8 Midway Teachers Earn National Board Certification Raising District Total to 13

Eight Midway ISD teachers recently achieved the highest credential available in the teaching profession. As National Board Certified Teachers, they join the ranks of only 3% of teachers nationwide and less than 1% of Texas teachers to achieve certification.

Vanessa Dulock, Annie Jones, Susan Jones, Kristin Kegley, Ben Kosarek, Nancy Patel, Molly Sanders, and Valerie Taylor are just the latest group to go through Midway’s NBCT cohort program, which the district started in 2020.

“Midway has been proactive in supporting our educators through the National Board Certification journey,” Midway ISD Director of Secondary Education and National Board Facilitator Dr. Lorri Sapp said. “The district initiated the first internally-led cohort in the state of Texas to assist our National Board candidates.”

Midway ISD remains one of the only school districts in Texas with its own in-house National Board Certified Teacher program. National certification is one of two pathways to the Teacher Incentive Allotment, which allows effective educators to earn higher salaries.

“Our district wants to provide equal and ample opportunity for Midway teachers to benefit from the Teacher Incentive Allotment program,” Midway ISD Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Dr. Ashley Canuteson said. “Any of our teachers are eligible for the National Board process, and having our own internally-led cohort opens up access for our teachers right here in Midway ISD.”

Midway ISD’s NBCT cohort program operates at the district level and pairs participants with experienced mentors—fellow Midway teachers who are already National Board Certified—to guide them through the certification process and facilitate peer collaboration with other members of the cohort.

“The National Board process typically spans multiple years requiring in-depth assessments and portfolio entries demonstrating an impact on student learning,” Midway ISD Mentor Coordinator and National Board Facilitator Kathleen Minshew said. “Being able to provide this high level of support and offset the certification cost is key to making National Board attainable for Midway teachers.”