During the next biennium, the Governor's budget proposal will include funding to support scholarships and pay incentives for additional teachers. Through these actions, North Dakota joins 32 other states which currently offer monetary, statutory, or certification rules incentives for teachers seeking National Board Certification. Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students. Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning. Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience.
Teachers are members of learning communities.
Prerequisites for application eligibility include a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution, three years of successful teaching, and proof of valid state licensure for all three of those years. Plans are currently underway to train an in-state facilitator to assist teachers moving through the process. During the first year of the law, the ESPB monitored fingerprint background checks on approximately 1000 applicants and certified 892 new teachers, including new ND graduates and those moving to ND to teach. Those not certified include those who did not meet educational standards, those not passing the fingerprint screening, and those who have not yet returned all of the documentation necessary to review their eligibility. Criminal records checks revealed misdemeanors and felonies ranging from NSF checks and DUI convictions to armed robbery, gross sexual imposition, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, drug possession, theft, assault, terrorizing, and criminal conspiracy.