The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards has unveiled new Texas-specific safeguards after state reviewers flagged potential conflicts involving “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (DEI) provisions in its teacher-certification standards, drawing support from State Board of Education Member Audrey Young R-District 8).
The August 27 plan calls for a Texas portal with state-law guidance, new compliance language across all 18 certificate-area standards documents and a required acknowledgment from Texas candidates that they must follow state education laws and regulations throughout the certification process.
In an email reviewed by The Dallas Express, Young said she believes the National Board is making its most assertive effort to follow Texas law and should be encouraged to enact the proposals and remain part of TIA.
“This response is worthy of consideration,” Young wrote.
Plan tracks Young’s Texas demands
The response follows a months-long Texas review of National Board materials. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, state reviewers identified potential conflicts with Texas law across 17 National Board certificate-area standards involving DEI duties, sexual orientation, “gender identity,” differential treatment and other material.
The Phase One report also flagged examples involving racial profiling and political advocacy. Reviewers warned that some disputed standards help shape scoring rubrics and assessments, creating a potential effect on candidate scores.
The State Board for Educator Certification voted on July 24 to give the National Board until November 2 to address the concerns before Texas reaches a final decision on the certification pathway.
Young had already pressed National Board leaders to act. Her July 18 letter called for six reforms, including political, ideological and instructional neutrality across the organization’s standards, a dedicated Texas compliance portal, legal-compliance language in each standards document, a Texas candidate affirmation, faster standards revisions and a formal process for consulting states when laws change.
“The time for incremental discussion has passed,” Young wrote in the July letter.
National Board commits to Texas-specific safeguards
National Board President and CEO Peggy Brookins said in the August 27 memo that the organization is creating a Texas portal containing state-specific guidance, statutory references and compliance resources. The portal will directly reference potential conflicts identified during the SBEC review and the Texas laws candidates must follow.
The National Board also plans to place a compliance provision at the beginning of each of its 18 standards documents. The language will clarify that candidates must demonstrate accomplished teaching practices while complying with applicable federal, state and local requirements.
Texas candidates will have to confirm that they reviewed the Texas-specific guidance and acknowledge their obligation to follow Texas education laws and regulations. The organization is also accelerating revisions to its Literacy: Reading-Language Arts Standards for teachers of students ages 3-12 to meet the November 2 deadline.
The plan also calls for three to five free examples from the National Board’s ATLAS video library showing how National Board Certified Teachers in Texas demonstrated accomplished practice while complying with applicable law.
“We remain fully committed to Texas teachers, students, and the continued value of accomplished teaching,” Brookins wrote.
Texas Tech study supports continued pathway
The National Board also supplied Young with a Texas Tech University policy brief examining student outcomes associated with National Board Certified Teachers in Texas.
Researchers J. Jacob Kirksey and Kristin E. Mansell analyzed administrative data covering more than 1 million students in TIA-participating districts from the 2020-2021 through 2023-2024 school years.
The researchers reported estimated gains equivalent to about 3.5 additional months of learning in math and 1.5 months in English language arts for students taught by National Board Certified Teachers compared with similar students taught by non-TIA, non-National Board Certified teachers.
The study also reported an approximately 18% lower likelihood of suspension and a 10% lower likelihood of chronic absenteeism.
The analysis compared students within the same school, grade and year and controlled for prior achievement and other student characteristics.
The researchers concluded that the achievement results for National Board Certified Teachers were comparable to teachers in the top 20% under the TIA framework and recommended preserving National Board Certification as a designation pathway.
Final Texas approval remains pending
The National Board has committed to the reforms, but Texas has not yet determined that the organization has satisfied every state concern.
The August 27 memo does not say the National Board has already rewritten every passage reviewers flagged. SBEC retains responsibility for determining whether the certification complies with state requirements.
HB 2 requires SBEC to reauthorize or revoke the National Board pathway by December 31. The law also preserves an already awarded nationally board-certified designation for its five-year term even if SBEC later revokes authorization.
The National Board says it expects to submit its evidence of compliance to the Texas Education Agency by November 2.
Young, who has consistently said she wants the certification reformed rather than removed from Texas, now believes the organization has made a response worth considering.
Provided by Dallas Express
