BOE members must be nominated by one of NCATE’s Member Organizations (e.g., AACTE, NEA, AFT, CCSSO, NAEYC, CEC, or NCTM). To determine whether you belong to one or more of NCATE’s constituent members, visit “About NCATE”. Contact the association directly for information on becoming nominated to the BOE. Many have application forms that must be completed for consideration. Potential BOE members should not send letters of recommendation, résumés, or applications directly to the NCATE office; all nominations must be submitted by a constituent member organization.

Following nomination by a constituent member, a BOE nominee is invited by NCATE to a training session, which is normally held in either late July or early November. The training is primarily small-group work that simulates the work of BOE teams, but it does include some large-group lectures. Trainees are expected to prepare for the training in various ways, mostly through webinars or completion of online modules, which are designed to introduce NCATE’s standards and procedures. They must also attend the face-to-face training session, which includes a simulation of onsite visit activities. NCATE covers all costs of training for nominees. 

Trainees are evaluated at the end of training by their peers and by trainers who are experienced BOE members. If it is determined upon review of peer or trainer evaluations that an individual is unsuitable for BOE work, NCATE contacts the constituent organization and notifies the individual. In these cases, NCATE will train a replacement from the constituent member organization at the next training session.