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Page 1: Suppliers in the Certification Development Marketplace … · Suppliers in the Certification Development Marketplace . ... of certification will change with technology ... security
Page 2: Suppliers in the Certification Development Marketplace … · Suppliers in the Certification Development Marketplace . ... of certification will change with technology ... security

Suppliers in the Certification Development Marketplace

By Tracey M. Flynn

There are thousands of organizations, associations, institutions, companies and governments worldwide that offer certification but there’s little by way of a guide as to the suppliers that are available to service the certification development needs of these organizations. The certification development supplier marketplace encompasses companies and professionals whose primary focus is on developing and delivering certification programs for associations, organizations, governments and companies. (The article does not focus on education assessment/development suppliers or third party certification exam providers.) How do you put a value on this marketplace? Attempting to put a value on the certification development/implementation marketplace provides some insight into the overall scope of this industry and the many components it encompasses. The entire global training industry is estimated at nearly $300 billion by Training Industry.com, that’s all in, all facets of training and development. When certification providers were asked about what figure they’d place on the market, I received a range of answers that show the difficulty in calculating a precise dollar figure. Greg Becker, Executive Vice President Strategy and Market Development at PSI, thinks that the “market for testing without the learning component could conservatively be in the $1 billion dollar range.” Whatever the figure, he feels the market is growing and new innovative market segments (such as green buildings and fitness and many others) will lead to more growth. Bob Block, President and CEO at Professional Examination Service, says there’s no study [specific to this segment] to his knowledge but if IT training and certification estimates were once estimated at $3 billion and there are other major segments like healthcare, finance and industry, etc. then the figure could be two times more, in the $4-6 billion dollar range. A leading provider in the certification marketplace for their sheer size of testing centers and computer-based testing worldwide, Pearson VUE, has another perspective. Bill West, Vice President, Professional Business Development at Pearson VUE, sees it as “an impossible exercise to put a price on an ever evolving market. Certainly, both domestic and worldwide markets are growing significantly for us as we work with new partners and develop new solutions. With professional certifications for example, there has been an increasing shift in understanding amongst professionals, and crucially their employers who often fund certifications, on the value of certification. There is much more of an expectation that professionals have the right level of certification and more industry bodies are aware of the value in developing certification programs so that professionals can demonstrate their skills. There are also more pathways being developed and the general trend we see at Pearson is one of lifelong learning, whatever industry you are in. The growing need for certification is compounded by the global skills crisis we have right now and will continue to have for the years ahead. America is not alone in a skills crisis that’s seeing a paradox between a high level of unemployment and employers not being able to fill vacancies. Certification is one of the ways that we can tackle this crisis since we need millions more high skilled workers, and millions less low-skilled. The number of jobless people around the world rose by 4 million in 2012 to 197 million and both certification and testing have a key part to play in the solution.” Next Generation Certification What’s next generation certification? Where do you think the cert development supplier market is headed?

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Pearson VUE’s West states “whilst certifications differ somewhat according to the industry, some questions remain constant: how can I ensure that I’m delivering my training in the right way, using the best channels and learning materials; and second, how can I ensure that my assessment is delivered in the right way, using scientific methodologies, secure and reliable environments but also flexible technologies that gives me the control I need to protect the integrity of my test and my candidates. Certainly more countries and professions are looking to adopt testing as an unbiased, additional measure of competency and are looking to certification to fill the need, even for licensure. For example, a wider variety of industries are creating certification programs and more programs seeking accreditation such as NCCA or ANSI as a way to show adherence to standards and weed out less credible programs.

Other clients are offering a wider range of levels of certification, as part of this life-long commitment to development, to assess more often and with more flexibility in delivery mode.”

Block of Professional Examination Service sees two major factors influencing the direction of certification; 1.Increased Global Competition for Jobs in the Global Job Market – It’s a significant macro trend in a meaningful way as U.S. candidates are now competing for jobs with worldwide candidates. The best way to stand out and demonstrate a specific skill is through certification. In an era where a college degree gets you in the door the certification distinguishes you and gives you an advantage. 2.De-valuing of the College Degree – This is not true for Ivy League degrees but for the vast majority that do go to select universities the college degree doesn’t provide employers with validation of a particular skill. So how do I differentiate myself? Credibility, certifications become important and a proven skill stands out because of it. Project Management Institute (PMI) for example, there are over 500,000 certifications globally and PMP is the standard for project management. I think this is where the market is going, people rethinking the cost of graduate school versus the cost of a certification. Certification will cost a lot less and potentially provide more value so there’s an economic driver, that is - how to compete more effectively in a global job market.

