A Legislators' Guide to Board Certification for Teachers

Education

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Introduction

The research is clear: teaching is the most important school-related factor that determines student success. Without an effective teacher, students fall behind; with a highly effective teacher, students can make significant gains. To meet our goals for every student to be ready for college and career after high school, legislators continuously work to improve the quality of teaching and to ensure every student has access to effective teachers.

State budgets remain tight; state legislators continue to look for policies and practices that are wise investments. National Board certification for teachers is one approach many state legislators consider as a key strategy to strengthen teaching.

National Board Certification, a voluntary advanced professional certification for PreK-12 educators, identifies teaching excellence through a performance based, peer-reviewed assessment.

Other professions ensure a high-quality workforce through board certification, which sets the gold standard for excellence as the expectation for all practitioners. Those professions have each developed a coherent continuum that puts all beginners on the trajectory to board certification. National Board certification is designed to play the same role in anchoring a highly capable teaching workforce.

State legislators want to be armed with reliable information to make the best decisions about limited state resources. This guide provides the latest information about National Board certification so legislators can determine if this is a tool that can help their state improve student achievement and educator effectiveness. Legislators will learn about the certification process, research on the program’s effectiveness, state policies to support and best use the program and examples of successful implementation.

Key Takeaways

National Board Certification for teachers is a voluntary, advanced certification that can be used to strengthen the teaching profession.
Teachers with National Board certification see higher gains in student achievement, particularly among minority and low-income students.
To leverage National Board certification, policymakers can consider building a pipeline to accomplished teaching and National Board Certification, raising teaching standards by investing in National Board Certification, and spreading the expertise of National Board-certified teachers.

Overview: The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and National Board Certification

In 1986, in response to the assessment of the quality of education in America in “A Nation at Risk,” a broad coalition of stakeholders came together to develop solutions that would strengthen education systems. Their report, “A Nation Prepared: Teachers for the 21st Century” called for the formation of a national board as a key strategy for improving the quality of teaching. In 1987, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) was founded.

The National Board’s vision for accomplished teaching is based on 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.

These propositions form the basis for the standards of accomplished teaching.

The NBPTS’ mission is to advance the quality of teaching and learning by:

Maintaining high and rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do.
Providing a national voluntary system to certify teachers who meet these standards.
Advocating related education reforms to integrate National Board certification in American education and to capitalize on the expertise of National Board Certified Teachers.

The National Board worked with master teachers and other education experts to develop standards for accomplished teaching. Based on these standards, the National Board currently offers 25 different certificates across a variety of grade levels and subject areas. This voluntary, advanced certification does not replace teacher licensure awarded by the state. Instead, it complements licensure by offering a rigorous teacher credential that is recognized nationwide.

Board certification consists of four components that collect standards-based evidence of accomplished teaching practice:

Content Knowledge
Differentiation in Instruction
Teaching Practice and Learning Environment
Effective and Reflective Practitioner

Trained teachers in the candidate’s certificate area score the submitted components against professional teaching standards.

In 2015, the National Board revisited the certification process, gathering feedback from National Board-certified teachers and others to learn what worked well and what needed to be improved. This led to a redesign of the certification process to make it more accessible, flexible and affordable. Teachers can complete the process over one to three years at a pace that fits their schedule. They can also pay as they go. The fee was reduced to $1,900, plus a $75 registration fee. Beginning in 2022, NBPTS expanded eligibility so that teachers can begin the process for certification while working to meet the requirement of three years of experience.

Once a candidate passes the assessments, the teacher becomes a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT). The certificate is valid for five years, when a teacher enters the Maintenance of Certification process.

Does it Work: What Does the Research Say?

While many schools, districts and individual teachers attest to the positive impact of board certification, the NBPTS and education researchers have been eager to confirm and measure this success. Legislators, too, are curious about whether this is a wise investment, especially during these fiscally challenging times.

After nearly 20 years of research, the picture is becoming clearer. Over the past decade, research from states across the country has showed that students taught by Board-certified teachers learn more than students taught by other teachers. Estimates of the increase in learning by students of NBCTs are an additional one to two months of instruction. The positive impact of having a National Board-certified teacher is even greater for minority and low-income students.

In a recent multistate survey, nearly 80% of teachers pursuing National Board Certification reported making deliberate changes to their instructional practice to better meet the needs of individual students.

