevada Department of Education of ABCTE’s ability to help certify new teachers in Nevada. “We are excited to have the opportunity to work with the Nevada Department of Education and local school districts to certify new teachers through our ground-breaking program,” said Shawn McCollough, ABCTE Chief Executive Officer.

Confirmation of the program’s acceptance from the Nevada Department of Education came after the December, 2010 Commission on Professional Standards meeting, in which ABCTE was recognized in the “Alternative Teacher Certification, A State-by-State Analysis” as an approved out-of-state provider, and the Office of Teacher Licensure was granted the flexibility to analyze ARL program completer’s documentation on a case-by-case basis if their specific program was not identified in the guide. “Teacher certification is a very important issue to me and I am happy to see the Department of Education recognizing ABCTE as a route to certification in Nevada. We need to look at innovated ways to recruit career changers into the field of education to help fill positions in hard to staff subject areas and communities and I believe that ABCTE is a great program to do just that,” said, Senator Barbara Cegavske, Clark County.

The American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE) is a non-profit organization, dedicated to recruiting, preparing, certifying and supporting dedicated professionals to improve student achievement through quality teaching. ABCTE offers an innovative teacher preparation and certification program for highly knowledgeable individuals who want to change careers and become teachers without having to take additional college coursework. The ABCTE certification is accepted as a route to teacher certification in Nevada and ten other states.

A bachelor’s degree is required for acceptance into the program and participants must pass a background check before earning their certification. Candidates enrolled in the program must demonstrate mastery on rigorous examinations that cover both professional teaching knowledge and subject area knowledge. Done almost entirely online, the program gives candidates the flexibility to work towards earning their certification on their own time, with the average candidate taking 8 to 10 months to complete the ABCTE program. In Nevada, new ABCTE teacher candidates will also be required to pass three state required competency tests before becoming eligible for a Nevada Conditional Special Qualifications License, unless the candidate is eligible for an exemption.

ABCTE will be hosting a program launch event on March 29th, 2011, in Carson City, to discuss the program and to thank the various state and education leaders who ultimately worked to finalize ABCTE’s acceptance in the state.
On March 29th through March 31st, the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE) will hold live information sessions about its online teaching certification program in Reno and the Las Vegas area. These events are free and open to the public.
The information sessions will include a 45 minute to one hour-long introduction to the program and offer an opportunity to have questions answered in-person by members of the ABCTE staff.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Evelyn Mount Northeast Community Center
Tuscarura Room
1301 Valley Road
Reno, NV 89512
6:00 PM

Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Doolittle Community Center
1950 North J Street
N. Las Vegas, NV 89106
6:00 PM

Thursday, March 31, 2011
Whitney Ranch Community Center
1575 Galleria Dr
Henderson, NV 89014
6:00 PM

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