National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
Steps to take if you are interested in becoming a National Board Certified Teacher:
- Visit the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) (Outside Source) to decide which certificate area is right for you. You can download the standards, an overview, and specific portfolio instructions for each certificate. You do not have to pay any fees to receive this information. For general information, please call 1-800-22TEACH.
- Complete an application and submit an initial payment of candidate fees to NBPTS.
- Investigate the Candidate Subsidy Program and the National Board Scholarship Program (Outside Source) for assistance in paying your candidate fees.
- Contact your district office to tell them of your intentions and to determine whether the district plans to support National Board candidates.
- If your district provides support to candidates, participate in these support activities. Explore options for developing or joining a candidate support network that will help you to maximize what you take from the process. Working with NBCTs may be very helpful. For a listing of California districts that provide incentive and support programs, please see District Support.
- For a listing of university-based support, including masters degree programs, please see Higher Education Support.
- Investigate other university-based and statewide candidate support opportunities. For a listing, please see California Support Groups.
- Contact the National Board Resource Center (Outside Source) at Stanford to join a ListServ that will provide timely candidate information and suggestions throughout the process.
- If you withdraw from the process by sending written notification to the NBPTS before your portfolio due date and before your assessment center appointment, $2,000 of your fee will be refunded. Upon notifying the NBPTS of your withdrawal, you must also submit a CSP Withdrawal Form to CDE.
- Make your appointment early with the Assessment Center to allow some flexibility with dates and times. The Assessment Centers provide examinations for many other professions, and some sites are very busy.
- Complete and mail your portfolio to the NBPTS by your due date.
