The 1996 report "What Matters Most: Teaching for America's Future" features a 3-part proposal which consists of teacher education program accreditation, initial teacher licensing, and advanced certification based upon a set of shared knowledge, skills, and commitments for professional teaching. A study explored one facet of this proposed framework for the improvement of teaching: the pursuit of accomplished teaching practice and advanced certification as defined by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. The study focused on the certification process as experienced by five teacher candidates, veterans in the subject area of English Language Arts, and further, described the network of support provided for those candidates in their school district through professional development coursework, team meetings of candidates, and mentoring by a National Board certified member. Data gathering and analysis occurred simultaneously over a 5-month period in a midwestern urban school district with a magnet school system. The study was conducted using qualitative methods, particularly participant observation, group meetings, the semi-structured interview, and document analysis. Findings suggest that a variety of mentoring forms emerged from the data as supporting the candidacy of this group of teachers. Team talk, which predominated, centered on: format and requirements of the portfolio; reflection on current and future practice; support from multiple sources; and the writing process required by this new genre of representing practice in the portfolio. There appears to be some evidence that the experiences of National Board candidates working with a team with a National Board certified teacher as mentor created a learning community of teachers. (NKA)