National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

What National Board for Professional Teaching Standards does

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1987 and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, that develops and administers National Board Certification, described in its own materials as the most respected professional certification available in U.S. public education. The certification is structured around the Five Core Propositions framework and is offered across 25 certificate areas spanning 16 disciplines and four developmental levels. Since inception, more than 146,000 teachers have achieved the National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) designation, and approximately 70% of candidates receiving a certification decision since the 2017 assessment revision have earned certification.

The certification process is a four-component assessment: three portfolio entries (Differentiation in Instruction; Teaching Practice and Learning Environment; Effective and Reflective Practitioner) submitted through a dedicated electronic portfolio system, plus a computer-based Content Knowledge assessment administered at third-party testing centers. Candidate accounts, registration, and component purchases are managed through the Pearson Educator Portal (PEP), and portfolio entries are scored by trained Board-certified teachers under a performance-based scoring system that measurement experts have rated among the most reliable for complex performance assessments.

Revenue derives from a $75 nonrefundable registration fee plus $475 per component ($1,900 total for a full first-attempt certification), with retakes and Maintenance of Certification generating recurring fees. Historically, approximately 30% of cumulative costs have been financed by federal appropriations (about $188 million from the U.S. Department of Education and National Science Foundation through September 2009) and 70% from non-federal sources including candidate fees, state agencies, and school districts that subsidize candidates. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer to individual teachers, supported by state and district cohort programs and digital channels including an AI chatbot, blog, podcast, email newsletters, and social media.

Name

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

Legal name

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

Website

https://nbpts.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1987 in Arlington, Virginia, that develops and administers National Board Certification for U.S. public school teachers across 25 certificate areas, with over 146,000 teachers having earned the credential to date.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Teaching Certification

NAICS

Educational Services (61), Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Initial Teacher Certification & Licensure Boards (EDADAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

National/State Examination Boards & Testing Agencies (EDADAFAA), Teacher Testing & Examinations Boards (Licensure Exams) (EDADAJAC), Professional Development / CPD Requirement Administration for Licensure (EDADAJAL), Teacher Standards, Ethics & Professional Conduct Boards (EDADAJAE)

Keywords

• Teacher certification
• Professional certification
• Teaching standards
• Educator assessment
• Portfolio assessment

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Certification Fees: Primary revenue stream from certification component fees. Each of the four components costs $475 for initial attempt, totaling $1,900 for full certification. Retake attempts require additional fees.
2. Registration Fees: $75 nonrefundable and nontransferable registration fee required for each assessment cycle.
3. Government Grants: Federal funding from U.S. Department of Education and National Science Foundation. Through September 2009, NBPTS received $188 million in federal appropriations (approximately 30% of total cumulative costs), with $398.1 million (70%) financed by non-federal sources.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) administers National Board Certification, a voluntary professional certification for U.S. public school teachers built on the Five Core Propositions framework. The certification consists of four components: a computer-based Content Knowledge assessment taken at third-party testing centers and three portfolio entries (Differentiation in Instruction, Teaching Practice and Learning Environment, and Effective and Reflective Practitioner) submitted through an electronic portfolio system. The program is offered across 25 certificate areas spanning 16 disciplines and four developmental levels, with candidates registering through the Pearson Educator Portal and paying per-component fees.

Product overview

National Board Certification is the flagship offering of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, comprising a unified certification program with four integrated assessment components. The program includes a computer-based Content Knowledge assessment and three portfolio-based entries (Differentiation in Instruction, Teaching Practice and Learning Environment, and Effective and Reflective Practitioner) that together evaluate teacher competencies. The certification is supported by complementary resources including the ATLAS support platform, Cohort Planning Toolkit, and System Leader Toolkit for program implementation. The organization offers certification across 25 certificate areas grounded in the Five Core Propositions framework.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• National Board Certification A voluntary professional certification program for U.S. public school teachers requiring three portfolio entries (Differentiation in Instruction, Teaching Practice and Learning Environment, Effective and Reflective Practitioner) plus a computer-based Content Knowledge assessment at a testing center. Available in 25 certificate areas across 16 disciplines.
• Maintenance of Certification Ongoing renewal pathway that allows National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs) to maintain their certified status through continued professional development and assessment activities.
• ATLAS (Accomplished Teaching, Learning and Schools)

Quantifiable outcome

• 70% certification success rate since 2017 assessment revision
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• PearsoncoreTechnology or IntegrationPearson provides the Pearson Educator Portal (PEP) platform for candidate registration, account management, and component purchases. The National Board's registration system moved to Pearson's platform to provide flexibility for portfolio submissions and certification management.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Educational Testing Service (ETS): ETS administers the Praxis suite of teacher licensure assessments and other educator testing programs, directly competing for the same candidate pool of U.S. teachers seeking professional credentials and serving overlapping state education agency customers.
• American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE): ABCTE offers an alternative route to state teacher certification focused on subject-matter competency, directly competing with NBPTS for candidates seeking voluntary/alternative credentials, especially career-changers.

Broad incumbents

• Pearson VUE: Pearson operates the computer-based testing centers used by NBPTS Content Knowledge assessments and is a strategic platform partner; across Pearson's broader education portfolio it also delivers competing teacher and licensure assessment products.
• Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP): CAEP accredits teacher preparation programs, addressing educator quality upstream of NBPTS's downstream certification. Both organizations shape national policy and standards for U.S. teacher quality.
• College Board: College Board develops and administers high-stakes standardized assessments and credentials (AP, SAT) and works extensively with state education agencies — an adjacent standards-and-assessment incumbent with significant brand recognition in education.
• ACT, Inc. ACT develops and administers the ACT assessment plus workforce and education credentials; it overlaps with NBPTS in assessment delivery infrastructure and in working with state education agencies on educator quality measures.

Emerging players

• edTPA (Stanford Center for Assessment, Learning, and Equity): edTPA is a portfolio-based preservice teacher assessment adopted by many states and now administered through Pearson, providing a competing performance-based, portfolio-driven credentialing pathway for teachers.

Regional players

• Teach For America (TFA): TFA is a nonprofit that recruits and places teachers across U.S. regions; while a teacher pipeline rather than a certifier, it influences where candidates pursue optional credentials like National Board Certification.

Others

• National Education Association (NEA): NEA is the largest U.S. teacher union and actively advocates for NBCT recognition, pay differentials, and district subsidies — a key third-party-payer ecosystem partner influencing NBPTS candidate demand and policy support.
• Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO): CCSSO coordinates state education chiefs and developed the InTASC teaching standards that complement NBPTS standards; it shapes the policy environment in which state-level certification and NBCT subsides are determined.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NBPTS
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheNBPTS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-board-for-professional-teaching-standards
• Instagraminstagram.com/nbpts

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about National Board for Professional Teaching Standards