And Becker of PSI thinks the future of certification will change with technology advancements, for example they have a new partner, ProctorU, which offers real-time online proctoring services. Online proctoring started in the higher education market and it really has the opportunity to take off in the IT and professional certification market. The future may lend itself toward some type of periodic facial/retinal recognition scans to continually validate the user and could be adopted within the next five years or so. The future of certification will likely be impacted by two areas: 1.Secure remote proctoring anytime-anywhere environments and 2. Authoring tools – Allowing multimedia and gaming to be more easily integrated into item development tools.

Technology’s Impact

Do you think technology will narrow or increase the major players in the industry?

West of Pearson VUE, “Technology can open up opportunities for new entries into the marketplace and there are already new players out there. We find that in new markets such as India or China companies can set up easily and appear to offer similar services to us. This is the advantage of technology and also the drawback. Our goal is to educate all markets on what it means to develop and deliver a statistically valid, fair and reliable test. In fact, with the growing importance of certification, these characteristics of assessment are even more necessary, to give people an equal chance, to ensure you’ve tested for the right skills. They also ensure you can protect the integrity of the test questions and manage candidate identities.

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We have a large network of bricks and mortar test centers around the globe, and an even larger partner network which we continue to expand. New technology cannot compete today with proctored test center testing which not only offers flexibility in terms of when and where to test, but also the security measures such as palm vein and the controlled testing conditions which our clients demand. In instances where some security measures may be less critical, for example for a company testing their own staff on-site, then new delivery technologies offer opportunities and so brings some very niche players. Obviously, we are also developing complementary delivery models for such opportunities and can combine them with a more rigorous, complete offering. Technology in itself will not increase the players, but it will enable companies like Pearson VUE the ability to improve service and delivery and consider new mediums such as tablets, for example.”

Block at Professional Examination Service, “Yes, technology is increasing the number of suppliers in this space. Creating well-crafted and valid and reliable exams require psychometricians. This keeps you from any legal ramifications and we stand behind out tests. With the proliferation of the technology for online item development and test delivery, there are more companies creating exams and then layering in the psychometric reviews on top of their development. It used to be the inverse, the psychometrician companies were first and then the technology was layered on after the fact.”

Certification within Education

Do you think certification has a place in high school, community college and university level education?

Block at Professional Examination Service, “Yes; I think there will be more movement to have certain certification tracks in each of these areas. For example, the National Restaurant Association has a high school program called ProStart. Some programs lend themselves to this more than others. The certifications can provide a blueprint and a pathway for students. I see some reluctance in the K-12 area, but more opportunity at the Community Colleges and four-year Higher Education institutions.” Becker at PSI talked about massive online open courses (MOOCs), and how it remains to be seen just how they’ll change the dynamics of certification.

West at Pearson VUE, “A certification helps to demonstrate that someone has required competencies, so it makes perfect sense to be embedded in our work culture from an early age. As the need to up-skill global workforces accelerates, and more of our partners develop entry-level certifications, we think that certifications will have a far greater role for younger people. Certifications enable students to graduate both with their degree and with an industry recognized credential, further speeding them along their career paths and training to industry-wide standards.

Also, if you look at the opportunities with MOOCs, there is huge potential to offer young people the opportunity to validate their learning with certifications.

Finally, we run a range of admissions programs that are used as entrance into specific degrees at colleges and universities across the world and these are invaluable in helping to determine if, for example, a young person has the aptitude to be a doctor, a dentist or a lawyer. As competition increases for places along with a need to widen participation in such professions, we see admissions tests playing an important role.”

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More on Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) • Hear from one of the founders of Coursera, Dr. Daphne Koller, on just what a

MOOC is and why they have a goal to; take the best courses, from the best instructors, at the best universities around the world and provide them for free, making education available to poor people worldwide and making education a right not a privilege.

o http://blog.coursera.org/post/28489511739/daphnes-ted-talk-what-were-learning-from-online

o References Instructional Design concepts

• MOOCs provide: 1. Fundamental Human Right to Education – Access for less fortunate 2. Lifelong Learning Access – After formal education stops for many people 3. Wave of Innovation to make the world a better place – The next big invention for

humanity could come from some unlikely person in a remote area without means or access to traditional education

• NY Times Article (January 2013) on MOOCs and why the profit may come later

o Students Rush to Web Classes, but Profits May Be Much Later http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/07/education/massive-open-

online-courses-prove-popular-if-not-lucrative-yet.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&

• Other MOOC examples:

o Udacity o edX o Khan Academy

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Technology is Shifting Credentialing Paradigms – What to Watch Training Industry blogger Megan Bowe provides her insights on how technology could change credentialing paradigms in three ways:

1. Collecting Better Evidence - There's a lot of data to be collected and analyzed in issuing a certification, and it's important to get it right. Tools like the Tin Can API (aka The Experience API) are opening doors for technology to help collect more contextual and real-time data about a person's experiences. We can collect the things that people do in different places to make more informed decisions about certification. Simulators, systems, dashboards, games, sensors, and beyond could automatically report the time spent and level of success a person had with the activity. This provides a more holistic view of what person has done, it also could save certification groups time in gathering and comparing data.