Emerging research has also identified a number of other positive impacts of National Board-certified teachers. Evidence from Kentucky and Chicago finds that National Board certification is an effective signal of teacher quality across locales, test types, and subject areas. This research also found that National Board certification effectively “screens” applicants; in other words, that teachers who achieve National Board certification produce larger student gains when compared to teachers who pursue but do not achieve board certification.

Research shows that students taught by National Board-certified teachers are ahead by one to two months of instruction.

In San Francisco, a study found that students of novice teachers mentored by National Board-certified teachers had significantly higher achievement than students of novice teachers mentored by teachers without National Board certification. Additionally, a Washington study found that NBCTs are significantly more effective than non-NBCTs at facilitating students’ self-efficacy.

National Board Meeting Challenges in Today’s Classroom

Today more than 133,000 teachers are National Board certified nationwide. National Board-certified teachers are teaching in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. These states have the highest percentage of Board-certified teachers: North Carolina (23%), Washington (20%), South Carolina (17%), Mississippi (15%), and Wyoming (12%). Nearly 50% of National Board-certified teachers nationwide are working in Title I eligible schools.

More than 20,000 National Board-certified teachers are teaching math and science at the middle and high school level. Additionally, in order to achieve National Board certification for teaching in the elementary grades, for teaching students with disabilities, or for teaching English Language Learners, teachers must demonstrate the knowledge and skills to teach foundational math and science to students. Nearly 53,000 teachers have achieved National Board certification in these areas. Lastly, more than 5,000 teachers have achieved Board certification in career and technical education.

Board-certified teachers are often leaders in their profession. According to a 2019 survey of National Board-certified teachers, more than 60% of NBCTs have worked or are currently working as a mentor for new teachers, over half have worked or are currently working as a cooperating teacher, 44% have been or are currently department chairs, and 30% have served in staff development roles. Board-certified teachers also serve as principals, superintendents, state government officials, state departments of education staff and college faculty.

However, National Board-certified teachers only represent 3.9% of the teaching profession. In contrast, in medicine over 80% of physicians are board-certified. Medicine achieved this by building a professional continuum, where every step of a physician’s career from the first day of preparation is geared toward eventually reaching the highest level of accomplishment—board certification. Similarly, the National Board is working to anchor National Board certification in a professional career continuum that begins with strong teacher preparation, continues systematically through the novice phase, and leads to accomplished practice and the opportunity to serve in leadership roles. This structure is similar to how other high-performing countries prepare, develop and support their teachers.

The Professional Career Continuum for Teachers

Source: National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

Policy Options for Legislators

For years, state policymakers have recognized the significance of National Board certification as a strategy to strengthen and support the teaching profession. Legislators want the best teachers in the classroom, and many see this as an effective way to get them there. Legislators can leverage National Board certification through three policy priorities:

Build the pipeline to accomplished teaching and National Board certification.
Raise teaching standards by investing in National Board certification.
Spread the expertise of National Board-certified teachers.

Build a Teacher Pipeline

The current teacher pipeline struggles to support teachers to become excellent in their practice. National Board certification can help teachers, parents and policymakers define and determine teaching excellence. It also can provide a clear career trajectory for teachers to reach excellence, similar to doctors, architects and engineers. Board certification can be the gold standard to which new teachers aspire from the moment they enter the profession.

Legislators can consider the following policies related to Board certification to build a strong pipeline:

Support beginning teachers by requiring a new teacher’s development to include a residency year with a reduced teaching load and intense supervision, and by expanding induction programs for novice teachers.
Use National Board certification as a qualification or preference for clinical faculty at teacher preparation programs, cooperating teachers who work with student teachers, and mentors who work with novice teachers.

Invest in Board Certification

Thirty-four states currently encourage teachers to become National Board-certified by providing assistance with application fees and/or financial incentives for achieving certification. Mississippi, for example, offers a $6,000 annual salary increase for the life of certification, and Maryland offers a $10,000 salary increase and coverage of certification fees. Fifteen states offer additional salary to National Board-certified teachers working in high need schools as a way to attract accomplished teachers where they are needed most. California provides $25,000 to National Board-certified teachers working in high need schools in return for five years of service. Many states allow teachers to use National Board certification to achieve the highest or mastery level of state licensure, which often provides for additional salary.

These incentives have been effective. States with the most assistance, support and salary increases have the highest number of board-certified teachers. For example, North Carolina’s teachers receive a 12% salary increase for being National Board-certified and, as a result, approximately 23% of North Carolina’s teachers are Board certified. Washington provides over $5,000 annually and an additional $5,000 for those teaching in high-need schools, with 20% of teachers with National Board certification. In South Carolina, teachers receive a $5,000 stipend for the life of the license and, across the state, 17% of teachers are National Board-certified. Legislators in these states credit their aggressive approach to their success in ensuring that more students in their states have access to these accomplished, highly effective teachers.

