National Board Certification is a national voluntary certification process that establishes what accomplished teachers know and are able to do. It is an assessment based on national standards developed with input from classroom teachers about what skilled professionals are able to accomplish in our nation’s classrooms. It is a voluntary, high caliber process of professional development for teachers. Teachers typically spend one to three years pursuing the process, which involves videotaping and writing about their teaching. Teachers are evaluated in light of national standards developed by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. The certification lasts ten years and can be renewed.
There are 25 certificates offered in 16 subject areas. A teacher can become certified in a specific age and subject category such as Early Childhood-Generalist or Adolescence Science. There are a total of ten parts to the process: four written portfolio entries and six assessment center exercises. Two of the portfolio entries require a video and one usually asks for some kind of student work analysis. The fourth portfolio entry requires documentation of teacher accomplishments as a learner, collaborator and partner with the community. The six assessment center entries are computer based, differ by certificate area, and involve teacher content knowledge.
