Arkansas Department of Education

What is expected of candidates for National Board Certification?

All National Board for Professional Teaching Standards assessments consist of two major parts:

1. four portfolio entries, and
2. six assessment center exercises.

Portfolio entries are performance assessments of classroom teaching that include video, student work, and other teaching artifacts. The video and student work are supported by commentaries on the goals and purposes of instruction, reflections on what occurred, effectiveness of practice, and rationale of professional judgment. Portfolios are designed to take at least four months to complete.

Assessment center exercises are designed to complement portfolio entries and are organized around challenging teaching issues. This aspect of the certification process requires candidates to demonstrate knowledge, skills and abilities in classroom situations across the age range and topics of the certificate field.

Assessment center entries consist of exercises that are focused on pedagogical and content knowledge. These entries often ask candidates to respond to specific prompts including situations to which teachers must respond or explorations of pedagogical and content issues.

A candidate has one to three years to achieve certification, although all entries must be submitted within the first year. Teachers report that they spend up to 400 hours in the candidacy process during the first year.

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