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NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION

C H I C A G O

Because great teachers make great schools

About National Board Certification

National Board Certification (NBC), a national symbol of excellence in teaching awarded by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), can be earned by teachers whose practice is formally demonstrated and measured against high and rigorous standards.

A National Board Certificate attests to the fact that a teacher has been assessed by his/her peers and determined to be an accomplished professional who makes sound professional judgments about student learning and acts effectively upon those judgments.

The advanced NBC system is voluntary and complements, but does not replace, state licensing. The Master Teacher Certificate is a professional certification used by Illinois as an option for advanced licensing status.

Equally important, NBC 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. Overwhelmingly, National Board Certified Teachers say the ultimate result is improved student learning.

Candidates achieve NBC status if they meet or exceed NBPTS Standards by demonstrating mastery of those standards in portfolio entries and assessment center exercises:

	Portfolio Entries
	Candidates are required to submit four portfolio entries. Three are classroom based, where video recordings and examples of student work serve as supporting documentation. A fourth entry relates to the candidate's accomplishments outside of the classroom - with families, the community or colleagues - and how these outside activities positively impact student learning.
	Assessment Center Exercises
	Candidates must also demonstrate content knowledge in response to six exercises developed for their chosen certificate areas. Each candidate will have up to 30 minutes to complete each exercise. Assessments are administered at over 300 computer-based testing centers across the United States, several of which are in the Chicago area.

For more information about the NBC Process, visit the NBPTS site at: www.nbpts.org.

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