2. Rethinking the Infrastructure - If you think about certification as a collection of activities that a person can do to prove expertise in something, there are new technology efforts out there that could make a certification even more valuable to people. Mozilla's Open Badges Initiative is one example. This group is building out a specification for technology to share about achievements without losing the data about how it was achieved. When we combine Tin Can statements and Open Badges, we have a way to gather consistently structured information about experiences from many places that stack up to an achievement (evaluator sign off could be a requirement before the certification is issued.) This opens up possibilities for validating certifications, as well as comparing to other programs. It also provides a way to show that symbol of achievement on social networks, portfolios, and other places that want to show off what they've done.

3. Making Recertification Easier - Recertification has an interesting future coming, too. People currently spend a lot of time proving that they still know things and that they are still able to actually do them in recertification programs. Some really haven't used any part of the knowledge originally required for the certification in a while and need a refresher, others actively use it every day. These groups should not both be treated the same way, recertification can become increasingly more personalized as tools use Tin Can and certifications become more interoperable with specifications like Open Badges. People can collect the data about the time they've spent actually flying their plane or practicing HVAC repair in the last year, they can share that data to the certification body and get credit for the things that have really been doing. They don't have to repeat activities just for the purpose of the certifier tracking it, they can study the things they need and get their recertification out of the way quickly. Making the certification process faster, easier, and, likely, more effective is a value-add for customers and a cost savings in management. Everyone wins.

About the Author Megan Bowe is a designer and strategist with a history of working with learning-technology startups. Championing data-driven design, Megan works on projects that require a bigger systemic effort to bring learning, portability of data, and formative analysis together. Megan rocks the Tin Can API at Rustici Software, and she co-created Up to All of Us, an un-conference focused on advancing the intersections between learning, design, and technology. Contact : email: [email protected] and Twitter: @meganbowe

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Certification Development & Implementation Supplier Listing A specific supplier category was recently added to Training Industry.com‘s Supplier Directory to help buyers sort through the many suppliers in this space so they do not have to sort through the numerous educational testing, pre-employment testing, personality assessment or off-the-shelf IT certification distributors that don’t necessarily help with their certification development needs. (See Certification Development) With a number of suppliers in the certification development arena buyers need a way to help segment providers and make sense of who’s who and the services they provide. The tables segment the market based on each phase of the certification program development process. There are even some suppliers that are integrators of all of the phases and will assume program administration for those companies that don’t have the resources to take on certification program administration. The supplier services include: • Strategic Planning – Program Evaluation • Program Administration

o (Candidate applications, CSR, or all phases outsourced) • Analysis – Job, Competency Model • Test Item Development – Authoring Software • Psychometric Analysis • Curriculum Development • Translation – option for test and curriculum • Test Publication - Delivery Platforms

o Registration – Self, CSRs o Online o Test Centers – Facilities

• Security – Software and or Proctoring • Marketing • Tracking – Reporting

o Database Administration – Software Recertification – CE and Maintenance Tracking

• Fulfillment Certification Development & Implementation Supplier Listing Note: The following suppliers were selected based on their activity in the certification development/implementation marketplace either by the breadth and depth of their services, business sponsorship for conferences or through thought leadership in authoring books. This list is not intended to be a comprehensive list of suppliers. ***The supplier’s services listed below are based on services listed on the supplier’s websites and what is listed as their primary focus though each company may extend services to other components through their direct or outsourced services. (This listing does not include education suppliers.)

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Major suppliers in the certification industry include; Prometric, Pearson VUE, PSI and ATA. One of the reasons these suppliers are viewed by many as major providers is that they have bricks and mortar, that is they own and operate testing sites along with third party sites. Though testing centers are a unique factor they also provide online testing services, offer both call center and web-based registration and are the largest providers in terms of their employee base and sheer volume of tests provided and estimated revenue generated.

Suppliers (Linked to Supplier

Directory)

Services by phase

in dev/imp process

Size/Scope Clients- #’s

Exams Facilities

Sell SW or

License

Conference Sponsor/

Author of Books

Company Social Links

Suppliers with Test Centers Prometric • Program Administration

o (Candidate apps, CSR) • Test Item Development • Psychometric Analysis • Test Publication - Delivery Platforms

o Registration – Self, CSR o Online o Test Centers - Facilities

• Security – Proctoring • Tracking – Reporting

o Database Administration – SW http://www.prometric.com Company: Private – a wholly-owned subsidiary of ETS Employees: 1001-5000 Founded: 1990 (Drake)

10,000+ test Centers 163 Countries More than 10 million tests a year on behalf of 450 clients

