What is National Board Certification?

National Board Certification is a symbol of teaching excellence. A voluntary process established by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), it is achieved through a rigorous performance-based assessment that takes nearly a year to complete. Through the assessment process, teachers document their subject matter knowledge, provide evidence that they know how to teach their subjects to students effectively, and demonstrate their ability to manage and measure student learning.

What does National Board Certification do?

National Board Certification measures a teacher’s practice against these high and rigorous standards. The process is an extensive series of performance-based assessments that includes teaching portfolios, student work samples, videotapes and thorough analyses of the candidates’ classroom teaching and student learning. Teachers also complete a series of written exercises that probe the depth of their subject-matter knowledge, as well as their understanding of how to teach those subjects to their students.

What does National Board Certification say about a teacher's teaching?

National Board Certification is a credential attesting that a teacher has been judged by peers as one who is accomplished; makes sound professional judgments about student learning; and acts effectively on those judgments. National Board Certified Teachers demonstrate a high level of knowledge, skills, dispositions and commitments reflected in the National Board’s Five Core Propositions:

* 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

Click here to visit the National Board official website

Click here to find out about National Board Certification in Washington County Public Schools