67.1-04-03-01. National board certification.

1. Definitions.

a. "Board" means the education standards and practices board. b. "Certification" means national board certification as provided by the national board. c. "National board" means the national board for professional teaching standards.

2. Board duties. Based upon receiving state dollars, the board shall:

a. Inform teachers of the national board certification program and the scholarships and services the national board provides to teachers seeking certification. b. Collect and review in the order received scholarship applications from individuals who are licensed to teach by the board or approved to teach by the board. c. Approve first-time applicants based on funding availability. d. During each year of the biennium, reserve three of the available scholarships until October first for individuals teaching at low-performing schools. At that time, the three slots, if not filled, become available to other applicants. e. Require the recipient to serve during the school year as a full-time classroom teacher in a public or nonpublic school. f. Require the recipient to participate in mentoring developed and implemented in the employing school or district. g. Ensure that all scholarship recipients receive adequate information regarding level of commitment required to acquire certification.

If any individual who receives a scholarship under this section does not complete the certification process within the time allotted by the board, the individual must reimburse the state an amount equal to one-half of the amount awarded to the individual as a scholarship.

3. Recertification process.

a. Collect and review in the order received scholarship applications for national board recertification from individuals who are licensed to teach by the board or approved to teach by the board; b. Approve recertification applications, based upon availability of state funds, applications will be accepted and funded on a first-come, first-served basis; c. Require each recipient for a scholarship under this subsection serve during the school year as a full-time classroom teacher in a public or nonpublic school in this state; and d. If available, require each recipient of a scholarship under this subsection to participate in mentoring programs developed and implemented in the employing school or school district.

4. Stipends.

1. a. At the conclusion of each school year after the individual received national board certification, the board shall pay to an individual an additional one thousand five hundred state dollars for the life of the national board certificate, if:
2. (1) The individual was employed during the school year as a full-time classroom teacher by a school district in this state.
3. (2) If available, require the participant for a scholarship under this section to participate in efforts of the employing school district to develop and implement teacher mentoring programs.
4. b. The payment provided for in this subsection is available beginning with the 2007-08 school year.
5. c. To qualify for funding, the applicant must:
6. (1) Have acquired a baccalaureate degree from a state-approved or accredited teacher education program;
7. (2) Hold a valid North Dakota educator's professional license; and
8. (3) Currently be a North Dakota kindergarten through grade twelve public or nonpublic classroom instructor.
9. d. The applicant may apply for the guide to national board certification, which includes the application process by contacting the education standards and practices board, and for one-half of the application fee by submitting the completed application to the education standards and practices board by December first. Based upon availability of state funds, applications must be accepted and funded on a first-come, first-served basis.5. Renewal. The board recognizes the national board certification as fulfilling the requirement for license renewal until expiration of the national board certificate.

History: Effective July 1, 2012; amended effective October 1, 2020; January 1, 2024; July 1, 2025.

General Authority: NDCC 15.1-13-09, 15.1-13-10

Law Implemented: NDCC 15.1-13-08, 15.1-13-10, 15.1-13-11, 15.1-13-12.1, 15.1-13-22, 15.1-18-02, 15.1-18-03