State legislators who want to support National Board certification at the state level may wish to consider the following policies to support and encourage teachers to become National Board certified:

Reward and retain accomplished teachers through differentiated pay by embedding compensation increases for National Board-certified teachers into the salary structure, or otherwise offer salary increases for the life of the certificate.
Offer additional salary for National Board-certified teachers who serve in low-performing, hard-to-staff schools.
Provide resources to help teachers with the cost of certification, including allocating state professional development funds for fee reimbursement, making federal funding available to support certification and creating loan programs to cover the cost of fees.
Invest in support programs that provide candidates for National Board certification with mentors and cohort-based support groups.
Strengthen the state licensure system by creating voluntary pathways for teachers who achieve and maintain an active National Board certificate to receive professional or advanced licenses and/or renew their licenses.
Publicly recognize teachers and principals who achieve certification and provide leadership opportunities to leverage their knowledge and skills.
Grant National Board-certified teachers who are licensed in other jurisdictions professional licenses without imposing additional conditions.

Spread the Expertise

One early concern with the program was that National Board-certified teachers often did not spread their expertise to less-effective colleagues and did not become leaders in their profession. The National Board has worked over the past few years to correct this effect by encouraging and preparing National Board-certified teachers to take positions of leadership and participate in policy development at the district and state levels. At the school level, teachers can spread their knowledge and skills to their colleagues and help develop the next cadre of accomplished practitioners. At the district and state level, National Board-certified teachers can transform isolated pockets of excellence into system-wide improvement.

State legislators who wish to spread the expertise of National Board-certified teachers can consider the following policies:

Expand career lattices to include a variety of teacher leadership roles. Priority for these roles can go to National Board-certified teachers, with options for them to serve inside and outside of the classroom.
Encourage and fund leadership development activities for National Board-certified teachers to build leadership knowledge and skills.
Mobilize National Board-certified teachers to address state or district instructional priorities, such as the implementation of new student learning standards or new teacher effectiveness systems.
Create or augment the role of professional standards boards to give educators decision-making authority on policies governing professional teaching practice. Board-certified teachers should serve as a majority of the members of professional standards boards.
Create formal roles for teachers to serve in statewide leadership roles, for example as a Teacher Advisory Council. Set a preference for National Board-certified teachers when appointing teachers to such roles.

Justin K. Robinson, NBCT, Maryland
“As a current classroom teacher and as a member of the state’s Accountability and Implementation Board, which has been charged with overseeing a comprehensive reform of Maryland's education system called the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, I see elevating the teaching profession as a critical component of reforming our education system in ways that will benefit both teachers and students. One critical tool to spur this transformation is National Board certification. As we’ve seen in other professions, board certification can be the key to elevating and strengthening the profession.”

Eva Butler, NBCT, Hawaii
"I am honored to be a National Board Certified Teacher. Being able to complete the certification process has had a profound impact on my teaching practice and my development as a teacher-leader. The impact is not only visible in my classroom, but also in the classrooms of teachers that I collaborate with. Being able to start and complete the certification process was possible because of the comprehensive support system and incentives Mississippi has put in place for teachers."

Terri Collins, State Representative, Alabama
“Alabama is working hard to increase the number of qualified NBC teachers. They’ve proven over time and through the data to make a difference in student achievement. We incentivize them with a bonus, plus an additional bonus if they teach in a high need population. Some areas even work to scholarship their local teachers to increase the number. Alabama appreciates the hard work these teachers do to earn NBCT.”

