Hiring a test service

CLEAR Exam Review (Winter 1992)
Eric Werner, M.A.

Question: Experience has shown us that the quality of the test services for which our board contracts could be better. We do not have and are unlikely to get a psychometrician on staff to help us negotiate contract terms with our test service provider. Any suggestions?

Answer: A few. First, you might contract for a short term with a testing specialist in your state who could help you evaluate the test and related services that you are buying. She or he could help with negotiations also. Second, you could obtain a set of evaluative standards for testing services and ask your provider to explain to you how each of them is satisfied. Kara Schmitt at Michigan's Department of Commerce recently sent me a very useful document of this kind. Granted, things would work best if you had technical assistance to help you evaluate your contractor's responses. However you might be surprised at how, even on your own, your inquires can identify problems and options for solving them. Third, you could ask that the test and services that you receive conform fully to the current (1985) edition of the American Psychological Association Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. The National Commission for Certifying Agencies has published standards and guidelines also. I do not suggest that all your problems will go away if you take such a step, but it would be a step in the right direction.

Fourth, if you are not already active in CLEAR, become involved and start attending exam sessions at its annual meeting. Also, the networking that you can do through CLEAR and its committee structure might help you solve your problem.

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