The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards was created in 1987 to establish high 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. To earn National Board certification, teachers must demonstrate these standards on multi-part assessments that include portfolio entries and assessment center exercises. NBPTS, comprised primarily of teachers, has developed standards in 27 fields. Among them are two art certificates and two music.

• Early through Middle Childhood — Art and Music

• Early Adolescence through Young Adulthood — Art and Music

To date, a set of ten standards has been developed for Early Adolescence through Young Adulthood/Art:

1. Goals of Art Education — know, understand, and implement ambitious goals of art education for themselves and their students

2. Knowledge of Students as Learners — demonstrate an understanding of the development of students in relationship to their art learning

3. Equity and Diversity — celebrate diversity, practice equity and fairness, and use the multicultural content of art to promote opportunities to learn to accept and value others

4. Content of Art — demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the essential knowledge, concepts, skills, and processes that compose the content of art

5. Curriculum and Instruction — use their knowledge of art and students to organize, design, deliver, and evaluate curriculum and instruction to help students make, study, and respond to works of art

6. Assessment, Evaluation, and Reflection on Student Learning — understand the design, principles, and purposes of assessment; monitor, analyze, and evaluate student progress to inform their own practice

7. Instructional Resources and Technology — create, select, and adapt a variety of resources, materials, and technologies that support students as they learn in and through the visual arts

8. Learning Environments — establish environments where individuals, art content, and inquiry are held in high regard and where students can actively learn and create

9. Collaboration with Colleagues, Schools, Families, and Communities — work with colleagues, schools, families, and community groups to achieve common goals for the education of students; to improve schools; and to advance the knowledge, practice, and support of art education

10. Reflective Practice — analyze, evaluate, and strengthen their practice and programs in order to improve the quality of student learning

There are eight standards for Early Adolescence through Young Adulthood/Music:

1. Knowledge of Students — understand the cognitive, physical, and social development of students and know their musical background; use this knowledge to foster productive relationships with students and to provide music instruction that meets their needs

2. Knowledge of Skills and Music — demonstrate outstanding performance and musicianship skills; comprehensive knowledge of music theory and history; and highly specialized knowledge in general, choral, or instrumental music as they provide students with high quality, sequential instruction in music

3. Planning and Implementing Assessment — plan and implement assessments, use assessment data in planning subsequent instruction, and employ a variety of methods to evaluate and report student progress

4. Facilitating Music Learning — employ materials, methods, and strategies that engage students’ interest and facilitate music learning; have highly specialized knowledge in choral, instrumental, or general music as they provide students with high quality, sequential instruction in music

5. Learning Environments — create and foster dynamic learning environments that are characterized by trust, risk taking, independence, collaboration, and high expectations for all students

6. Valuing Diversity — value the diverse backgrounds, abilities, and perspectives of their students and provide a music curriculum that is inclusive of all students and rich in musical diversity

7. Collaboration — understand and value the distinctive roles of families, colleagues, the community, and others in the music education process and continually seek opportunities to build partnerships with them

8. Reflection, Professional Growth, and Professional Contribution — reflect on their teaching, students’ performances, and developments in their field to extend their knowledge steadily, improve their teaching, and refine their philosophy of music education; contribute to the growth of their colleagues, their schools, and their field

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 National Board website. Additionally, a number of local districts, including the Corpus Christi and San Antonio Independent School Districts, provide support for teachers seeking National Board certification. Other districts may increase pay for a teacher who holds certification. SBEC has also determined that teachers holding NBPTS certification can teach in the classroom if they were certified out of state.