The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) continues to demonstrate its support for the significant impact of National Board Certified Teachers (NBCTs), particularly in enhancing teaching and student learning in Illinois’ most under-resourced schools. If you are an NBCT working in a qualifying school, you may be eligible for a one-time $4,000 annual retention incentive for up to two consecutive years. We encourage you to contact your state legislators to express your appreciation for their ongoing support of this important initiative.
Instead of a traditional application process, the NBRC is collaborating with ISBE to identify NBCTs who are eligible for the 3K and 4K incentives based on their ELIS account information. If you are found eligible, you will receive a congratulations email from the NBRC with details on how to claim your incentive.
Please make sure that your personal contact information is up to date at the NBRC. Update your information at this link.
In addition, your NBCT designation MUST BE in your ELIS account to be found eligible for the incentive. If your designation is not on your account, please complete this survey to provide ISBE with the needed information to update your account. If your school, FTE, or other information is incorrect, please contact your district’s HR department.
ISBE will begin processing eligible NBCTs in March and the NBRC will send notification emails to those who qualify in April.
For questions about eligibility, technical issues, or application processing, please contact: NBResourceCenter@illinoisstate.edu
A “hard-to-staff school” is defined by the Illinois Administrative Code [105 ILCS 5/21B-70] as:
“A public school in which no less than 30% of student enrollment is considered low-income, as reported by the Illinois School Report Card under Section 10-17a of this Code.”
On or after February 1, 2026, check the FY26 Annual Eligibility Report for the list of qualifying schools for the 2025 – 2026 incentive cycle. There are currently 2,945 eligible schools that may employ educators who meet the criteria above.
Data on these sites is updated annually by ISBE. If your school does not appear on the eligibility list, consult the Illinois Report Card Business Rules for clarification. For questions regarding business rules, email: reportcard@isbe.net.
Eligibility is not determined by the NBRC . The eligibility of the schools for the Teacher Excellence incentive is obtained from the Illinois Report Card created by the Illinois State Board of Education. The contents of the report are compiled and released annually by ISBE. Please double-check your school’s eligibility using the list above.