- ATP – Innovations in Testing ATP – Innovations in Testing – Europe ICE Sponsors CNG

LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

Pearson VUE

• Program Administration o (Candidate apps, CSR)

• Test Item Development • Psychometric Analysis • Test Publication - Delivery Platforms

o Registration – Self, CSR o Online o Test Centers - Facilities

• Security – Proctoring • Tracking – Reporting

o Database Administration – SW o Recertification – CE and

Maintenance Tracking http://www.PearsonVUE.com Company: Public – a business of Pearson the world’s leading education company Employees: 1001-5000 Founded: 1994 Pearson Credential Management http://www.integral7.com A comprehensive hosted solution that streamlines every aspect of credential program management. Certiport http://www.certiport.com A leader in performance-based certification exams and practice test solutions for academic institutions, workforce and corporate technology markets.

5,200 test centers in 175 countries Offices in U.S. U.K, India, China, Japan, Dubai, with a with satellite operation in Australia More than 10 million tests a year on behalf of hundreds of clients across industries Has network of fully-owned and –operated Pearson Professional Centers

- ATP – Innovations in Testing ATP – Innovations in Testing – Europe ATP- Innovations in Testing – Asia ICE C.L.E.A.R. Conference Sponsors CNG CompTIA EMEA Member & Partner Conference

LinkedIn Twitter Facebook YouTube

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Suppliers (Linked to Supplier

Directory)

Size/Scope Clients- #’s

Exams Facilities

Sell SW or

License

Conference Sponsor/

Author of Books

Company Social Links

Suppliers with Test Centers PSI • Program Administration

o (Candidate apps, CSR) • Test Item Development • Psychometric Analysis • Test Publication - Delivery Platforms

o Registration – Self, CSR o Online o Test Centers - Facilities

• Security – Proctoring • Tracking – Reporting

o Database Administration – SW http://www.psionline.com Company: Private Employees 501-1000 Founded: 1946

600 locations in North America and US Territories 300+ clients

ATLAS FormCast Partner Site

ATP – Innovations in Testing ICE Sponsors CNG

Linked In

ATA (China) Exam

Delivery Partner

• Program Administration o (Candidate apps, CSR)

• Test Item Development • Psychometric Analysis • Curriculum Development • Test Publication - Delivery Platforms

o Registration – Self, CSR o Online o Test Centers - Facilities

• Security – Proctoring • Tracking – Reporting

o Database Administration – SW • Marketing • Fulfillment http://www.ata.net.cn/en/default/index.aspx Company: Public Employees:500+ Founded: 1999

5000 Test Centers (China) 2000 Test Centers (Level 1) 3000+ (Level 2) across China

- ATP – Innovations in Testing

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Suppliers (Linked to Supplier

Directory)

Services by phase

in dev/imp process

Size/Scope Clients- #’s Exams

Facilities

Sell SW or

License

Conference Sponsor/

Author of Books

Company Social Links

Suppliers with Test Centers Castle

Worldwide Inc.

• Program Administration o (Candidate apps, CSR)

• Test Item Development • Psychometric Analysis • Curriculum Development • Test Publication – Delivery Platforms

o Registration – Self, CSR o Online o Test Centers – Facilities

• Security – Proctoring • Tracking – Reporting

o Database Administration – SW • Marketing • Fulfillment

http://www.castleworldwide.com Company: Private Employees: 51-200 Founded: 1987

1,000 test sites worldwide

Proctored Assessment System (PASS)

ATP – Innovations in Testing ICE Sponsors CNG

LinkedIn Twitter

Comira Testing

• Program Administration o (All phases of outsourcing,

Candidate apps, CSR) • Test Item Development – Authoring SW • Psychometric Analysis • Test Publication - Delivery Platforms

o Registration – Self, CSR o Online o Test Centers - Facilities

• Security – Proctoring • Tracking – Reporting

o Database Administration – SW • Marketing • Fulfillment http://www.comiratesting.com/ Company: Private Employees: 11-50 Founded:1993

500 testing centers 17+ clients

RIAS™ – Remote Item Authoring

ATP – Innovations in Testing

LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

Yardstick • Program Administration o (Candidate apps, CSR)

• Test Item Development – Authoring SW • Psychometric Analysis • Curriculum Development • Test Publication - Delivery Platforms

o Registration – Self, CSR o Online o Test Centers - Facilities

• Security – Proctoring • Tracking – Reporting

o Database Administration – SW

http://www.getyardstick.com Company: Private Employees: 11-50 Founded: 2004 Based in Canada

Hundreds of test centers in Canada and US 300+ clients worldwide

Yardstick Platform

ATP – Innovations in Testing ICE Canadian Network of National Associations of Regulators Center for Association Leadership - ASAE Canadian Society for Association Executives - CSAE

Blog LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

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Assessment Systems

Corporation

• Program Administration o (All phases of outsourcing,

Candidate apps, CSR) • Test Item Development – Authoring SW • Psychometric Analysis • Curriculum Development • Test Publication - Delivery Platforms

o Registration – Self, CSR o Online o Test Centers - Facilities

• Security – Proctoring • Tracking – Reporting

o Database Administration – SW http://www.assess.com/index.html Company: Private Employees: 1-10 Founded: 1978

300 centers throughout North America

Iteman 4 Xcalibre 4 FastTest Web

- Blog LinkedIn

AMP Applied

Measurement Professionals

Inc.

