Why Certify

Financial Benefits:

NM National Board Salary Differential

The annual salary differential, paid to ALL school employees who are NBCTs, is approved by the New Mexico legislature to be 1.5*Unit Value. Click here to view the passing bill.

Level 3 Licensure
National Board Certification advances teachers to a Level 3 certification in New Mexico, with at starting salary of $75,000, without having to do the micro credentials or Masters degree. Click here to view the NMPED Licensure Website

Other Benefits:

The key findings of research include:

• Improves Practice: 91% of teachers reported making at least one change to their instructional practice because of engaging in collaborative learning grounded in the National Board resources. 

  1. • 64% reported adjusting lesson plans to meet the needs of individual students 

     • 57% reported using data in new ways to assess student progress

     • 51% using data in new ways to set student learning goals 

     • 46% reported adjusting overall lesson or assessment design.

• Professional Learning: About 80% of teachers reported that engagement with the National Board resources had an impact on their professional growth by improving their instruction, providing instructional strategies, facilitating collaboration with colleagues, and fostering reflective practice. 

• Deeper Learning: Students of NBCTs demonstrate evidence of deeper learning nearly three times more frequently (74%) than their peers in non-NBCT classrooms (29%). 

• More Learning: Students taught by Board-Certified teachers gain one to two months of additional learning compared to peers in non-NBCT classrooms. This positive impact is even greater for minority and low-income students. 

• Less Teacher Turnover: The attrition rate of NBCTs is 4 times lower than non-NBCTs. 

These statistics come from National Board for Professional Teaching Standards: 

https://www.nbpts.org/connect/research/  and https://www.nbpts.org/certification/benefits/