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Resources

Certification programs utilize assessments to evaluate the knowledge, skills, or ability of an individual. Assessment practices face challenges in addressing learning styles, bias, and DEI barriers. The below resources address these challenges and provide case examples and standards for showcasing the value of assessments.

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Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation (CLEAR)

Out of the Regulatory Roundabout: A Path to More Effective Professional Regulation
With regularity outsiders to professional regulation, both academic and government sponsored, are critically commenting on the value of the work of regulatory bodies. This brief looks at recent critiques of regulation in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom by offering thoughts on several regulatory innovations, which based on my experience, regulators could initiate to improve the quality and relevance of their work. When professional and occupational regulatory bodies consider these reviews, they will be better able to anticipate the impact of these public focused reflections on quality, competence and fitness of current regulatory models. While their work remains important, many regulators have lost focus. Mired in their day to day work, they often lose perspective on the wider issues involved in protecting the public interest.

Licensure Examinations
This article summarizes key concepts in development, design, and maintenance of a licensing examination (and by extension, a credentialing exam). Design considerations include availability of resources, administrative procedures, examination formats, appeals, re-examination and use of consultants or contractors. Steps to ensure reliability and validity include a job analysis, test specifications, formal test development process, setting the passing score, and post-exam item analysis.

Legal Case

Case Details: Lieberman v. Am. Osteopathic Ass'n
Liberman v. American Osteopathic Board of Family Physician (AOBFP) No. 14-2515 was a 2015 decision by the court to dismiss Lierberman's claim that the certification procedures put forth by the AOBFP violated his common-law-due process rights. AOBFP certification lasts for 8 years, after which time, the physician is required to pass an exam to become recertified.

Standards

Criteria for the Recognition of Organizations that Provide Certifications in Specialties and Subspecialties in Professional Psychology
The Commission for the Recognition of Specialties and Subspecialties in Professional Psychology (CRSSPP) defines the criteria for certifying bodies to be recognized in the APA membership directory. Criteria for inclusion are similar to NCCA standards including, organizational autonomy, policies and procedures that delineate how a credential is awarded (e.g. oral exam, written exam, etc.), policies and procedures for developing the assessment (e.g. fairness and validity), policies and procedures for providing public documentation about the certification program.

The Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (page 118)
The Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing are the foundation for credentialing examination processes including test development, scoring, and administration. If these processes are followed, examinations are defensible in terms of their reliability and validity, as well as candidate fairness. These Standards are the basis for the requirements set by credentialing bodies such as NCCA.