NBPTS+Core+Propositions

=**The Core Propositions of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.**=

Accomplished teachers get to know their students and their needs; then they set worthwhile goals that are appropriate for those students. They implement instruction related to those goals, evaluate student learning in connection with the goals, and finally, reflect on student learning in terms of the goals. Once these steps are completed, accomplished teachers begin the process of goal-setting all over again.


 * The Architecture of Accomplished Teaching** was developed by NBPTS and is a metaphor for what accomplished teachers do in the classroom. Just as two buildings can have very different architectures, they still share common features. Likewise, no to teachers approach their craft in exactly the same manner. However, while individual practices may differ on the surface, all accomplished teachers share fundamental aspects of teaching.



The movement from bottom to top within the double helix of the **Architecture of Accomplished Teaching** reflects the accomplished teachers’ ongoing processing of student needs, instructional goals, instructional strategies, evaluation, and reflection. Knowledge of students is the basis for any instructional planning; therefore it is the base of the helix. Starting with that knowledge, follow the helix upwards. (NBPTS)

**The Five Core Propositions **
===NBPTS was created in 1987 after the Carnegie Forum on Education and the Economy’s Task Force on Teaching as a Profession released **A Nation Prepared: Teachers for the 21st Century**. Shortly after its release, NBPTS issued its first policy statement: [|What Teachers Should Know and Be Able to Do] (PDF - 104kb). This policy set forth our vision for accomplished teaching. The Five Core Propositions form the foundation and frame the rich amalgam of knowledge, skills, dispositions and beliefs that characterize National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs). ===

== ** 1. **Teachers are committed to students and their learning. == Accomplished teachers are dedicated to making knowledge accessible to all students. They act on the belief that all students can learn. They treat students equitably, recognizing the individual differences that distinguish one student from another and taking account of these differences in their practice. They adjust their practice based on observation and knowledge of their students' interests, abilities, skills, knowledge, family circumstances and peer relationships.

Accomplished teachers understand how students develop and learn. They incorporate the prevailing theories of cognition and intelligence in their practice. They are aware of the influence of context and culture on behavior. They develop students' cognitive capacity and their respect for learning. Equally important, they foster students' self-esteem, motivation, character, civic responsibility and their respect for individual, cultural, religious and racial differences.

==2. Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students. == Accomplished teachers have a rich understanding of the subject(s) they teach and appreciate how knowledge in their subject is created, organized, linked to other disciplines and applied to real-world settings. While faithfully representing the collective wisdom of our culture and upholding the value of disciplinary knowledge, they also develop the critical and analytical capacities of their students.

Accomplished teachers command specialized knowledge of how to convey and reveal subject matter to students. They are aware of the preconceptions and background knowledge that students typically bring to each subject and of strategies and instructional materials that can be of assistance. They understand where difficulties are likely to arise and modify their practice accordingly. Their instructional repertoire allows them to create multiple paths to the subjects they teach, and they are adept at teaching students how to pose and solve their own problems.

==3. Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning. == Accomplished teachers create, enrich, maintain and alter instructional settings to capture and sustain the interest of their students and to make the most effective use of time. They also are adept at engaging students and adults to assist their teaching and at enlisting their colleagues' knowledge and expertise to complement their own. Accomplished teachers command a range of generic instructional techniques, know when each is appropriate and can implement them as needed. They are as aware of ineffectual or damaging practice as they are devoted to elegant practice.

They know how to engage groups of students to ensure a disciplined learning environment, and how to organize instruction to allow the schools' goals for students to be met. They are adept at setting norms for social interaction among students and between students and teachers. They understand how to motivate students to learn and how to maintain their interest even in the face of temporary failure. Accomplished teachers can assess the progress of individual students as well as that of the class as a whole. They employ multiple methods for measuring student growth and understanding and can clearly explain student performance to parents.

==4. Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience. == Accomplished teachers are models of educated persons, exemplifying the virtues they seek to inspire in students -- curiosity, tolerance, honesty, fairness, respect for diversity and appreciation of cultural differences -- and the capacities that are prerequisites for intellectual growth: the ability to reason and take multiple perspectives to be creative and take risks, and to adopt an experimental and problem solving orientation.

Accomplished teachers draw on their knowledge of human development, subject matter and instruction, and their understanding of their students to make principled judgments about sound practice. Their decisions are not only grounded in the literature, but also in their experience. They engage in lifelong learning which they seek to encourage in their students. Striving to strengthen their teaching, accomplished teachers critically examine their practice, seek to expand their repertoire, deepen their knowledge, sharpen their judgment and adapt their teaching to new findings, ideas and theories.

5. Teachers are members of learning communities.
Accomplished teachers contribute to the effectiveness of the school by working collaboratively with other professionals on instructional policy, curriculum development and staff development. They can evaluate school progress and the allocation of school resources in light of their understanding of state and local educational objectives. They are knowledgeable about specialized school and community resources that can be engaged for their students' benefit, and are skilled at employing such resources as needed.

Accomplished teachers find ways to work collaboratively and creatively with parents, engaging them productively in the work of the school.