National Board Certification N ational Board Certification is an advanced certification option available to experienced teachers through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. A nonprofit organization founded in 1987 in response to calls for education reform, the board ultimately will offer certification in 30 fields. Susan Douglas, a doctoral student in curriculum and instruction at SIUC, was Southern Illinois' first schoolteacher to gain National Board Certification.
Reflection is the key.
Douglas went through the process in about 10 months, but it can take up to three years. Applicants also must pass rigorous tests gauging their knowledge of the subjects they teach and of child development. The preparation adds about 30 hours of work to a teacher's weekly schedule for several months. Standards are so stringent that only one of three applicants achieves certification on the first try. Since 1994, when the first applicants completed the process, more than 1,800 teachers have gained certification.