Wednesday, November 9, 2011

2:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m

Requests for Accommodation by Disabled Test Takers - Out with the Old (Reasonable Accommodation) and in with the New (Best Ensure)?
Brian Inamine, JD

For years, the certification community, the courts, and the U.S. Department of Justice have assumed that the standard for responding to a disabled test taker’s request for accommodation was “reasonable accommodation.” A recent 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision may have changed this long-held assumption. In the Enyart v. National Conference of Bar Examiners case, Ms. Enyart, a talented and blind law student, sued the National Conference of Bar Examiners under Title III of the ADA. She alleged that under Title III and related federal regulations, the NCBE was required to provide her with bar examination access that would “best ensure” her success – reasonable accommodation was not enough. In a stunning defeat to certification bodies, the 9th Circuit affirmed the district court’s ruling, and rejected the longstanding “reasonable accommodation” standard. Instead, the appellate court held that in response to a disabled test taker’s request for accommodation, the certifying body must take steps that “best ensure” the test measures the test taker’s ability, not disability. Does this mean that certification entities must now give in to a test taker’s preferred method of taking tests, matter the cost? Is there any defense to this? I will provide a historical review of the ADA laws pertaining to certification examinations, then discuss Enyart and its implications, and suggest best practices to responding to requests for accommodation.

Pete and Repeat: First-time Versus Repeat Candidates and their Effect on Certification Programs

Liz Koch, MPH, MEd; Sandra Neustel, PhD

How many times should a candidate be able to take (and fail) a test before they are no longer eligible for a certification? How much scoring information can a board provide to both failing and passing candidates without giving away the content of the exam? How many different forms of an examination does a board need to develop so that the exam content is not compromised and scores of repeat test takers are believable? This session will provide an overview of recent research on certification exam repeaters as well as the policies and procedures used by different boards to manage this aspect of the certification process.

3:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Developing and Implementing Additional Levels of Certification for an Existing Credentialing Program

Carla Caro, MA; Suellen Honeychuck, RP; Linda Lysoby, MS, CHES, CAE

This session will explore the expansion of a certification program’s credentialing offerings through development of new and complementary certifications that address progression through a career ladder within a profession. Two sponsors of existing programs will describe how they created new levels of certification. One credentialing sponsor developed an advanced certification program to complement its well-established entry-level certification program. The other added an entry-level, curriculum-based program to complement its advanced-level certification program. The different business models adopted by the two groups to address the needs of profession will be described, as well as the process by which each one created examination formats, eligibility requirements, and test content outlines that best differentiated the levels in the profession. Additional discussion topics will include: policy considerations; marketing the new credentials and expanding outreach to potential candidates; issues relating to unique and shared item banks; and logistics, practicalities, and lessons learned.

New Job Analysis: Cosmetic Change or Extreme Makeover
Donna DeAngelis, LICSW, ACSW; Kay Manger-Hague, RD; Beth Noeller, PhD

Representatives from two certification programs that have recently conducted job analyses (JA) will address key decisions necessary for the development of and administration of a JA. Questions such as: What was included in the survey? How was the sample determined? What were your data collection mechanisms and your response rates? Could your data serve multiple purposes? Do you feel that the information obtained justified the economic expenditure? Speakers will provide insights into some of the pitfalls they experienced to help others ward off similar challenges.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

10:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.

Improving Score Reports for Credentialing Programs

Andrew Dwyer, PhD; Peter Fox; Todd Galati, MA; Stephen Johnson, PhD

 

Score reporting is an often overlooked component of the testing industry, but it is a critical relationship link between different stakeholders (test takers, educators, etc.) and the credentialing organization. A poorly constructed score report can confuse the target audience and at worst, undermine the validity of the testing program. In addition, most of the research regarding “best practices” in score reporting has focused on K-12 educational testing. Although certainly much of that research is also applicable to certification or licensure testing, there are some important issues surrounding score reporting that are specific to credentialing programs. This session will examine what has been learned about effective and meaningful score reporting and how it applies to certification and licensure testing.

