Sussex Academy educators extol national certification process

During National Board Certified Teacher Week in January, Sussex Academy teachers who have achieved the standard said the certification process is rigorous and rewarding.

NBCT Week highlights the impact, leadership and expertise of educators who have earned certification through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

Dr. Nicole Turgeon-Williams, who teaches AP psychology and both honors and AP U.S. history, earned her 10-year NBCT certification in Social Studies-History/Adolescent & Young Adult in 2013. “I did the entire portfolio in a single year, as that was the only option provided at the time,” Turgeon-Williams said, noting she achieved Maintenance of Certification in 2022, extending her NBCT status through Dec. 31, 2028.

After achieving national certification, Turgeon-Williams served as a cohort leader in Arlington, Va., where she helped other teachers on their way to achieving certification. 

“I often refer to the year-long intensive NBCT process as doing a second master’s degree in a single year,” she said. “I learned so much and grew exponentially as an educator through both my NBCT and MOC processes.”

High school biology teacher Jenni Couch just earned her NBCT in Science-Adolescence and Young Adulthood/Biology in December 2025, after a two-year process that involved a computer-based assessment of biology and basic science content knowledge, along with three portfolio entries. 

Portfolios required classroom-based evidence including student work samples, instructional planning, evidence of collaboration with colleagues, administration and community members, video recordings of teaching, and multiple reflective analyses demonstrating accomplished practice.

“By far, earning this certification was the most rigorous and rewarding work I have completed so far in my teaching career,” Couch said. “National certification is the highest and most rigorous certification any teacher can earn. Seeing that other teachers have gone through the process might encourage or inspire others to do the same.” 

Spanish teacher Cameron Smith is currently pursuing certification in Early Adolescence Through Young Adulthood/World Languages (Spanish). He has successfully completed the Language Proficiency Portion and Component 2, Differentiation and Instruction.

“I'm working on Components 1, 3 and 4 this year and will submit by May,” he said. “If successful, I will become an NBCT in December of 2026.”

Sussex Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Georgetown.