Higher Education Opportunities

NBPTS Partner Organizations
NBPTS recognizes the importance of collaboration with higher education institutions and other education providers to boost the quality of teaching in this country and provide a continuum of support for potential or current candidates for National Board Certification. NBPTS is an institutional member of the following organizations of higher education that strive for quality teacher professional development:

• The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
• Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC)
• National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC)
• American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE)   
• The Holmes Partnership
• The Renaissance Group 
  

Publications for Colleges and Universities

• Using National Board Standards to Redesign Master's Degrees for Teachers: A Guide for Institutions of Higher Education (PDF - 435kb)
• Stay tuned for a new NBPTS publication on using National Board standards to build teacher professional development programs within universities

NBPTS Impact on Schools, Colleges and Departments of Education (SCDE)
In early 2007, NBPTS contacted all SCDEs. Results from the 369 respondents indicate:

• 49 percent align their Master’s degree programs “to a great extent” with NBPTS Standards;
• 41 percent align their post baccalaureate programs “to a great extent” with NBPTS standards; and
• 38 percent align their undergraduate teacher preparation programs “to a great extent” with NBPTS standards.

Still, there is work to be done. When asked about the extent of their involvement in certain NBPTS-related activities:

• Only two out of five respondents said that they collaborated with school districts to create awareness of the National Board Certification process; and
• Slightly more than half of the respondents said they were offering courses on portfolio development, providing National Board candidate support and using NBCTs as instructional leaders in their institutions.
  

How Institutions of Higher Education Can Advance National Board Standards

Institutions can collaborate with NBPTS in supporting National Board Standards and certification by:
• Aligning degree programs with NBPTS Standards and certification programs;
• Incorporating NBPTS Standards into portfolio development and other courses;
• Using National Board Certified Teachers® (NBCTs) as adjunct and clinical faculty;
• Using NBPTS Standards in university/school partnerships; and
• Developing and reviewing standards for NBPTS.