The Texas State Board for Educator Certification on July 24, 2026 voted to approve recommendations from its National Board Certification Materials Review Sub-committee, requiring the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards to update its resource materials to comply with the state's anti-DEI law by Nov. 2, 2026. The vote came after a Phase One review of NBPTS materials by five contracted reviewers that began in March 2026 and was completed in June 2026. The statutory authority for the review is Texas Education Code Section 21.3523, enacted through House Bill 2 (89th Legislature, 2025), which requires the board to decide by December 31, 2026 whether to reauthorize or revoke the nationally board certified teacher designation. If the board does not act by that date, the designation is automatically revoked, according to the enrolled version of the bill.
What the review found
The Phase One review identified language across 17 of NBPTS's certificate-area standards that may be interpreted to interfere with a teacher's ability to provide instruction in compliance with the state's prohibition on diversity, equity, and inclusion duties, according to the review report. The report also identified potential conflicts in four certificate-area standards related to another state law, Section 28.0022 of the Texas Education Code. The conflicts were found only in the certificate-area standards, not in other NBPTS materials. Reviewers did not identify any language that would interfere with teaching state standards without Common Core or with phonics instruction without three-cueing. In some cases, the flagged DEI-related content represented examples rather than requirements, the report stated.
Impact on teachers
Texas Education Agency staff estimated that approximately 900 teachers could be affected if National Board Certification is removed from the Teacher Incentive Allotment, according to an account from Teach the Vote, a publication of the Association of Texas Professional Educators. About half of those educators also hold another TIA designation, but some teachers in special education or fine arts may lose TIA eligibility entirely once their current designation period ends, because those subjects are not included in local TIA programs, the report stated.
Next steps
NBPTS has until Nov. 2, 2026 to revise its materials. A proposed Phase Two review would examine any materials that NBPTS updates. A final vote on whether to reauthorize or revoke the designation is expected in December 2026, as required by statute. NBPTS president and CEO Peggy Brookins told the board at the July 24 meeting that her organization is committed to partnering with the state to make improvements but needs to meet with Texas reviewers to understand what is considered out of compliance. She also stated that the National Board does not train educators on sex, gender, or any topic, nor does it assign learning materials, according to the Texas Tribune.
Research on National Board Certification
The Texas Tribune reported that researchers have recommended Texas continue to recognize the national certificate in the Teacher Incentive Allotment, and described National Board Certification as a program shown to improve student outcomes. The directive references a Texas Tech University study on student learning gains under nationally certified teachers, but the specific study was not directly identified; this finding is based on a news summary rather than the study itself.