What is National Board Certification?

• National Board Certification is a voluntary, advanced professional certification for PreK-12 educators that identifies teaching expertise through a performance-based, peer-reviewed assessment. More than 125,000 teachers across all 50 states have achieved Board Certification.

Who is eligible to become a National Board Certified Teacher?  

• Candidates must possess a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. NOTE: Candidates for the Career and Technical Education certificates are required to hold a bachelor’s degree only if their state required one for their current license.

• Candidates must have completed three years of successful teaching in one or more early childhood, elementary, middle, or secondary school.

• Candidates must hold a valid state teaching license (or meet the licensure requirements established by your state for a school counselor if applying for the ECYA/School Counseling certificate) for each of the three years of verified employment. 

• Candidates must provide official American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) certified ratings of Advanced Low or higher from ACTFL speaking and writing proficiency assessments if registering as a World Languages candidate.

What is required to become a National Board Certified Teacher?

The certification process is designed to collect standards-based evidence of accomplished practice. To become a Board-Certified teacher, eligible candidates must demonstrate advanced knowledge, skills, and practice in their individual certificate area by completing four components. The content knowledge component is a computer-based assessment taken at a testing center; the other three are portfolio-based and submitted through an electronic portfolio system.

• Component 1: Content Knowledge

• Component 2: Differentiation in Instruction

• Component 3: Teaching Practice and Learning Environment

• Component 4: Effective and Reflective Practitioner
   

What is the cost of National Board Certification?

The initial cost for each of the four components is $475, with the total cost for the initial attempt of all four components being $1,900. Retake attempts require an additional fee. For each assessment cycle a teacher plans to take components, a $75 nonrefundable and nontransferable registration fee is required and must be paid before purchasing a component. 

When do National Board certificates expire, and what is the cost of renewal?

For teachers who achieved certification 2017 or later, National Board Certification is active for a period of five years. National Board Certified Teachers must successfully complete the Maintenance of Certification process to extend their certification. The Maintenance of Certification will cost $495 plus a $75 registration fee. 

If you have any questions or comments about this program please contact LISD Director of Employee Relations Email Mrs. Shalona McCray at 903-381-2262.