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Two clients achieve ISO/IEC 17024 Accreditation through ANSI
(Orlando, Fla.) - InfoComm International and Cardiovascular Credentialing International (CCI) recently achieved accreditation under ISO/IEC 17024 Conformity Assessment—General Requirements for Bodies Operating Certification of Persons administered by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). ISO/IEC 17024 is an International Standard and was ratified by 83 countries prior to its implementation in 2003.
With the achievement of accreditation, InfoComm and CCI have met the most rigorous accreditation standard for certification boards, and in doing so, voluntarily demonstrated a high level of accountability to their stakeholders. Under the guidance of Dr. Christine Niero, Professional Testing steered both organizations through the process from start to finish. “Working with these organizations to transition them from their current and often good practices, to “best” practices was extremely rewarding,” said Niero. “The dedication of their staff and leadership to this initiative, and their willingness to make changes and commit the resources required to achieve accreditation will position them well into the future.”
Earning accreditation is no simple feat. Certification boards must demonstrate several practices, including, but not limited to: a governance process that is independent and free of bias and conflict-of-interest; policies that assure fairness and integrity in all practices and decisions, including due process; the development of an examination that is fair, valid, reliable and legally defensible; standardized practices in administering the examination; a Code of Ethics and disciplinary program; recertification requirements for maintaining certification; practices that assure transparency and accountability; information available to applicants, candidates, certificants and the public; compliance with applicable laws related to privacy, non-discrimination and the ADA; implementation of a management system; protection of marks; documentation of a secure financial resources; and solid management with input from qualified staff, volunteers and contracted personnel.
Both applications were over 100 pages of narrative as the organizations answered 85 questions related to their governance, operations, policies, procedures, examination development and administration, eligibility and recertification requirements, disciplinary procedures and management practices, all of which were supplemented by supporting documentation including a comprehensive policy manual, candidate handbook, job task analysis study, item and examination performance reports, management system, and contracted services, to name a few. In addition to meeting the documentation requirements, both organizations hosted two ANSI assessors who conducted a two day audit at their headquarters, interviewing staff and further validating the information submitted in the application.
Professional Testing is pleased to have participated in the accreditation initiative of CCI and InfoComm. “We are proud to have successfully ushered them through the accreditation process, which also served as a test of our internal practices in helping these clients show how they deliver quality examinations and certification programs,” said David Cox, President. Professional Testing is proud to have three of its staff members active in ISO/IEC 17024, with Drs. Cynthia Woodley and Lynn Webb serving as ANSI assessors in psychometrics, and Dr. Christine Niero serving on the Personnel Certification Accreditation Committee (PCAC).
For more information about ISO/IEC 17024 accreditation, please visit ANSI at www.ansi.org and select Accreditation Services, Personnel Accreditation, How to Apply.