National Board for Certification and Professional Teaching Standards

The Certification Process

Once you apply for National Board Certification and submit all eligibility forms, it may take up to three years to complete the certification process. Review a snapshot of the process and timeline in the
2010-2011 Assessment Calendar (PDF- 243kb).

Demonstrate Your Teaching Practice

Portfolio Entries
You will be required to submit four portfolio entries. Three are classroom based, where video recordings and examples of student work serve as supporting documentation. A fourth entry relates to your accomplishments outside of the classroom – with families, the community or colleagues – and how they impact student learning.

Assessment Center Exercises

You must also demonstrate content knowledge in response to six exercises developed for your chosen certificate area. You will have up to 30 minutes to complete each exercise. Assessments are administered at over 300 computer-based testing centers across the United States.

More information about Portfolio Entries and the Assessment Center is available in For Candidates.

Scoring

The National Board Certification evaluation process is designed to assess evidence of accomplished teaching or school counseling practices that are based on the NBPTS standards. Once you have submitted your portfolio entries and assessment center exercises, your complete work will be scored by a minimum of 12 teachers who have successfully completed intensive training and have been qualified for scoring based on their understanding of NBPTS standards and guidelines.