National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
A U.S. nonprofit organization that develops advanced professional standards for educators and administers voluntary National Board Certification.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit U.S. organization focused on defining and recognizing accomplished teaching. It develops professional standards for educators, publishes guidance on high-quality teaching practice, and administers National Board Certification, a voluntary advanced credential for teachers and other education professionals. The organization emerged from a national discussion about strengthening teaching as a profession. A 1986 report, A Nation Prepared: Teachers for the 21st Century, was produced by the Task Force on Teaching as a Profession with support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The report argued that the teaching profession needed a body capable of defining what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do, together with a rigorous assessment system to determine whether candidates met those expectations. NBPTS was established in 1987 in response to that recommendation. Former North Carolina governor James B. Hunt Jr. served as the first chair of the board of directors, while former Ford Foundation executive James A. Kelly became the organization’s first president. Under its model, professional expertise is defined not simply through years of service or academic credentials, but through evidence of teachers’ knowledge, instructional judgment, reflection, and impact on student learning. NBPTS standards are organized around five core propositions: teachers are committed to students and their learning; teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach them; teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning; teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience; and teachers participate in learning communities. These propositions provide a common framework across certificate areas and grade levels. The organization publishes standards for 25 certificate areas spanning pre-kindergarten through grade 12 and covering different subjects, developmental stages, and professional roles. Candidates for National Board Certification complete a multipart assessment consisting of three portfolio entries submitted online and a computer-based assessment administered at a testing center. Certification is voluntary, although states, school districts, and other education systems may provide financial incentives, salary recognition, or other support for candidates and certificate holders. NBPTS also supports professional recognition and community-building among certified educators. Team NBCT week is an annual nationwide celebration recognizing newly certified and renewed National Board Certified Teachers. The organization has additionally promoted research into the relationship between board certification, teaching quality, student achievement, and teacher retention. Academic and policy research has examined whether National Board Certified Teachers produce stronger student outcomes and how the certification process affects professional practice. A 2008 National Research Council report concluded that students taught by National Board Certified Teachers made greater gains on achievement tests than students taught by non-board-certified teachers. Other studies cited in the organization’s reference history reported positive differences in Los Angeles and Washington State, including evidence of additional student learning associated with certified teachers. By December 2017, more than 118,000 educators in the United States had earned National Board Certification. NBPTS remains an active national standards and certification body headquartered in Arlington County, Virginia.
History
NBPTS was formed in 1987 after a national policy initiative sought to strengthen teaching as a profession. The immediate catalyst was A Nation Prepared: Teachers for the 21st Century, a 1986 report issued by the Task Force on Teaching as a Profession with funding from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The report recommended establishing a national body that could define what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do and develop a valid, demanding assessment to determine whether educators met those standards. The new organization adopted a professional model in which accomplished teaching would be described through explicit standards and demonstrated through performance evidence. James B. Hunt Jr., a former governor of North Carolina, became the first chair of the Board of Directors. James A. Kelly, previously associated with the Ford Foundation, became the first president. Their early leadership helped position the National Board as a national—not state-level—organization for teacher standards and certification. NBPTS developed a framework centered on five core propositions. These state that effective teachers are committed to students and their learning; understand both their subjects and how to teach them; manage and monitor student learning; reflect systematically on practice and learn from experience; and contribute to learning communities. The propositions operate as a common foundation for more detailed standards tailored to individual subjects, developmental levels, and professional roles. The organization ultimately established standards for 25 certificate areas covering educators from pre-kindergarten through grade 12. National Board Certification became a voluntary advanced credential based on those standards. Candidates complete four assessment components: three portfolio entries submitted electronically and a computer-based assessment taken at a testing center. The process is intended to require teachers to document instruction, analyze student learning, explain professional decisions, and demonstrate subject-specific knowledge. The certification has been supported in different ways by states and school districts, including financial assistance and professional recognition, although the credential itself is national and voluntary. NBPTS has also cultivated an ongoing community of certified educators. In 1999, its board created the James A. Kelly Award for Advancing Accomplished Teaching in honor of the organization’s first president. The award recognizes individuals who demonstrate a sustained ability to advance accomplished teaching. Listed recipients have included education policymakers, researchers, public officials, and professional advocates. Research has been an important part of the organization’s public role. Studies have examined the classroom quality of National Board Certified Teachers, potential effects on student achievement, and whether the certification process influences teacher retention or professional practice. A 2008 National Research Council report concluded that students of board-certified teachers made larger achievement-test gains than students of non-board-certified teachers. Research cited from Los Angeles and Washington State likewise reported positive relationships between certification and student outcomes, while acknowledging that the certification process and its effects are subjects of continuing study. By December 2017, more than 118,000 U.S. educators had earned National Board Certification. NBPTS also established Team NBCT week as a nationwide recognition event for newly certified and renewed educators. The organization continues to operate as a nonprofit standards setter and certification provider headquartered in Arlington County, Virginia, with its work focused on professional expectations, assessment, recognition, and research concerning accomplished teaching.
