Application Process & Cost

The process Georgia teachers should use to apply for National Board Certification has changed substantially making it critical that candidates work through the Georgia Professional Standards Commission to apply. Failure to comply with PSC requirements in the application process will preclude candidates from receiving financial assistance covering the up-front costs of National Board Certification. Please visit the PSC web page, www.gapsc.com/AboutNBPTS/National_board.asp to communicate your “Intent to Apply to NBPTS.” This necessary step cannot be done by mail or any other means; candidates must signal their interest in pursuing National Board Certification electronically. Please note that all deadlines are strictly enforced by the PSC and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

To qualify for state financial assistance in the National Board Certification process, Georgia candidates must complete an approved 20-hour Pre-Candidate training course which will be offered throughout the state in various locations and via the Internet in an on-line course offered by the Georgia Teachers Center. The activities associated with this course must be completed by the date set by the GAPSC. Instructors will submit the names of those who have completed the course to the PSC. Then, candidates who have met the state’s requirements will receive notice of their status along with a promissory note obligating those who accept state financial assistance to refund monies spent on their behalf if they drop out of the program or fail to achieve National Board Certification within a certain amount of time.

Candidates who proceed with the NBPTS process must then return the signed and notarized promissory note to the PSC via certified mail. Candidates will pay the non-refundable and non-reimbursable $300 fee to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards by a set date to become a bona fide candidate for National Board Certification. *Note: It is important to maintain a “paper trail” throughout the NBPTS process, and PAGE recommends candidates send all important documents, such as the qualifying fee, via certified mail.

The PSC will note who has met the deadline for submitting the $300 fee and will transfer funds to the NBPTS covering the program cost for qualified candidates by the end of the year. The fee for National Board Certification is $2,300. Of that amount, $300 is the application fee, and the remainder covers all costs associated with assessment. The cost of National Board Certification is equivalent to two graduate courses. This cost may seem high. The reason for the cost is the administration and scoring of the complex performances. Training teachers as assessors and paying honoraria for their time are costly. National Board Certification assessments are performance based, not multiple choice or fill-in-the-blank tests that can be scored quickly and mechanically. The National Board believes, despite higher costs, that assessments based on the individual teacher’s practice are the most fair and valid way to give teachers an opportunity to demonstrate accomplished teaching and to grow professionally. A National Board Certificate is valid for 10 years. The NBPTS is currently developing renewal options and will provide information about the re-certification process as soon as it is available.

Candidates will receive their portfolio from the NBPTS after the state has transferred funds into the NBPTS accounts for each candidate. Deadlines for the submission of portfolios and other requirements will be included with the portfolio when it is mailed.