State Incentives and Rewards Supporting National Board Certification
State	Compensation for Board Certification	Connection to State Licensure	Support for Certification Fees	Targeting High-Needs Populations	2022 NBCTs	Total NBCTs	NBCTs as % of Teaching Workforce
Alaska		Toward obtaining and renewing a top tier license			2	202	3%
Alabama	$5,000 annual stipend	Toward obtaining and/or renewing a Professional Educator Certificate	Grants available to low-income candidates seeking initial certification	Additional $5,000 supplement if teaching in a challenging, high poverty school	189	3,452	9%
Arkansas	$2,500 annual stipend (10 year term); $5,000 annual stipend if certified before 1/2018	Out-of-State reciprocity for NBCTs; toward renewal requirements	Initial fee subsidized but must repay if certification not achieved; candidates receive 3 days release	$5,000 for working in a high poverty school; $10,000 for working in a high poverty school in a high poverty district	36	3,520	9%
Arizona		Toward obtaining and/or renewing a license	Scholarship for initial and renewal fees for students in Arizona Teachers Academies in return for 1 year of service		72	1,711	3%
California		Toward obtaining a Clear Single Subject Teaching Credential (top tier); out-of-State reciprocity	$2,500 award to cover fees when teaching at a high priority school	$25,000 for teaching in a high-priority school for 5 years	244	7,847	3%
Colorado	$1,600 annual stipend	Toward obtaining a Professional Teacher License or top tier license		$3,200 annually for NBCTs in high need schools	25	1,230	2%
Connecticut					3	167	<1%
District of Columbia					2	92	1%
Delaware	Salary supplement equal to 12% of base salary	Toward obtaining and renewing a top tier license			10	476	5%
Florida	Annual bonus equal to 10% of the prior year’s statewide average teacher salary	Toward obtaining and renewing a Professional Certification; out-of-state reciprocity			12	13,590	9%
Florida		Meets certification renewal requirements; towards obtaining an Advanced Professional Certificate			1	2,633	2%
Hawaii	$5,000 annual stipend	Toward obtaining a top tier license	$1,500 upon completing all components; reimbursement for remainder of fee upon achievement of certification	Additional $5,000 annually for NBCTs in high-need schools	28	775	6%
Iowa	$2,500 annual stipend (term of 10 years)	Toward endorsements or license when meeting or exceeding state requirements	One-time subsidy for up to one-half of the fee; the remaining fee is reimbursed upon certification		12	790	2%
Idaho	$2,000 annual stipend (term of 5 years)	Meets renewal credit requirements for CTE credential			1	404	2%
Illinois	$1,500 annually available to NBCTs who agree to provide mentoring or professional development.	Toward a National Board endorsement on a professional license and toward license renewal	Up to $2,000 for application and re-take fees available on a first come, first served basis; renewal candidates may receive a $1,000 subsidy	$3,000 one-time incentive for teaching in a high needs rural school; $3,200 annual incentive for high needs cohort facilitators; $2,500 for high needs liaisons	126	7,098	5%
Indiana		Towards obtaining an accomplished practitioner license; meets renewal requirements for practitioner licenses			3	240	<1%
Kansas	$1,000 annual stipend	Toward obtaining and renewing an Accomplished Teaching License (top tier)	$1,100 scholarships for initial certification; $500 scholarship for renewal		3	489	1%
Kansas	$2,000 annual stipend; may receive an additional stipend for serving as a mentor teacher	One path to Rank 1 Professional Certificate	Reimbursement for 75% of the fee after attaining certification		104	4,283	10%
Louisiana	Districts may provide $5,000 annual stipends	Fulfils exam requirements for out-of-state candidates; toward a mentor teacher ancillary certificate; toward an additional endorsement			4	1,897	5%
Massachusetts	Up to $5,000 salary bonus; may receive additional monies for serving as a mentor teacher	Toward obtaining a Professional License	Assessment costs may be reimbursed in part or in full		21	748	1%
Maryland	$10,000 salary increase	Toward tier 2 and 3 of the career ladder for pursuing an achieving certification, respectively	Fees for initial certification and renewal covered; district must pay one-third of the cost; candidates must repay if they don't complete the process	Additional $7,000 salary increase for teaching in a high needs school	218	3,673	6%
Maine	$3,000 annual stipend	Extends renewal period for certification	Covers the cost for 30 teachers who agree to mentor another teacher through the certification process	$5,000 annual stipend for teaching in a high needs school	20	458	3%
Michigan	$4,000 award (one time appropriation)	Toward obtaining an Advanced Professional Certificate (top tier)	Covers the cost of certification fees for first-time candidates working in high needs schools (one time appropriation)	Additional $6,000 award for teaching in a high needs school (one time appropriation)	8	516	1%
Minnesota		Meets clock hour renewal requirements; towards out-of-state reciprocity			14	557	1%
Missouri		Toward obtaining an Initial or Career Continuous Professional Certificate and toward license renewal			31	1,182	2%