• Program Administration o (Candidate apps, CSR)

• Test Item Development • Psychometric Analysis • Test Publication – Delivery Platforms

o Registration – Self, CSR o Online o Test Centers – Facilities

• Security – Proctoring • Tracking – Reporting

o Database Administration – SW http://www.goamp.com/ Company: Private Employees: 51-200 Founded: 1982

180 test sites 100+ clients

- ATP – Innovations in Testing ICE

Linked In Facebook

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Suppliers (Linked to Supplier

Directory)

Services by phase

in dev/imp process

Size/Scope Clients- #’s

Exams Facilities

Sell SW or

License

Conference Sponsor/

Author of Books

Company Social Links

(Active) Performetrics

• Strategic Planning – and workshop o Competitive /Market Analysis

• Program Administration • Test Item Development - Workshop • Curriculum Development http://www.Performetrics.Biz Company: Private Employees:1-10 Founded: 2002

Clients worldwide

License workshop to certification suppliers

Certify Like Your Business Depends On It (Amazon) – Strategic Planning Tool Unlocking the Power of Certification (Amazon)

Blog LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

Hale Associates

• Strategic Planning • Test Item Development • Curriculum Development

http://www.haleassociates.com Company: Private Employees:1-10 Founded: 1987

Clients worldwide

- Performance-Based Certification (Amazon)

Facebook

Mickie Rops Consulting,

LLC

• Strategic Planning • Test Item Development • Curriculum Development http://msrops.blogs.com Company: Private Employees:1-10 Founded:1997

Unk - Considering Certification (LULU) Certification Simplified (LULU)

Blog Twitter

Wild &

Associates

• Strategic Planning • Test Item Development • Psychometric Analysis • Workshops http://www.wildandassociates.com/ Company: Private Employees:1-10 Founded: 1999

Unk - Improving Testing: Applying Process Tools and Techniques to Assure Quality (Amazon)

-

Knapp & Associates

International, Inc.

• Strategic Planning • Test Item Development • Psychometric Analysis http://www.knappinternational.com Company: Private Employees:1-10 Founded: 1989

Unk - The Business of Certification (ASAE)

-

SeaCrest

• Strategic Planning • Program Administration (integration of all

phases – outsourcing) Auditing • Marketing http://www.seacrestcompany.com Company: Private Employees: 1-10 Founded: 2006

50+ clients - - LinkedIn

International Credentialing Associates

• Strategic Planning o Market Analysis

• Test Item Development • Psychometric Analysis • Marketing http://www.intlcred.com/ Company: Partnership Employees: 1-10 Founded: 2010

Unk - - LinkedIn Twitter Wordpress

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Suppliers (Linked to Supplier

Directory)

Services by phase

in dev/imp process

Size/Scope Clients- #’s

Exams Facilities

Sell SW or

License

Conference Sponsor/

Author of Books

Company Social Links

(Active) Strategic Planning

Professional Examination

Service

• Strategic Planning • Program Administration

o (Candidate apps, CSR) • Test Item Development • Psychometric Analysis • Test Publication - Delivery Platforms

o Registration – Self, CSR o Online o Worldwide Paper/Pencil Test

Administration Services • Security – Proctoring • Tracking – Reporting

o Database Administration – SW • Marketing • Fulfillment

http://www.proexam.org Company: Nonprofit Employees: 51-200 Founded: 1941

100 + licensing

boards in U.S., Canada60

prof. associations

ProExam Suite ProExam Digital Micro-Credentials

ATP – Innovations in Testing ICE

C.L.E.A.R. Conference Has a fund to help nonprofits that lack the financial resources or expertise to create a program

LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

Heuristic Solutions

• Strategic Planning • Curriculum Development • Database Administration – Software • Recertification-Maintenance

http://www.heuristics.net Company: Private Employees:11-50 Founded:1996

65+

Learning Builder™ Credential Mgmt. software

ICE Sponsors CNG

LinkedIn

CPS HR Consulting

• Strategic Planning • Program Administration

o (Candidate apps, CSR) • Test Item Development • Psychometric Analysis • Curriculum Development • Test Publication - Delivery Platforms

o Registration – Self, CSR o Online

• Security – Proctoring • Tracking – Reporting

o Database Administration – SW • Marketing • Fulfillment

http://www.cps.ca.gov Company: Government Employees: 51-200 Founded: 1985

Unk - ATP – Innovations in Testing

LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

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Program Administration Internet Testing Systems

