Item Development

• Association of Test Publishers;

• Institute for Credentialing Excellence;

• American Educational Research Association;

• National Council on Measurement in Education;

• American Psychological Association.

NBCOT’ s test administration and development procedures also follow sections of the Uniform Guidelines for Certifying Agencies that are relevant to their certification. The Board is accredited with both the American National Standards Institute and the National Commission for Certifying Agencies. Both oversee NBCOT’ s adherence to their specific standards for assessments like the practice analysis studies.

Having met all required standards, NBCOTA- constructs both the COTA and OTR certification exams using both scored and non scored items. Once the studies are complete and the exam content outlines developed, NBCOT selects the areas for the exams from the outlines. The areas tested are in proportion to the percentages established for each area in the outlines.

Each of the scored questions are then field tested and developed into the actual exam. Then, a group of subject matter experts reviews and validates the exam. This group ’ s primary task is to ensure that the exam matches the current practice in the field for entry level occupational therapists.

Subject matter experts are also asked to develop any new domains, tasks, or knowledge statements that they feel are missing. Both the survey group and these subject matter experts are recruited according to the accreditation standards of the NCCA. These standards define the demographic makeup of the subject matter experts. The group must represent the actual breakdown of practitioners by ethnicity, practice experience, gender, and geographic region.

ITEM DEVELOPMENT

As the group develops the exam one item at a time, there is a responsibility to ensure fairness. It is the job of NBCOT to make sure the exam is readable. They must ensure

that the terms used are universally understood and accurate. The final version of the exam must use neutral language.

• Other areas for assuring fairness in the test include:

• Tying the test items to published references used in occupational therapy;

• Eliminating any bias or stereotyping in the items;

• Testing all items in the field before including them on the exam;

• Making sure all items are coded to the exam content outline;

• Using subject matter experts who are active occupational therapy practitioners from both COTA and OTR;

• And subject matter experts are selected from diverse practice experiences, cultures, and geographic areas.

This same ethic of fairness runs through the entire exam and certification process. As the exam is developed and the process is administered, NBCOT ensures fairness by using standard procedures. These procedures are used to govern registration, accessibility, test proctor roles, and test security. Other ways that fairness is maintained include assuring confidentiality, scoring accuracy, and timely reporting of results.

Just as fairness is considered essential, so is quality control. The importance of the exam being accurate to the current practice of therapy cannot be overstated. In dealing with the careers and career aspirations of many, NBCOT needs to be sure they get it right.

Quality control is exercised over the entire process, from practice studies analysis to reporting your test results. Each exam produced by the agency must be characterized by validity of content, reliability, integrity, and fairness. Quality control assures that all versions of the exam have the same content. Every item on each version is validated by subject matter experts. In the end, the exam scoring uses a statistical process employed throughout the industry for professional testing. Once a passing standard is established, it cannot be changed. This standard is consistent over time no matter which version of exam is considered.