The purpose of licensing and certification tests is to protect the public. This purpose determines test content, difficulty of the items, test format, use of test scores in decision making, and ways of setting standards. Currently being explored are methods to ensure continued competence, and legal considerations related to antidiscrimination…

Administering a large scale licensing examination program presents both technical and non-technical challenges. Five major areas are discussed in this paper: (1) ensuring test validity in relation to occupational entry standards; (2) developing test items from valid examination specifications; (3) establishing legally defensible passing scores;…

This book summarizes the evaluation by the Committee on the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) of the National Research Council of the U.S. Employment Service's use of the GATB. The book serves professional users, policymakers, and students of psychometrics because of its clear and concise review of important issues. (SLD)

This paper describes a testing program that established job-related standards of performance and testing procedures for the technician position within a gas transportation company. New standards were being established in response to safety concerns stemming from investigations that identified training inadequacy as a cause of accidents. The job…

The United States Employment Service (USES), in cooperation with State employment services, has conducted a continuing program of occupational test research and development since the mid-1930's. This program has produced a variety of tests and assessment techniques useful in vocational counseling and in selection of individuals for specific jobs.…

Implementing measurement specialists' ideas about content validity with licensure examinations and the problem of court litigation are discussed. Validity issues surfacing when sponsors of national licensure examinations conduct validity investigations are considered. Issues include local versus national focus on content validity, job analysis,…

The need for better validation of professional licensing and certification examinations is discussed in Part I. Predictive criterion-related validation studies are difficult to develop, time consuming, impractical and expensive. Since training and knowledge variables are not necessarily sufficient to predict job proficiency, it appears logical to…

A project continued activity to improve the occupational competency assessment program for evaluating and certifying vocational education teachers. Development of new testing was continued by Temple University, The Pennsylvania State University, and University of Pittsburgh. Workshops for test developers were conducted to ensure standardization of…

Several tests available from the Educational Testing Service (Princeton, New Jersey) have been used or are candidates for use by the Tennessee State Department of Education as initial public school personnel licensure endorsement area tests. The first of the two reports contained in this document (i.e., the Executive Report) describes a study of…

Interest scales designed to provide educational and vocational guidance to midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy were developed from the Strong Vocational Interest Blank. Three of the scales provided an index of similarity between a person's interests and the interests of previous graduates from each of the Academy's three academic areas:…

The validity, reliability, and item characteristics of the Maine Real Estate Licensure Examination were investigated. Its validity was based on its construction; a task analysis was performed on real estate broker and salesperson jobs, items were written by trained personnel; and the test was reviewed by a panel of experts. Differences in scores…

Trends in teacher competency testing, test bias against minority group teachers, and ways to encourage qualified personnel to join the teaching profession are discussed. Currently, 21 states require students to pass a test to enter a teacher education program, and 31 require teacher candidates to pass a certification test. Admission tests include…