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An Evaluation of National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) Certification

Contract Information

Current Status:

This study has been completed.

Duration:

September 2004 – April 2008

Cost:

$1,500,000

Contract Number:

ED-04-CO-0139

Contractor(s):

National Research Council

Contact:

Reports

In 2003, Congress mandated that the Institute of Education Sciences contract with the National Research Council to evaluate the impact of Board certification, including an assessment of whether the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification model is a cost-effective method of improving teacher quality and the extent to which certification makes a difference in student academic achievement.

  • What are the impacts on teachers who obtain Board certification, those who attempt to become certified but are not successful, and those who do not apply for Board certification?
  • To what extent does Board certification make a difference in the academic achievement of students?
  • To what extent is Board certification a cost-effective method of improving teacher quality?

An independent committee of experts selected by the National Research Council developed a framework for evaluating programs that award advanced-level teacher certification and applied that framework in an evaluation of the NBPTS. The committee relied on a review of existing research to address the study questions.

A report, titled Assessing Accomplished Teaching: Advanced-Level Certification Programs, was released in April 2008.

  • Insufficient evidence exists to draw conclusions regarding the impact of certification on teacher outcomes such as classroom practices and mobility.
  • Evidence suggests that students taught by Board-certified teachers have higher achievement test gains than those taught by teachers who applied for certification but were not successful. Evidence regarding whether the certification process improves teachers' classroom effectiveness is inconclusive, however.
  • It is not possible at this time to conduct a cost-effectiveness evaluation of Board certification. This is due to the scarcity of information on the benefits of Board certification and both the costs and benefits of alternative mechanisms for improving teacher quality, such as obtaining a Master's degree.