The standards setting process and the assessment development and implementation process comprise the two main components of the National Board's research and development agenda. In 1987, the Board issued its initial policies, which included a statement about what teachers should know and be able to do. 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.
The National Board believes that a unitary certificate suggesting proficiency in teaching all subjects to all students of all ages is unwarranted. Art were approved for circulation. English Language Arts were circulated for comment in the fall of 1992. All standards statements are to be completed by 1996. At present, the model for assessment involves two modules, one requiring data collected in a candidate's school setting and the second requiring data collected at an assessment center.