- 2017
More than 118,000 educators have earned certification
[1]By December 2017, the organization reported that more than 118,000 educators in the United States had become National Board Certified Teachers.
- 2015
Washington State study reports effectiveness differences
[1]Research cited in the organization’s history found certified teachers in Washington State more effective than similarly experienced non-certified teachers.
- 2008
National Research Council reports achievement association
[1]A National Research Council publication reported greater achievement-test gains among students taught by National Board Certified Teachers.
- 1999
James A. Kelly Award is established
[1]The board created an award recognizing people who advance the legacy of accomplished teaching associated with the organization’s first president.
- 1987
NBPTS is founded
[1]The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards was established as a nonpartisan, nonprofit U.S. organization.
- 1986
Carnegie-supported report calls for national teacher certification
[1]A Nation Prepared: Teachers for the 21st Century recommended creating a national organization to define accomplished teaching and assess whether educators met professional standards.
Products and positioning
A national, voluntary, evidence-based professional certification and standards organization for educators, positioned around accomplished teaching, rigorous assessment, reflective practice, and professional leadership.
Professional certification
National Board Certification
A voluntary advanced certification for educators based on NBPTS standards. Candidates complete three online portfolio entries and a computer-based assessment. The credential is available across 25 certificate areas and developmental levels ranging from pre-kindergarten through grade 12.
Professional standards
NBPTS Standards
A set of standards describing accomplished teaching across subject areas, age groups, and professional roles. The standards are grounded in five core propositions concerning student commitment, subject knowledge, assessment and management of learning, reflective practice, and participation in professional communities.
Professional recognition program
Team NBCT Week
An annual nationwide celebration recognizing newly certified and renewed National Board Certified Teachers and highlighting the professional community associated with board certification.
Marketing campaigns
- Team NBCT Week
United States
A nationwide recognition initiative celebrating new and renewed National Board Certified Teachers and reinforcing the identity of certified educators as a professional community.
Outcome. The initiative provides recurring public recognition for educators who complete or renew National Board Certification.
Brand decisions
1987
Adopt a national voluntary certification modelStrategyBackground
The organization was created after a national report called for a body that could define accomplished teaching and assess educators against rigorous professional expectations.
Action taken
NBPTS established standards-based National Board Certification as a voluntary national credential rather than a compulsory government license.
Aftermath
The model became the organization’s central offering and was expanded across 25 certificate areas and multiple pre-kindergarten through grade 12 levels.
- Organize certification around five core propositionsOther
Background
NBPTS needed a common professional foundation that could apply across different subjects, developmental levels, and certificate areas.
Action taken
It based its standards on five propositions addressing student commitment, subject and pedagogical knowledge, management and monitoring of learning, reflective practice, and learning communities.
Aftermath
The propositions became the conceptual framework linking the organization’s detailed standards to classroom practice and assessment.
Recent events
- 2015
Washington State research finds higher effectiveness among certified teachers[1]
Other
Research cited in the organization’s history reported that National Board Certified Teachers in Washington State were more effective than similarly experienced non-certified teachers, with estimated gains approaching 1.5 additional months of learning.
- 2008
National Research Council reports positive achievement findings for board-certified teachers[1]
Other
A National Research Council report stated that students taught by National Board Certified Teachers made greater gains on achievement tests than students taught by teachers without board certification.
- 1987
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is established[1]
Other
NBPTS was created following a Carnegie-supported national report calling for professional teaching standards and a rigorous national assessment for accomplished educators.
Sources2 sources
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