Standards

At the core of the National Board Certification process are standards that describe the highest level of teaching in different disciplines and with students at different developmental levels. These standards represent a consensus among accomplished teachers and other education experts about what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do.

The Standards are centered on five core propositions that express the effectiveness, knowledge, skills, dispositions, and commitments of the accomplished teacher:

• 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.

The standards are written over a period of approximately 18 months by committees of accomplished teachers as well as administrators and other scholars selected through a national search. Drafts of the standards are widely reviewed by outstanding teachers and scholars, pertinent associations, and members of the non-teaching public. In addition, a working group of the NBPTS Board of Directors (a majority of whom are classroom teachers) reviews all standards documents twice during their development and is responsible for approving the documents for publication.

The practicing teachers and teacher educators who write and review the NBPTS standards make sure that the standards are rigorous but attainable and realistic. The standards for every field emphasize the importance of creating learning environments that offer all students an equal opportunity to learn. They also take into account the effect of differences in students' developmental levels and backgrounds on teachers' practice. The standards are designed to accommodate the variety of settings in which teachers work, reflect the reality of a range of teaching circumstances, and describe the multiple approaches teachers might take to reach curricular and pedagogical objectives.

Each set of standards is developed in the same way and cross-checked with others. This process ensures compatibility in the overall expectations being set for teachers from field to field.

As part of the assessment process, candidates for National Board Certification are asked to provide clear and consistent evidence of their adherence to the NBPTS standards in their daily teaching. Because the assessment is based on the NBPTS standards, becoming familiar with the standards and learning to put them into action in the classroom is the best way candidates can prepare for the assessment process.

The NBPTS standards are the only criteria by which candidates for National Board Certification are assessed. The assessment questions contain the language of the standards, as do the rubrics for scoring the assessments. NBPTS assessors are trained to evaluate candidates on the basis of their ability to meet the standards in their daily practice.

Yes, the NBPTS standards codify the knowledge base of the accomplished teacher and draw attention to the many factors that contribute to accomplished practice. Even teachers who are not immediately interested in pursuing National Board Certification can benefit from studying and applying the standards to their own practices.

Many organizations support the work of NBPTS, including American Association of School Administrators (AASA), the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), the National School Boards Association (NSBA), and the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE). In addition, nearly 40 states and numerous localities have adopted legislation that provides support or incentives for teachers who pursue or achieve National Board Certification.

Periodically, each standards document undergoes a rigorous review process to bring it up to date with current research, pedagogy, technology, and classroom realities. Standards documents may be updated by a panel of educators or by a standards committee assembled especially for the revision. Revised standards documents are circulated for public critique and must be adopted by the NBPTS Board of Directors before being published.