Another 799 South Carolina teachers have joined the ranks of those receiving the highest credential available in the teaching profession. The number was up from 755 teachers in 2008, announced the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

South Carolina now has 7,297 National Board Certified teachers and maintains its third–place national ranking. North Carolina and Florida still rank first and second, respectively. This year marks one of the highest totals of South Carolina new achievers since the state began participating in the program.

National Board Certified teachers now represent approximately 14.5 percent of the state’s teaching force of nearly 50,000. According to the NBPTS, the newly certified teachers are spread among 62 of South Carolina’s 85 school districts and three special schools.

Twenty-nine districts had at least 10 teachers certify, and Horry County led the state with 76. Greenville County followed with 63, and Richland 2 and Lexington 1 had 54 each.

In June 2008, the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academies affirmed that NBPTS and its advanced teacher certification program have had a positive impact on student achievement, teacher retention and professional development. The NRC study found that students taught by National Board Certified Teachers make higher gains on achievement tests than students of non–board–certified teachers.