National Board Certified Teacher

Issued by National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

The 128,000+ National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) have proven that they teach to the highest standards in the profession and consistently reflect on their teaching practice to have a measurable impact on student learning. NBCTs are teacher leaders and advocates for the profession.

Type Certification
Level Advanced
Time Years

Additional Details

Skills

Earning Criteria

Educators go through a performance-based, peer-reviewed series of four assessment components which can be done in any combination or order and initially completed in a 1-3 year time period.
Component 1 Content Knowledge: demonstrate an understanding of content knowledge and pedagogical practices for teaching in content area in computer based assessment.
Component 2 Differentiation in Instruction: Gather and analyze information about individual students’ strengths and needs and use that information to design and implement instruction to advance student learning and achievement. Submit portfolio.
Component 3 Teaching Practice and Learning Environment: Record video interactions between teacher and students. Provide written commentary describing, analyzing and reflecting on the teaching and interactions with students. Submit video(s) and portfolio.
Component 4 Effective and Reflective Practitioner: Demonstrate evidence of abilities as an effective and reflective practitioner in developing and applying knowledge of students, in using assessments to effectively plan for and positively impact students’ learning; and in collaboration to advance students’ learning and growth. Submit portfolio.

Standards

National Board Certificate Area Standards

National Board Standards define what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do in 25 certificate areas covering 16 different subject areas and four developmental levels. Working with these standards helps educators define what good practice is and help identify the elements in teaching that define accomplished teaching.

What Teachers Should Know and Be Able to Do

What Teachers Should Know and Be Able to Do articulates the National Board’s Five Core Propositions for teaching. The Five Core Propositions — comparable to medicine’s Hippocratic Oath — set forth the profession’s vision for accomplished teaching.