LAHAINA – Beth Fobbe-Wills and Haley van Weemen van Noord, teachers at Lahaina Intermediate School, recently achieved National Board Certification through a rigorous, performance-based peer-review process.

Similar to board certification in professions such as medicine and architecture, National Board Certification is the highest mark of accomplishment in teaching.

“Every day, teachers go into classrooms with the knowledge, skills and commitment to do work that is arguably the most complex and unpredictable that anyone does anywhere,” said Ronald Thorpe, president and CEO of the National Board.

“In achieving National Board Certification, Beth Fobbe-Wills and Haley van Weemen van Noord have not only demonstrated the ability to advance student learning in deep and meaningful ways, they have met the profession’s definition of what it means to be accomplished.

“That is significant, because only those within a profession – the practitioners – can legitimately define the key terms of the profession.”

Saluting the newest class, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said, “As our nation’s most accomplished educators, National Board-Certified teachers are well-positioned to move our students, workforce and country forward.”

To date, more than 106,000 teachers across the country have achieved board certification.