A
staggered board of directors or
classified board is a prominent practice in
US corporate law governing the
board of directors of a
company,
corporation, or other organization, in which only a fraction (often one third) of the members of the board of directors is elected each time instead of en masse (where all directors have one-year terms). Each group of directors falls within a specified "class"—e.g., Class I, Class II, etc.—hence the use of the term "classified" board.