Mississippi	$6,000 annual stipend	Toward renewal requirements and reinstatement of expired license requirements	Reimbursement provided for initial certification; up to $500 for each of the 4 components	Additional $4,000 annual salary supplement for teaching in certain districts	152	4,707	15%
Montana	$1,500 annual stipend	Toward obtaining a license, licensure renewal requirements, and adding an endorsement		$2,500 annual stipend for teaching in a high needs school	21	255	2%
North Carolina	NBCTs placed on salary schedule 12% higher than base pay	Toward licensure renewal requirements	First time candidates receive loan to be repaid over 3 years and 3 days of paid leave to complete the process		486	23,858	23%
North Dakota	$1,500 annual stipend; requires individual participate in development or implementation of teacher mentoring programs	Meets top tier licensure requirements; toward requirements for additional endorsements	First time candidates subsidized half the application fee for up to 17 candidates and 3 scholarships available for recertification fees annually	3 of the scholarships for the application fees reserved for individuals at high needs schools	1	75	1%
Nebraska					8	151	1%
New Hampshire		Meets beginning licensure or added endorsement requirements			0	43	<1%
New Jersey		Towards out-of-state reciprocity requirements			1	312	<1%
New Mexico	1.5 program unit salary differential ~$5,800	Toward obtaining a top tier license and meeting out-of-state reciprocity requirements	Scholarship to cover the cost of certification fees		86	1,460	7%
Nevada	5% annual salary increase	Toward obtaining a license or endorsement and renewal requirements			74	1,313	5%
New York		Toward out-of-state reciprocity, obtaining an initial license and renewing a license.	$2,500 grant to defray certification expenses; includes requirement to pay back grant if person does not complete the process and teach in the state for a year		73	2, 298	1%
Ohio	$2,500 annual stipend	Toward obtaining a top tier license and meeting licensure renewal requirements			1	3,364	3%
Oklahoma	NBCTs placed on a higher salary schedule, earning an additional $1,158/year.	Toward obtaining a master teaching certificate	Up to $1,300 to cover half of fees for 100 candidates and additional $500 to cover other expenses	Recruiting efforts focused on teachers in high needs schools	9	3,127	7%
Oregon		Toward obtaining professional and teacher leader licenses and licensure renewal	State may provide assistance with the costs of obtaining certification		12	462	1%
Pennsylvania		Out-of-State reciprocity for NBCTs	Covers all or a portion of certification and renewal costs in return for teaching in the state for 3 years	Teachers in high need schools or subject areas prioritized for funding	46	1,562	1%
Rhode Island		Towards obtaining top tier license and licensure renewal	Professional development funds may be used to provide support for candidates		1	544	5%
South Carolina	$5,000 stipend (up to 10 years)	Out-of-State reciprocity for NBCTs; state recertification cycle consistent with NBC cycle			35	9,384	17%
South Dakota	$2,000 annual stipend (5 years; optional for years 6-10)	Toward advanced licensure and out-of-state reciprocity; meets renewal requirements	Provides reimbursement for fees upon earning the credential		3	128	1%
Tennessee		Toward out-of-state reciprocity and reactivation of a license			20	806	1%
Texas	Recognized in optional teacher designation systems; comes with increased allocation of $3,000		Districts entitled to increased allocation to cover certification fees	Allocation up to $9,000 in high needs and rural schools	89	1,196	<1%
Utah	$1,000 salary supplement	Toward licensure renewal	Covers up to the total cost of initial certification and renewal	$2,000 for teachers in high need schools	9	336	1%
Virginia	Initial $5,000 award; subsequent $2,500 annually	Out-of-State reciprocity for NBCTs; Towards teacher as leader designation			112	4,025	5%
Vermont		Toward obtaining a license and out-of-state reciprocity			7	200	3%
Washington	$6,019 annual stipend (annually increased for inflation)	Toward obtaining a professional certificate, out-of-state reciprocity, licensure renewal and additional endorsement requirements	$2,000 conditional loan to cover certification fees; if certification not achieved, the loan must be repaid	Additional bonus of $5,000 for teachers in high need schools	256	12,010	20%
Wisconsin	$2,500 annual stipend	Toward obtaining a top tier license	Up to $2,000 reimbursement for expenses upon achieving certification	$5,000 annually to NBCTs in high need schools	67	1,633	3%
West Virginia	$3,500 annual stipend	Toward obtaining a permanent professional license; considered an advanced credential	One half the fee for initial certification reimbursed at enrollment and the remainder at completion; those who achieve certification are reimbursed up to $600 for additional expenses; reimbursement provided for certification renewal fees.	Additional $2,000 for teaching in a high need school and providing mentoring to other teachers	39	1,173	6%
Wyoming	$4,000 annual stipend	Toward obtaining and renewing a license	May pay up to 50% of certification fees		17	853	12%

