National Board Certification

The National Board's mission is to advance the quality of teaching and learning by: 

• Maintainging high and rigerous standards for what accomplised teachers should know and be able to do
• Providing a national voluntary system for certifying teachers who meet these standards
• Advocating related education reforms to integrate National Board Certification in American education and to capitalise on the expertise of the National Board of Certified Teachers

Seven Steps to Candidacy

1. Determine your eligibility. Teachers and school counselors can become candidates if they meet the following eligibility requirements: 
     • A baccalaureate degree; 
     • Three years of teaching experience in early childhood, elementary, middle or secondary schools prior to submitting an application; 
     • A valid state teaching license, where required, for each of those three years. Check the NBPTS website for complete eligibility requirements. 

2. Choose your certificate. Review the certificate requirements at www.nbpts.org and choose the certificate area that is appropriate for you. 

3. Review the standards. Go to www.nbpts.org and review the Five Core Propositions and the standards for the certificate area that best reflects your practice. 

4. Make the commitment. Decide if National Board Certification is for you and if you are ready to pursue certification this year. 

5. Familiarize yourself with your state and local application requirements. State and local application and financial aid incentive deadlines vary. Candidates who seek funding from their states need to check state requirements and confirm with their state program administrators before submitting applications to NBPTS. A list of state deadlines is available at www.nbpts.org. 

6. Identify financial resources. Information about subsidy programs, state and local incentives, and the National Board Scholarship Program is available at www.nbpts.org. NEA and AFT members can also apply for low-interest loans to pay their assessment fees. 

7. Complete the application. The application is available at www.nbpts.org. 

Useful Links 
National Board Certification 
National Board Certified Teachers by district (Missouri) 

NBPTS Chat Rooms 
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards main page 
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards graduate credit/ACE page
Missouri DESE site for NBPTS