(ITS)

• Program Administration o (All phases of outsourcing,

Candidate apps, CSR) • Test Item Development – Authoring SW • Psychometric Analysis • Curriculum Development • Test Publication - Delivery Platforms

o Registration – Self, CSR o Online

• Tracking – Reporting o Database Administration – SW

• Marketing • Fulfillment http://www.testsys.com Company: Private Employees: 51-200 Founded:1997

Unk Yes ATP – Innovations in Testing

LinkedIn Twitter

Certification Management

Services (CMS)

• Program Administration o (Candidate apps, CSR)

• Test Item Development • Psychometric Analysis • Curriculum Development • Test Publication - Delivery Platforms

o Registration – Self, CSR o Online

• Security – Proctoring • Tracking – Reporting

o Database Administration – SW • Marketing • Fulfillment http://www.itemexperts.com/ Company: Private Employees:1-10 Founded: 2006

Unk CMS’s AUTHOR Wise™ Online Item Development and Item Banking System

ATP – Innovations in Testing Sponsors CNG

LinkedIn

IT Professional Group (ITPG)

• Program Administration o (All phases of outsourcing,

Candidate apps, CSR) • Marketing • Fulfillment http://www.itpg.org Company: Private Employees: 11-50 Founded:1998

10+ clients, 25,000 exams, 7,000 review

seminars, facility and instructor

management in 90 countries

U.S. and 4 continents

- - LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

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Test Item Development – Authoring Software Question

mark

• Strategic Planning (for SW imp) • Test Item Development • Psychometric Analysis • Curriculum Development • Test Publication - Delivery Platforms

o Online • Tracking – Reporting • Database Administration – SW http://www.questionmark.com Company: Private Employees: 51-200 Founded: 1995

2,500+ customers, with approx. 15,000 authoring systems installed with systems configured for more than 20 million participants

Question mark Perception Question mark OnDemand Question mark Live Question mark Connectors

ATP – Innovations in Testing ICE Questionmark 2013 Annual Users Conference

Blog LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

Kryterion • Test Item Development • Psychometric Analysis • Test Publication - Delivery Platforms

o Online • Tracking – Reporting • Security – SW • Database Administration – SW http://www.kryteriononline.com Company: Private Employees:51-200 Founded: 2001

Unk Web Assessor Development and Deployment System

ATP – Innovations in Testing ICE

LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

Pacific Metrics • Test Item Development – Authoring SW • Psychometric Analysis • Test Publication - Delivery Platforms

o Online • Tracking – Reporting

o Database Administration – SW http://www.pacificmetrics.com Company: Private Employees: 51-200 Founded: 2000

25+ I-Vault™ ORCA™ CRASE™

ATP – Innovations in Testing

LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

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Strasz Assessment

Systems

• Test Item Development – Authoring SW • Psychometric Analysis • Test Publication - Delivery Platforms

o Online • Tracking – Reporting

o Database Administration – SW

http://www.strasz.com Company: Private Employees: 11-50 Founded: 1995

Hundreds of thousands of examinees yearly clients include Educational Testing Service (ETS), Prometric

EPIC™

ATP – Innovations in Testing

LinkedIn Facebook

Zoomorphix • Test Item Development – Authoring SW • Curriculum Development • Test Publication - Delivery Platforms

o Registration – Self, CSR o Online

• Security – Proctoring • Tracking – Reporting

o Database Administration – SW http://www.zoomorphix.com/ Company: Private Employees:11-50 Founded:1998

Unk ExamStudio Online Glass3D Lifescience 3D

ATP – Innovations in Testing

LinkedIn

The Test Factory

• Test Item Development – Authoring SW • Test Publication - Delivery Platforms

o Registration – Self, CSR o Online

• Tracking – Reporting o Database Administration – SW

http://www.thetestfactory.com/ Company: Private Employees 11-50 Founded:?

70+ exams for 15+ clients

Test Factory - Blog LinkedIn Twitter

Alpine Testing

Solutions, Inc.

• Test Item Development – Authoring SW • Psychometric Analysis • Tracking – Reporting

o Database Administration – SW http://www.alpinetesting.com Company: Private Employees: 11-50 Founded: 2005

Unk CertMetrics™ credential management system

ATP – Innovations in Testing

LinkedIn

Exam Design

Inc.

