The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) for Theatre Teachers

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards was created in 1987 to establish high and rigorous standards for what accomplished teachers should know and be able to do and to develop a voluntary certification system for teachers who demonstrate these standards. The Board, comprised primarily of teachers, has identified 30 areas of certification. Though certificates in theatre are not planned at this time, theatre teachers may qualify for certification under the generalist certificates:

• Early Childhood Generalist (Ages 3-8)
• Middle Childhood Generalist (Ages 7-12)
• Early Adolescence Generalist (Ages 11-15)

To earn National Board certification, teachers must demonstrate field-specific standards on multi-part assessments that include portfolio entries and assessment center exercises. The specific standards for each certificate are based on the Board's five propositions:

1. Teachers are committed to students and their learning.
2. Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students.
3. Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning.
4. Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience.
5. Teachers are members of learning communities.

The Texas State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) is utilizing NBPTS Candidate Subsidy funds to support 196 candidates at 50% of the certification fee. For more information, visit the NBPTS website at www.nbpts.org/where/central/texas.html. Additionally, a number of local districts, including the Corpus Christi and San Antonio Independent School Districts, provide support for teachers seeking National Board certification.