Overview
National Board Certification (NBC) is the “gold standard” in teaching. It is also one of the most valuable and rewarding opportunities for professional growth and improvement.
Teachers with at least three years of experience work through an in-depth performance assessment process. They invest the better part of a school year in examining their practice, collecting evidence and preparing the submission of their work to be assessed by trained classroom teachers across the country. Student work and videotaped classroom teaching are part of the assessment requirements, as is a rigorous test of content knowledge in the teacher’s field.
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Support
Teachers pursuing NBC have access to a variety of supports. The Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Teachers Union, and National-Louis University each offer specialized programs to support teachers in the rigorous NBC process. Click on the links below to these support programs and select the program that is right for you.
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Benefits for Teachers
Beyond the accomplishment of achieving the profession’s highest distinction and improving professional skills that contribute to improved student learning, completion of National Board Certification earns 120 CPDUs for recertification, fulfills the requirements to move from an initial to a Standard Teaching Certificate, provides lane credits and offers graduate credits. Candidates have up to three years to achieve certification, upon which they earn close to $35,000 – including a $3,000 annual stipend paid by the state of Illinois for 10 years, and one-time financial awards from Chicago Public Schools and The Chicago Public Education Fund.
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Cost
Eligible teachers can receive state funding to offset application costs for National Board Certification. To apply for National Board Certification through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, candidates pay a $2,565 application fee. For eligible applicants, the state of Illinois pays $2,000 of that fee. The state has typically had two windows – one in the spring, another in the fall – during which teachers may apply for funding. Please contact your NBC support program or check this website often for information on applying for state funding.
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Getting Started
Begin by reviewing the national standards of accomplished teaching
that best match the subjects you teach and the age group of
your students. There are 24 assessments from which to choose.
More information can be found at the NBPTS
website.
Then, explore the websites of the three NBC support programs listed above and select the one that best fits your needs. (Note: it is not necessary to participate in a NBC support program to apply for or achieve National Board Certification. However, the support is likely to be beneficial in working through the rigorous process.)
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