National Board for Professional Teaching Standards at Duquesne University

Last year, Secretary of Education Gerald L. Zahorchak announced that Duquesne University had been selected as one of four Centers for Teaching Excellence to help Pennsylvania teachers pursue the teaching profession’s gold standard for excellence: certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).

The first year of the program at Duquesne proved to be a success, providing awareness and information to more than 500 teachers in the area served by the University. Close to 230 teachers participated in at least some of the preparation offered by the program, and more than 100 became first time candidates.

We believe that one of the reasons for the success of the National Board program at Duquesne University is the decision made by the University staff to bring the program to teachers, close to where they live and teach rather than have them come to the University in the evening after teaching all day.

The University is grateful to the many entities that have provided classroom space and free parking to the teachers/state licensed school counselors who participated in awareness meetings and the preparation classes. And… that support from the community continues, in that some of those same entities are currently providing space for support group meetings for current candidates and have promised space for the spring preparation sessions.

For general information about National Board Certification, please visit the National Board website at www.nbpts.org. Additional information about the involvement and support of the Pennsylvania Department of Education is available at www.pde.state.pa.us.

To learn more about the opportunities for National Board preparation and support at Duquesne University, or to register for the preparation classes, visit www.centerforteachingexcellence.net.

School District Reimbursement Form (pdf)