© 2021 National Board for Professional Teaching Standards | All rights reserved.
Student Release
Dear Parent/Guardian:
I am a participant this school year in an assessment to certify teachers as accomplished practitioners in teaching.
My participation in this assessment, which is being conducted by the National Board for Professional Teaching
Standards (the National Board), is voluntary. The primary purposes of this assessment are to make decisions
about whether a teacher demonstrates knowledge and practice skills expected of an accomplished teacher, improve
student learning and encourage excellence in teaching.
This assessment requires that I submit short audiovisual recordings and/or photographs of lessons being taught in
your child’s class. Although the recordings/photographs will show or involve students, the primary focus is on my
instruction, not on the students. In the course of this assessment, your child’s image and voice might be recorded on
the video, and your child might be photographed, with the recordings/photographs then submitted to the National
Board. My submissions (the Submissions) will also include my written commentary sheets, instructional materials,
essays, classroom plans, assignments, and commentary.
In addition, as part of the assessment, I might be asked to submit samples of student work (the Student Work) to
demonstrate my teaching practices, which could include some of your child’s work. No students’ last names will
appear on any materials or in any recordings that I submit as part of my assessment.
The National Board has broad rights to use my Submissions, and I assign to the National Board all of my rights in and
to those Submissions. The National Board also obtains certain rights with respect to the Student Work that I submit.
The National Board may use my Submissions and the Student Work, in its discretion, to further its mission of
promoting excellence in education and teaching. In all cases, the National Board abides by its Confidentiality
Guidelines Policy, which can be found in the Guide to National Board Certification: http://www.nbpts.org/wp-
content/uploads/Guide_to_NB_Certification.pdf. For instance, Submissions may be used for purposes related to my
assessment by the National Board and any third parties who assist in the assessment process, and the National
Board may use the Submissions and Student Work in National Board works and publications. The National Board
might also seek separate permission from me to post the Submissions and Student Work in a password-protected
online database, called ATLAS, where they can be accessed by others for educational, research, and professional
development purposes. Submissions will only be posted to ATLAS after securing a separate ATLAS authorization and
release form from me. You can review the Terms and Conditions that apply to the ATLAS online database here:
https://atlas.nbpts.org/terms. The National Board may receive fees from those to whom it grants access to the
Submissions and Student Work. These uses may make my Submissions and the Student Work available for viewing
by a broad range of individuals, educators, and students. Again, however, your child’s last name would not be
disclosed in the Submissions or the Student Work.
I am writing to request your permission for me to submit to the National Board recordings and photographs that
might include your child’s voice or image, to be used and disclosed by the National Board only in accordance with
the terms of this letter and the enclosed Student Release Form. By providing permission, you will also be granting
the National Board a perpetual, irrevocable and royalty-free license to use any Student Work by your child that I
submit as part of my assessment, and to have and to use any copyright, rights of publicity, and other rights
associated with any Student Work, and you will be releasing the National Board from all claims (including invasion of
privacy) in connection with its use of the Submissions or Student Work.
If you agree to your child’s participation in the activities as outlined above and the National Board’s right to use the
Submissions and Student Work in the manner described in this letter, please sign the enclosed Student Release
Form (and have it signed by your child if he/she/they is 18 years of age or older). I will retain this form documenting
your permission and may provide it to the National Board upon request. If you do not consent to your child’s
participation, your child will be out of view in making the recordings and photographs, and I will not include your
child’s work in the Student Work I submit.
Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
(Candidate signature)