PIERRE - The state Education Department says 10 South Dakota classroom teachers were among the nearly 4,980 teachers nationwide who achieved National Board Certification last year.

That brings the total number of South Dakota teachers to earn the recognition to 99.

State Education Secretary Melody Schopp says the national certification demonstrates the teachers are committed to student learning and their own growth as teachers.

Schopp says it takes a teacher up to three years to complete the national certification process. She says teachers who are National Board Certified demonstrate advanced teaching knowledge, skills and practices similar to the certifications earned by experts in law and medicine.

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