SUU -Professional Education Unit:

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is developing advanced standards for teachers in more than 30 certification fields. We already have developed standards in 21 fields.

These certificates -- and the standards on which they are based -- are structured around student developmental levels (early childhood, middle childhood, early adolescence, adolescence and young adulthood) as well as by subject area.

Standards grow out of the National Board's central policy statement, What Teachers Should Know and Be Able to Do. This statement describes a vision of teaching based on five core propositions, which outline what the National Board values and believes should be honored in teaching.

The five core propositions get to the heart of the fundamental requirements and formal knowledge of proficient teaching and acknowledge the complexities and uncertainties of this vital work. Excellence in teaching is the sum of human qualities like judgment and improvisation, expert knowledge and skill, and unflagging professional commitment.

The standards are developed by committees of teachers and other experts and then are reviewed extensively -- both internally and during a public comment period -- before being approved by the board of directors.

You can order copies of available standards from the National Board. Teachers find the standards valuable for influencing and improving their teaching practices, and we urge school administrators to make the standards available to their faculty. Teacher educators should use these standards in their college classrooms to educate their students. Parents too are encouraged to read the standards to help them understand how these ideals can improve their children's learning.

The Five Propositions of Accomplished Teaching
How the Standards Are Developed
FAQs About Standards
Certificate Status Chart by subject area (pdf)

Professional Education Unit

The NBPTS Standards: What Teachers Should Know and Be Able to Do