The Benefits

Make the Committment to Accomplished Teaching: Become a National Board Certified Teacher

Are there National Board Certified Teachers in your school? If so, join them and teachers nationwide who have taken their careers to the next level. If there are no NBCTs in your school, be the first.

National Board Certification is part of the growing education reform movement that is advancing student learning, improving teaching and making schools better. Teachers who achieve National Board Certification have met high standards through study, expert evaluation, self-assessment and peer review.

District and state officials know NBCTs make a positive difference in student learning. They also know NBCTs are powerful teacher leaders who help advance agendas for school improvement. A Congressionally-mandated report by the highly respected National Research Council found that National Board Certification has a positive impact on student achievement, teacher retention and professional development.

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards invites you to support or join the ranks of the nation’s most accomplished teachers who help students develop the skills necessary to thrive in school, in the workplace and in the 21st century global economy.

National Board Certification

• Strengthens practice. Research shows candidates demonstrate significant improvement in their teaching practice. Teachers who achieve certification have been assessed against the nation’s highest advanced teaching standards.
• Helps students succeed. Research documents that students taught by NBCTs make higher gains on achievement tests than students taught by non-NBCTs.
• Demonstrates leadership skills. In a 2007 study, 80 percent of NBCTs say other educators look to them for leadership, mentoring and coaching.
• Helps expand influence and expertise. Research reports that many NBCTs positively impact curricular decisions, chair departments and serve as faculty voices to policymakers and other stakeholders.
• Advances careers. Certification provides routes for NBCTs to advance as master teachers, school leaders and mentors without leaving the classroom.
• Provides portability. Many states recognize National Board Certification as sufficient proof for state licensure, allowing movement from state to state.
• Offers higher salary potential. Many states and hundreds of local districts offer salary incentives for teachers who certify.
• Enhances education. Certification contributes to Continuing Education Units. Many higher-education institutions give NBCTs graduate credits for completing National Board Certification.
• Meets most states’ definition of “highly qualified teacher” under NCLB.