National Board Certification

Accept the Challenge and Get the Recognition You Deserve...
...Become a National Board Certified Teacher!

Why become a National Board Certification teacher?

Who is eligible for National Board Certification?

What is the process for certification?

What does it cost?

What is the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards?

Contact information
For more information, visit the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Web site at www.nbpts.org or call WEA's Professional Issues Director at 800.442.2395 x 116.

Why become a National Board Certified teacher ?

National Board Certification allows teachers to be recognized for their highly accomplished teaching practices. National Board Certification stimulates teachers to evaluate, reflect and grow as professional educators.

Who is eligible for National Board Certification?

Any individual who:

Holds a baccalaureate degree,

Has taught for at least three years, and

Holds a valid state teaching license for the area in which he/she is teaching.

What is the process for certification?

National Board candidates go through a two-part assessment that is based on the National Board standards and reflects a variety of teaching situations. The candidate compiles a classroom performance portfolio that includes student work, videotapes, and other teaching exhibits. The portfolio includes commentaries about the goals and purposes of instruction and reflections on what occurred, the effectiveness of the practice, and the rationale for professional decisions. All entries are designed to help the candidate show evidence that he/she has met the standards in the classroom. The candidate participates in exercises at a National Board Assessment Center. These exercises complement the portfolio and are organized around challenging teaching issues. The entire process occurs over most of the school year, taking approximately 200 hours or more.

What does it cost?

The current application fee is $2,500 plus a $65 nonrefundable processing charge. In Wyoming, however, funding is available to help offset the cost of the assessment fee. This funding is made possible through a Federal Subsidy grant from the United States Department of Education, the Wyoming Legislature and private funding partners. Click here for details.

What is the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards?

The NBPTS board of directors, composed primarily of educators, has developed a system of advanced standards and assessments organized around 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.

NBPTS is developing advanced standards based on these propositions in more than 30 certification fields. Each set of standards represents consensus in the certification field of what makes an accomplished teacher. With the 25 certificates currently offered, most educators have a certificate available in their subject area or level of student development.