National Board For Professional Teaching Standards® (NBPTs)
NBPTS is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan and nongovernmental organization. It was formed in 1987 to advance the quality of teaching and learning by developing professional standards for accomplished teaching, creating a voluntary system to certify teachers who meet those standards and integrating certified teachers into educational reform efforts.
In 1987, NBPTS made a promise to the nation's teachers and citizens to raise the standard for quality teaching in America. With almost twenty years of work developing accomplished teaching standards, creating a certification system and systematically researching the validity of its work, NBPTS has accomplished much of its commitment. America's schools are now seeing clear and sustained evidence of the impact of National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) on student achievement. Today, virtually every state and more than 25 percent of all school districts offer financial rewards or incentives for teachers seeking National Board Certification. The number of NBCTs has now grown to more than 55,000. NBPTS continues to build upon its ground-breaking work by developing new means of encouraging widespread adoption of accomplished teaching standards and by supporting the expanded use of NBCTs in leadership roles in education.
Visit the NBPTS website at www.nbpts.org to read more about the NBPTS mission, available certificate programs, and eligibility requirements.
NBPTS Take One! ®
Take One! is available to all teachers as well as induction or pre-service teachers, principals, administrators, professors in colleges of education and those who provide support for National Board Certification candidates. Take One! is classroom-based professional development and requires that educators have access to a preK-12 classroom to complete the portfolio entry.
Take One! improves teaching quality by providing teachers with the opportunity to reflect on their own classroom instructional practices within the context of national teaching standards. Take One! allows all teachers to "sample" National Board Certification—not only to improve their teaching practices within their classrooms and schools, but also to begin the path toward National Board candidacy, if they so choose.
National Board Certification Candidate Support Program
Certification Fee Subsidy Program
The federal government instituted a program in 1997 to provide financial assistance to individuals wishing to seek certification through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. The program is called the National Board Certification Fee Subsidy Program. This program provides up to one-half of the fees required for National Board certification. At this time, the total cost of the National Board certification process is $2,500. Thus, the subsidy program can pay for up to $1,250 of the total fees for a candidate who meets the eligibility requirements.
Eligibility for Candidate Subsidy Funding
In order to receive any candidate subsidy funding, the individual must first submit an enrollment application for the NBPTS certification program. A nonrefundable $65 processing charge is required when a candidate submits the enrollment application. However, candidacy will not officially start until the nonrefundable $500 initial fee is submitted, which will be applied to the $2,500 assessment fee.
Once NBPTS receives the application processing charge and $500 initial fee payment, a verification packet and portfolio materials will be sent. Eligibility for the candidate subsidy funding requires verification of enrollment. Verification of enrollment can be a notarized copy of a receipt or cancelled check. A copy of the on-line registration process at www.nbpts.org can also be printed off and submitted to provide enrollment verification.
Applying for Candidate Subsidy Funding
An application for the National Board Certification Fee Subsidy Program can be obtained below or by contacting the State Department of Education (208-332-6936 in the Teacher Certification/Professional Standards office). Also, check with individual local education agency liaisons regarding candidate support and incentives from individual Idaho districts, as several Idaho districts offer additional support for NBPTS candidates. Applications for subsidy are due in the State Department of Education, Teacher Certification office by November 15.
Subsidy Application
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Form B6 Professional Experience Report
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State Department of Education
ATTN: Cina Lackey
PO Box 83720
Boise, ID 83720-0027
For information on the Take One! www.nbpts.org/products_and_services/take_one1 For information on the Take One! scholarship program, go to secure.nbpts.org/takeonescholarship/
National Board Certification Candidate Stipend Incentive Program
Eligibility for Stipend Incentive
Recent Idaho legislation, Senate Bill 1184, removes the state incentive program for National Board Certification teachers. However, districts will be required to use the money they receive from the state for leadership bonuses under the pay-for-performance plan to pay out the remainder of the $10,000 in incentives for teachers who have earned National Board Certification, to date. Therefore, teachers who have already earned National Board Certification will receive the full $10,000 they expected. In the future, districts will have the choice to continue to pay incentives to teachers who earn National Board Certification using district funds or money for leadership bonuses.