• Test Item Development – Authoring Software

• Psychometric Analysis • Test Publication - Delivery Platforms

o Registration – Self, CSR o Online

• Tracking – Reporting o Database Administration – SW

http://examdesign.com Company: Private Employees:1-10 Founded:2007

Unk Exam Developer Suit of Tools Exam Administrator

ATP – Innovations in Testing ICE

LinkedIn Twitter

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TesTrac • Test Item Development – Authoring SW • Curriculum Development • Test Publication - Delivery Platforms

o Registration – Self, CSR o Online o 24 languages

• Security – Proctoring • Tracking – Reporting

o Database Administration – SW http://www.testrac.com/ Company: Private Employees: 1-10 Founded: 2008

50+ orgs

TesTrac - -

Professional Testing, Inc.

• Test Item Development • Psychometric Analysis

http://www.proftesting.com Company: Private Employees:11-50 Founded:?

Approx 17 - ATP – Innovations in Testing

LinkedIn Facebook

NOCTI Business Solutions

• Test Item Development • Psychometric Analysis • Curriculum Development • Test Publication - Delivery Platforms

o Registration – Self, CSR o Online

• Security – Proctoring • Tracking – Reporting

o Database Administration – SW • Fulfillment http://www.nocti.org Company: Nonprofit Employees: 4 Founded:1999

Unk - ATP – Innovations in Testing

LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

The Donath Group

• Test Item Development – Authoring SW • Psychometric Analysis

http://www.donath.com/main.html Company: Private Employees: 1-10 Founded: 1997

Unk Express Manager Item Express Express Workshop Results1-2-3

- LinkedIn Facebook

The Netlogon Group

• Test Item Development – IT • Curriculum Development http://www.netlogon.com/content.html Company: Private Employees:1--10 Founded:1999

10+ - ATP – Innovations in Testing

LinkedIn

Mountain Measurement

Inc.

• Test Item Development – Authoring SW Psychometric Analysis

http://www.mountainmeasurement.com Company: Private Employees:11-50 Founded: 2002

Unk In development

- LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

Grand Masters, LLC

• Test Item Development • Curriculum Development http://www.grandmasters.biz Company: Private Employees:11-50 Founded:?

Unk - - LinkedIn

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Brightlink Technologies

LLC

• Test Publication - Delivery Platforms o Registration Online

• Tracking – Reporting o Database Administration – SW

http://thebrightlink.com/ Company: Private Employees 1-10 Founded:2007

Unk - - Blog LinkedIn Facebook

CITO

• Test Item Development – Authoring SW • Psychometric Analysis http://www.cito.com/ Company: Private Employees:? Founded: 1968 Netherlands

Unk - ATP – Innovations in Testing ATP – Innovations in Testing – Europe

LinkedIn

Turning Technologies

• Test Publication - Delivery Platforms o Real time testing - LIVE

• Tracking – Reporting

o Database Administration – SW http://www.turningtechnologies.com/ Company: Private Employees 51-200 Founded:2002

Six million Response Card keypads, data collection systems that securely transfer data for certification

Turning Point5 RemotePoll

ATP – Innovations in Testing

Blog LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

Remote Proctoring Solutions – Security Software ProctorU, Inc.

• Program Administration

o (Candidate apps, CSR) • Test Publication - Delivery Platforms

o Registration – Self, CSR o Online

• Security – Proctoring – REMOTE Proctors via webcam, person-to-person, real-time monitoring

• Tracking – Reporting o Database Administration – SW

http://www.proctoru.com/ Company: Public Employees:51-200 Founded: 2008

200+ colleges, universities and certification organizations

Yes ATP – Innovations in Testing ICE

LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

Loyalist Exam Services

• Test Publication - Delivery Platforms o Registration – Self, CSR o Online

• Security – SW, Proctoring • Tracking – Reporting

o Database Administration – SW http://www.loyalistexamservices.com Company: Public Employees: 501-1000 Founded: 2002?

160 countries, 220,000 exams

LEMS (Loyalist Exam Management System)

ATP – Innovations in Testing

LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

Software Secure

• Test Publication - Delivery Platforms o Registration – Self, CSR o Online

• Security – SW, Proctoring • Tracking – Reporting

o Database Administration – SW http://www.softwaresecure.com Company: Private Employees:11-50 Founded: 1999

44+ colleges, universities and certification organizations millions of exams provided

Remote Proctor Pro Securexam Browser Securexam Student Planet SSI exam management system

ATP – Innovations in Testing

Blog LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

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Caveon

• Test Item Development • Security – Software http://www.caveon.com Company: Private Employees:11-50 Founded: 2003

