National Board Certification
National Board Certification, offered by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS), is a way to recognize the exceptional teaching practices taking place in North Carolina's classrooms. The certification process is based on high and rigorous standards that evaluate teaching practice through performance-based assessments.
The mission of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is to advance the quality of teaching and learning by:
- upholding high and rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do;
- providing a national voluntary system certifying teachers who meet these standards; and
- advocating for education reforms that integrate NBPTS standards into the American public education system and to capitalize on the expertise of National Board Certified Teachers.
At the core of the National Board certification process are standards that describe the highest level of teaching in different disciplines and with students at different developmental levels. These standards represent a consensus among accomplished teachers and other education experts about what effective teaching should entail. NBPTS Standards can be found at www.nbpts.org.
Teachers who have participated in National Board Certification consistently describe it as the most transformative professional development experience of their careers. They report that the experience changes them as professionals and that through the process they deepen their content knowledge and develop, master, and reflect on new approaches to instructional practices.
National Board Certification Process
The National Board of Professional Teaching Standards is designed to collect standards-based evidence of accomplished teaching across four components:
- Content Knowledge
- Differentiation in Instruction
- Teaching Practice and Classroom Environment
- Effective and Reflective Practitioner
CEUs for Completion of National Board Certification
- 8.0 CEUs for attempting and/or completing all components.
- 2.0 CEUs for successful renewal of National Board Certification (2 for content or 2 for general)
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) Certification Fee Reimbursement Program
To help with managing the cost of the national board certification process, the state has two options of support, a loan program and a reimbursement program.
About the loan opportunity
The state of North Carolina will lend a low-interest loan to cover the assessment fee for eligible teachers seeking National Board certification. This loan ($1,900) can be borrowed by first-time candidates only and it will pay for all four Components. This loan cannot be used for renewals or retakes. More information on the loan program can be found here: National Board Certification Loan (NBCL) - NCSEAA.
About the reimbursement opportunity
In addition to the option of borrowing the funds for certification, a new program is available for reimbursement of the funds used to pay for individual components. The North Carolina legislature has allocated funds (§ 115C-296.2A) in 2024-2025 to reimburse teachers for the cost of attempting National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) is responsible for the distribution of the available resources based on specific criteria outlined in law. This opportunity is designed for those attempting initial National Board certification and funds do not require an applicant to complete the certification process in order to be reimbursed.
What are the criteria to be considered for reimbursement?
The North Carolina General Assembly allocates funds for reimbursements each fiscal year. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) manages those funds and distributes them to educators until the funds are exhausted, based on the following criteria:
- The applicant is employed in a low performing school.
- The applicant is employed in a school with a student body consisting of at least 10 percent of students identified as at-risk students.
- Those applicants employed in school with a higher percentage of at-risk students shall receive priority over those applicants employed in schools with a lower percentage of at-risk students.
NCDPI will apply these prioritization criteria to every candidate who seeks reimbursement and distribute funds in that order until the available resources are exhausted. The possibility does exist that you may not receive reimbursement because of these criteria and limited resources.
How do I apply for national board reimbursement?
To apply for reimbursement consideration, you must take some steps in your online application for the national boards which will enable the national board organization to share information about you with the department of public instruction. This is a mandatory step for consideration.
Here are the steps you must take to assure you are considered for reimbursement: Reimbursement Process