National Board Certification, offered by National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) is a demonstration of a candidate's teaching practice as measured against high and rigorous standards.  It is a symbol of commitment to excellence in teaching.  When a teacher achieves National Board Certification, it's a credential attesting to the fact that a teacher has been assessed by his or her peers as one who is accomplished, makes sound professional judgments about student learning and acts effectively on those judgments. 

Should you decide to participate in the National Board Certification process, you would be joining thousands of educators in an effort to improve student learning, to reshape the public's perception of teaching, to create more professional relationships among teachers, and to advance the knowledge base of teaching.  National Board Certification was created so that teachers--like professionals in other fields--can achieve distinction by demonstrating that they meet high standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do.  Candidates achieve National Board Certification if they meet or exceed NBPTS Standards by demonstrating their knowledge through portfolio entries and assessment center exercises.  

According to the NBPTS Research Report of November, 2001, the process has many positive effects on teachers, schools, and communities.  National Board Certification is a means to professional growth and improvement.  Candidates describe the process as a way to deepen subject matter knowledge and become more skillful in daily classroom instruction and student assessment.  They say the ultimate result is improved student learning. 

The five core propositions of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification are as follows:

• Teachers are committed to students and their learning.

• Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students.

• Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning.

• Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience.

• Teachers are members of learning communities.