 

Assessment of Situational Judgment as a Method to Enhance Learning and Promote Continuing Competence
Lawrence Fabrey, PhD; Sandra Schafer, RN, MN, AOCN; Denise Stahl, RN, MSN, ACHPN

 

The National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses (NBCHPN®) offers credentialing in this specialty for all levels of nursing, including Advanced Practice Nurses (APRNs). Every four years APRNs must submit a Hospice and Palliative Accrual for Recertification (HPAR) application for renewal of certification documenting that the APRN has fulfilled practice hour requirements and accumulated required points through various professional development activities. Beginning in 2011, the NBCHPN® began requiring completion of the Situational Judgment Exam (SJE) as a component of the HPAR. The SJE is an open book, online simulation examination that uses a series of case based scenarios to assess critical reasoning and clinical application of content beyond the level of the initial certification exam, by providing an evaluation of the approach taken to handle the complexity of real life clinical situations. This session will provide background on the rationale for requiring the SJE, the process of developing the simulation problems, and the way in which the SJE is used as both an assessment and a method to extend knowledge and improve the candidates’ advanced practice of hospice and palliative nursing.

11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.

Brave New World: Using Social Media to Launch and Market Credentials
Rory McCorkle, MBA; Jarin Schmidt

Many presentations have been given on what social media outlets exist and what features each contains. However, few presentations have demonstrated how credentialing bodies can use social media to connect with customers and market a certification. This presentation will focus on presenting best practices for using social media in launching and marketing a credential, while using a case study example from the Project Management Institute (PMI). These best practices include discussing the importance of making connections, sharing, and information streams, while connecting people, places, and content. The presentation will also demonstrate some typical social media tools and techniques that can be used, while demonstrating how organizations have used the various social media channels successfully in launching and marketing credentials.

2:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.

Getting the Most Bang for Your Item Development Bucks
Jennifer Gaffey; Noelle Hammerbacher, MS; Sheila Mauldin, MNM

It's important for certifying organizations to have item banks that support their exam development.  Unfortunately, developing those item banks can be quite expensive and labor intensive.  This session will present ideas that will help reduce the costs of item development by increasing the effectiveness and productivity of the item development activities.  Topics included are selecting and training skilled item writers, formatting and editing items effectively, conducting meaningful item review meetings, and evaluating all processes along the way.

Presenting Technical Reports: Communicating Psychometric Information to Executive Stakeholders

Martin Conroy; Erica LaForte, MS; John Weiner, MA

In this session you will learn what should be included in a psychometric technical report and how to report the information in a format that is easily accessible to all stakeholders. The appropriate NCCA standards will be highlighted and the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing will be referenced so you will become comfortable referring to these two important and valuable tools. You will walk away with a technical report outline and a recommended resource list, and--whether you are the technical report writer or the person that explains the report to your executives--a better understanding of how to communicate with your stakeholders.

Friday, November 11, 2011

10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Public Member Closing Session: Public Members and Boardsmanship
Rebecca LeBuhn, MA; Barbara Nytko, MSc; David Swankin, JD

Public Members will have an opportunity to learn about their role as a Director on a Board. Gain a better understanding of due diligence, learn to avoid conflict of interest, and pick up tips on preparing for a Board meeting.

The Advantages of Rapid Test Development (RTD)
Jessica Anderson, BS; Elisa Kahn, DMA, MM, BS

Organizations with testing programs regularly develop and update item banks through test development meetings focusing on writing and reviewing test items. Timelines to develop and update certification and licensure exams can be lengthy, and it is often advantageous to reduce the time it takes for an item to pass through writing, reviewing and editing phases prior to being placed on an exam form. Prometric, in partnership with GBCI, has developed a process of “Rapid Test Development” (RTD) to shorten the item development timeline while maintaining item quality and exam integrity. The following will outline the process of RTD, identify benefits and limitations of this strategy, and discuss potential modifications to the RTD process in order to tailor it to individual groups’ needs and resources (e.g., remote item development sessions). We will also identify the financial and logistical benefits in addition to reducing item development timeframes.