Note: Text formatted in Italics indicates the provision is in administrative rules/regulations, not in statute.

Examples of Success

Putting teachers on the trajectory to National Board Certification earlier in their careers

Effective Sept. 19, 2022, the National Board modified its eligibility policy to allow teachers to begin the certification process before completing three years of successful teaching. While this change allows candidates to begin the process earlier, educators must complete three years of teaching employment to become National Board-certified. This will provide teachers the opportunity to accelerate their professional learning, anchor their teaching practice in the National Board’s standards for accomplished teaching, and become National Board-certified as early in their career as they believe they are capable of doing. A pilot in Kentucky, funded by a portion of the state’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund money, supports up to 100 Kentucky early career teachers to pursue National Board certification over two years.

Growing National Board Certified Teachers in rural communities

In the Permian Basin, a coalition of 19 leading energy companies, the Permian Strategic Partnership, is supporting the growth of National Board-certified teachers to get 5% of the teaching workforce to pursue Board certification. 

In Eastern New Mexico, teachers in six districts are plugging into remote support sessions facilitated by a statewide network. 
In West Texas two larger districts are working with an external provider offering virtual support sessions that the districts supplement with their activities.

Increasing diversity through growing National Board-certified teachers of color

The teaching workforce does not reflect the diversity of our student population in part because teachers of color exit the profession at disproportionately higher rates than white teachers. While many efforts at diversifying the profession are focused on recruiting teachers of color into the profession, a number of projects support current teachers of color to grow their practice and become National Board-certified. 

In Mississippi, the Technology Integration for Mississippi Educators project is designed to dramatically increase the number of NBCTs, including more National Board-certified teachers of color, and equip them with technology training.  In California, the California Teachers Association, the UCLA National Board Project, and the National Board Resource Center at Stanford have partnered to support cohorts of Black, Indigenous and people of color teachers committed to earning National Board certification and serving as teacher-leaders in their communities.

Business Community Investing in National Board Certification

The Huntsville Committee of 100 in Alabama established the Raise Your Hand campaign to add 500 new National Board-certified Teachers to Huntsville area school systems. The business community has pledged to raise $1 million to support this initiative through its philanthropic arm, the Creative Cities Fund. The campaign is 66% to its fundraising goal and almost halfway to its goal of 500 new National Board-certified teachers.

Chayanee Brooks, NBCT, Hawaii
"As I went through the National Board certification process, I became more careful in thinking about every step of my teaching and student learning. The journey through National Board certification changed me to become a better teacher. The National Board is all about impact, not just the impact on my own teaching practice, but the impact I have on my students."

Jeffrey Elmore, State Representative, North Carolina
“Research shows that students benefit from being taught by National Board Certified Teachers. As a teacher, I’ve seen that educators who go through the National Board process become more reflective of their teaching, and this mindset follows them through their careers, so they are continually analyzing their practice and improving. As a legislator, this is why I am a champion for our state’s investment in National Board Certified Teachers.”

Christopher Belt, State Senator, Illinois
“National Board Certification represents great teaching, and it’s more important than ever that our expert teachers reach the students who need them most. That’s why, in Illinois, we’ve implemented legislation to incentivize National Board-certified teachers to work in schools with high teacher turnover levels. Students in these schools will particularly benefit from a stable, accomplished teaching staff.”

Dr. Jason Glass, Commissioner of Education, Kentucky
“For years, Kentucky has been a national leader in the number of new educators receiving their National Board certification, which demonstrates our belief in and commitment to this rigorous professional learning opportunity. Educators who receive their certification receive a financial incentive for each year of their license, which improves the quality of our schools and helps strengthen and retain our state’s teaching workforce.

“National Board certification provides a clear pathway and opportunity for teachers to accelerate their professional learning and grow their compensation, making it a win-win for both our educators and our students."

Dr. Scott Muri, NBCT, Superintendent of Ector County Independent School District, Texas
"We are growing our National Board program in Ector County ISD with the support of community partners and state policies that recognize the value of National Board certification. Going through the National Board process made me a more reflective practitioner who could develop evidence that my work with students was impacting their lives. This learning continues to inform the work I do today as a Superintendent. I'm excited that many more teachers in my district will have the opportunity to pursue and achieve National Board certification because, ultimately, kids win."

Acknowledgements

NCSL is grateful to the staff at the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards for their assistance and support of this publication. They provided resources and important, useful feedback to ensure the accuracy and transparency of this publication.

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