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Professional Education Unit

FAQs About NBPTS Standards

What is the background of the National Board's standards?

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:

1. Teachers are committed to students and their learning.
2. Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students.
3. Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning.
4. Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience.
5. Teachers are members of learning communities.

How does the National Board develop standards?

Step 1: Appoint a standards committee
Step 2: Committees develop standards
Step 3: The standards are publicly reviewed

 In what fields is the National Board developing standards?

The National Board is developing standards in more than 30 certification fields. Each set of standards is structured around student developmental levels (early childhood, middle childhood, early adolescence, adolescence and young adulthood) and subject areas.

What does a typical set of National Board standards look like?
Standards in each certificate field are set out in a report (copies of which can be ordered from the National Board). The format of the standards report uses a two-part approach to describe each standard.

 1. The summary of the standard states succinctly one aspect of accomplished teaching. It describes teachers' specific, observable actions that have an impact on students.

 2. The elaboration provides texture for the standard along with an explanation of what teachers need to know, value and do in order to satisfy the standard at a high level.

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