For over 30 years, the National Board for Professional Teacher Standards (NBPTS) has been on a mission to "advance the quality of teaching and learning through advanced certification." Now, North Carolina continues to lead the way of more than 125,000 board-certified teachers in the US. Candidates for certification analyze their teaching and its impact on student learning, take on leadership roles, and collaborate with peers and community.
National Board Certification Eligibility
All candidates for National Board Certification must:
--hold a bachelor's degree (Exception: Career and Technical Education teachers must have met the licensure requirements for the state);
--possess a valid state teaching or school counseling license
State Loan Eligibility
--First-time candidates can receive a $1900 loan to pay for all four component. This loan cannot be used for renewal or retake candidates or borrowed in increments. Do no apply for the loan if you do not want to borrow the full amount.
--The deadline to apply for the loan is typically January, or until all funds are dissolved, whichever comes first.
--If your application is approved, you will receive an email, so use an email account you check often. The email will contain time-sensitive information that you must respond to immediately or the funds will be given to another candidate.
Other Types of Support
North Carolina provides support to eligible teachers seeking board certification by:
--providing up to three days of paid release time for new candidates who meet the requirements for the state loan;
--granting one full cycle of licensure renewal credit for those teachers who complete all components of the assessment within the assessment cycle; and
--paying eligible National Board Certified Teachers a salary differential (separate salary schedule) of 12% of their state salary for the life of the certificate.
Maintenance of Certification
Effective in 2021, Maintenance of Certification (MOC) is the pathway for NBCTs to keep their certification active. For additional information about the MOC process, visit the NBPTS site.