Unk Data Forensics™ Web Patrol™

ATP – Innovations in Testing

Blog LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

Cyveillance • Security- Software

http://www.cyveillance.com Company: Public Employees:51-200 Founded: 1997

more than 30 million global consumers w partnerships with security/ service

Cyveillance Test Integrity™

ATP – Innovations in Testing

Blog LinkedIn Twitter

Innovative Exams

• Test Publication - Delivery Platforms o Online

• Security – SW, Proctoring – Remote, Kiosk delivery

• Tracking – Reporting o Database Administration – SW

http://www.innovativexams.com Company: Private Employees:1-10 Founded: 2009

6 clients, many exams

- ATP – Innovations in Testing

Blog LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

Database Admin – Recertification RecerTrack • Tracking – Reporting

o Database Administration – SW o Recertification – CE and

Maintenance Tracking http://www.recerttrack.com/home.php Company: Private Employees: 1-10 Founded: 2009

Unk RecertTrack - Twitter

Cobalt

• Tracking – Reporting o Database Administration – SW

http://www.cobalt.net/solutions/solutions.aspx Company: Private Employees: 1-10 Founded: 1996

Unk Cobalt Certification Management Suite (CCMS)

Sponsors CNG

Blog

Translation Comms

Multilingual • Translation provider for psychometric tests,

assessments and exams, voice-overs, sub-titles

http://www.commsmultilingual.com/ Company: Public Employees: 1-10 Founded: 2003 Based in England

Customers in North America and Europe. Translation in 100+ Languages

- ATP – Innovations in Testing ATP – Innovations in Testing – Europe ICE

LinkedIn Twitter Facebook

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Supplier Selection

So how do you decide on a supplier? You obviously want to narrow your choice to one that provides you with the services you need and within your timeframes and with competitive pricing. The suppliers may provide consulting in one or more segments of the certification development and implementation process to compliment your professional staff capabilities. You may want consider your criteria for ranking suppliers from; their years in business, number of employees, revenue generated, numbers of test centers/locations, to ease of doing business, capabilities and flexibility to meet your unique needs. It’s also noted that you may want to consider different vendors for different phases in the entire certification program development process.

The Competitive Differentiators Model provided on the Training Industry.com Wiki page http://www.trainingindustry.com/wiki/entries/competitive-differentiators-model.aspx provides a great visual and method for evaluating suppliers.

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Certification Associations and Conferences The following are the major associations (and conferences) for those interested in developing and implementing certification programs and for those that wish to gain more knowledge in the certification arena.

(Note: the focus is on professional certification not education related certification and assessment programs.)

Association Conference Certification Organizations

The Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE) 2025 M Street, N.W. Suite 800 Washington, DC 20036 http://www.credentialingexcellence.org • Founded: 1977 • 335+ member organizations • Fees apply to group but can join LinkedIn for free (800+

members)

http://www.credentialingexcellence.org/p/cm/ld/fid=107

Association of Test Publishers (ATP) 601 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, South Building, Suite 900 Washington D.C. 20004 http://www.testpublishers.org/ • Founded:1992 • 120+ member organizations • Fees apply to group but can join • LinkedIn for free, 1862+ individual members ATP regional Divisions: • Europe - ATP, Asia, and India

http://www.innovationsintesting.org/ Event Calendar http://www.testpublishers.org/index.php?option=com_mc&view=mc&mcid=8 E-ATP (European Conference) http://www.eatpconference.eu.com/about/

The Council on Licensure, Enforcement and Regulation (CLEAR) U.S. Headquarters 403 Marquis Avenue, Suite 200 Lexington, Kentucky 40502 USA http://www.clearhq.org/ U.K. Office 233 Badminton Rd Downend Bristol BS166NR England UK: (0203) 0063134 International: (859) 402-8418 • Founded:circa1983 • 455 member organization

http://www.clearhq.org/Default.aspx?pageId=460809

Certification Networking Group (CNG) http://certificationnetworkgroup.org/ • Founded:1980s • 250+ member/organizations • Fees apply to group but can join LINKED IN for free, 1154+

individual members

http://certificationnetworkgroup.org/meet/ • CNG meetings in the Washington, DC metro area are

usually held every third Wednesday of the third month of each business quarter.

• CNG meetings in the Chicago metro area are usually held every second Thursday of the second month of each business quarter.

Society for Industrial & Organizational Psychology http://www.siop.org 440 E Poe Rd, Suite 101 Bowling Green, OH 43402 • Founded:1946 • 8000+ members

http://www.siop.org/conferences/default.aspx

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About the Author

Tracey M. Flynn is the principal of Performetrics , providing training and certification solutions. She’s the author of two books on certification; Certify Like Your Business Depends On It and Unlocking the Power of Certification, How to Build Effective Programs and a featured blogger on certification for Training Industry.Com. She has 25 years of experience in a variety of community and corporate education roles and industries. She has taught instructional design at the Graduate School of Education for the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and in many corporate settings. She takes a performance consultant’s approach to the business of certification. Email Tracey at [email protected],

She invites your unique perspective, “let’s link up and blog about all things certification for buyers and suppliers.”

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