INFORMATIONAL

  Teachers interested in learning more about National Board
  Certification are invited to attend a regional one-day drive-in
  workshop during the month of July.  A complete list of
  workshop dates and locations is attached. If you have teachers
  who are interested in participating in one of these workshops,
  please have them complete the attached form and return it to
  Sandra Aldrich, Teacher Education Development Specialist,
  Department of Education, by June 30, 1998.

  During the 1998 General Assembly session, funding was
  appropriated to continue the incentive grant program for
  teachers seeking certification from the National Board for
  Professional Teaching Standards. This funding provides $1,000
  grants to pay half of the $2,000 application fee.  In addition
  to the General Assembly funding, the Virginia Department of
  Education has received a Candidate Subsidy Grant from the
  National Board which will fund the remaining $1,000 per
  applicant.

  The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, was
  created in 1987. It is a voluntary certification process for
  teachers and is designed to complement, not replace, initial
  state licensure. Individuals interested in seeking National
  Board Certification must have an earned baccalaureate degree
  from an accredited institution, have completed three years'
  teaching experience, and be employed as a teacher in Virginia. 
  You may  contact Sandra Aldrich  at (804) 225-2096 for further
  information regarding National Board Certification and the
  workshops. 

  PDS/sa

  Attachment:  A hard copy of this memo and its attachment
               will be sent to the superintendent's office