Impact of National Board Certification

Impact of National Board Certification on
Teacher Practice & Schools

Research is consistently positive about the impact of National Board Certification on improvements to teacher practice, professional development and areas of school improvement that are critical to raising student achievement. For example:

• NBCTs consistently outperform their peers in knowledge of subject matter, ability to adapt instruction and ability to create challenging and engaging lessons:
  - L. Bond, University of North Carolina, Greensboro
• National Board Certification is more effective and cost-effective than other professional development methods:
  - C. Cohen, The Finance Project
• Teachers who pursue National Board Certification show significant improvements in their teaching practices, regardless of whether they achieved certification:
  - D. Lustick, Michigan State University 
• NBPTS demonstrates greater influence on teacher mentoring, leadership, team-building, professional development and evaluation, curriculum development, efficacy and overall school leadership:
  - M. Freund, George Washington University, 
  - T. Petty, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 

The Bottom Line: Impact on Student Achievement

Independent studies show students of NBCTs do better on standardized tests than students of non-NBCTs. For example.

• Students of NBCTs score 7 to 15 percentage points higher on year-end tests than students of non-NBCTs. NBCTs were particularly effective with minority students:
  - D. Goldhaber, University of Washington
• In 48 comparisons (4 grades, 4 years of data, 3 measures of academic performance), students of NBCTs surpassed students of non-NBCTs in almost three-quarters of the comparisons. The learning gains were equivalent (on average) to spending about  an extra month in school:
  - L. Vandevoort, Arizona State University 
• More math NBCTs helped their students achieve greater testing gains in 9th and 10th grades than their non-certified colleagues—demonstrating particular benefits among special needs students and African-American and Hispanic students:
  - L. Cavalluzzo, The CNA Corporation
• Students of NBCTs exhibit deeper learning outcomes more frequently than students of non-NBCTs:
  - T. Smith, Appalachian State University

Aiding Our Understanding of the Process

Other studies reveal mixed effects regarding National Board Certification. For example, several research studies conducted by W. Sanders, SAS Institute; W. McColskey and J. Stronge, University of North Carolina, Greensboro and The College of  William and Mary; and D. Harris and T. Sass, Florida State University; indicated that students of NBCTs did not demonstrate significantly better rates of academic progress as compared to students of non-NBCTs.

Yet the data from these studies also reveal:

• NBCTs accounted for significant differences for students by certain grades and subject areas:
  - W. Sanders, SAS Institute
• NBCTs showed strong performance in practice-related areas such as graduate coursework, student assignments and quality of planning practices:
  - W. McColskey and J. Stronge, University of North Carolina, Greensboro and The College of William and Mary 

• NBCT certification provides a positive signal of teacher productivity in some cases:
  - D. Harris and T. Sass, Florida State University 
   

All of the research contributes to understanding and improving the National Board Certification process. Yet, it is misleading to draw major conclusions about the overall value and impact of National Board Certification based solely on individual studies. No single study or small group of studies can effectively describe the range of impact of the National Board Certification process.

Browse Research Studies

Get more information about NBPTS research: Browse studies.