The primary mission of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is to establish high, rigorous standards and
develop a voluntary accreditation system to recognize exemplary teachers. Committees of teachers and experts in a variety of grade levels and disciplinary fields were given the tasks of defining specific standards, and the national board developed an assessment and certification system. Standards committees were guided by five core propositions in defining what teachers should know and be able to do: (1) teachers are committed to students and their learning; (2) teachers should know the subjects they teach and how to teach students; (3) teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning; (4) teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience; and (5) teachers are members of learning communities.