Training for Examination Committee Item Writing Subcommittee Members American Institute of Constructors Constructor Certification Commission Training for Examination Committee Item Writing Subcommittee Members

Purpose of Training Provides a brief history and overview of Constructor certification. Provides foundational information about the Constructor Certification Commission. Provides responsibilities associated with your specific role in the Commission.

Training Instructions Carefully view the Power Point slides and make notes of any questions you may have. Complete two short assessments – one relating to your mastery of the material presented and the second of the session itself. Complete and sign and required Commission document(s). Contact the Chair of the Item Writing Subcommittee for any questions you may have.

History & Overview of Constructor Certification You will now view a short Power Point presentation on the history and overview of constructor certification. When complete ask the facilitator any questions you may have. After responding to any questions, the facilitator will present information about the organization of the Commission and its key activities.

Constructor Certification Commission Mission and Goals Mission - To certify Professional Constructors thorough established standards based upon education, experience and examination process. Goals are to: Provide a valid Constructor certification process, Improve the image of the Constructor and the construction profession, Improve the standards of the practice of construction, Promote the continual professional development of the Constructor. Promote membership into an organization of professional constructors, the American Institute of Constructors, and Promote the AIC Constructor Code of Conduct.

Constructor Certification Commission Objectives The objectives of the Commission are to develop, implement and coordinate policies and procedures for:  The certification process, A framework for the development of the professional Constructor, A feedback process to higher education construction programs and the industry, and Continual professional development for practicing professionals.

Constructor Certification Commission Organization The Commission is a semi-autonomous body that operates under the auspices of the American Institute of Constructors. The Commission is the governing body and consists of a Board of Governors and Board of Advisors. Much of the work of the Commission is accomplished through its committees & subcommittees.

Constructor Certification Commission Committees and Subcommittees Examination Committee - Responsible for developing, assessing, validating, up-dating, and formatting questions for examinations. Examination Subcommittees: Item Writing Item Reviewing Writing Skills Scoring for Level I (AC) Examination

Constructor Certification Commission Committees and Subcommittees Skills and Knowledge Committee Responsibilities: Works with the AIC Professional Standards Committee to maintain and revalidate the body of knowledge and provide the Examination Committee with any changes for incorporation into future examinations. Prepares and maintains the criteria for evaluating continuing professional development programs.  Reviews the applications to sit for the examination for compliance with certification criteria.

Constructor Certification Commission Committees and Subcommittees Skills and Knowledge Subcommittees: Application Vetting Continuing Professional Development Audit Finance Committee - Responsible for preparing the annual budget, monitoring the spending of commission funds and revenues and developing in conjunction with the Certification Manager, marketing plans.

Constructor Certification Commission Contractors Management Contractor – is responsible for administering the day to day activities and events of the Commission. Talley Management Group Certification Manager – Mr. Joe Sapp Examination Contractor – is responsible for all certification examination-related activities. Professional Testing Corporation President – Ms. Sallyann Henry

Constructor Certification Commission Major Processes Certification Examination Development Entails developing and reviewing of questions and selecting them for both the Level I (AC) and Level II (CPC) examinations. The development process includes working with the Examination Contractor to insure all examinations are valid, reliable and fair through the utilization of nationally recognized effective test psychometric measures. Commission Policies 2.1 and 2.2

Constructor Certification Commission Major Processes Certification Examination Application and Notification Includes the application process, determining eligibility to take the examinations, scoring of the both certification examinations, rescheduling of examinations, informing examinees of their performance on examinations and conducting appeals. Commission Policies – 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7 and 1.8

Constructor Certification Commission Major Processes Certification Examination Site Selection and Administration Includes the identification, selection and maintenance of the sites, examination site activities and the administration of examinations. Commission Policies – 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3

Constructor Certification Commission Major Processes Certification Maintenance Includes assigning of certification numbers, maintaining one’s certification, allowable use of the AC and CPC credential, validation of certification examination body of knowledge, review of acceptability of required continuing professional development documentation, reinstating certification and responding to communications. Commission Policies – 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5. 4.6 and 4.7.

Constructor Certification Commission Major Processes Commission Personnel Includes the responsibilities, qualifications and selection of Commission, Committee, Panel and Task Force members and contractors, contractor employee job descriptions, joint construction association chapter activities, and the selection, training and assessing of Commission members, volunteers and contractor staff. Commission Policies – 5.1, 5.3, 5.4 and 5.9.

Constructor Certification Commission Major Processes Governance of Constructor Certification Activities Includes making changes to Commission organization, operations and certification schemes, signatory authority, internal audits, conflict of interest, confidentiality, ethical conduct of Commission members, volunteers, contractor staff and certificants, whistleblowing, and documentation and document control and security. Commission Policies – 5.2, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, 5.8, 5.9, 5.10, 5.11, 5.12, 5.13 and 5.14.

Constructor Certification Commission Major Processes All of these processes have specific policies and procedures with associated documents. Some of these will be reviewed in the next portion of the training. All Commission Policies and Procedures along with their associated documents can be found at www.professionalconstructor.org.

Item Writing Subcommittee The Item Writing Subcommittee shall have a Chair, Vice Chair and as many members as the Subcommittee desires or may be required to carry out its responsibilities. All members must be Certified Professional Constructors and shall be practicing construction professionals or educators. The Chair and Vice Chair may be appointed by the Examination Committee or may be elected from within the Subcommittee. Membership on the Subcommittee will be for 2 year terms renewable by the Subcommittee’s consensus. The Chair and Vice Chair shall serve for one year renewable terms.

Item Writing Subcommittee The Chair or a Chair designated permanent member of the Subcommittee will serve as a liaison to the Examination Committee but will not be required to attend Examination Committee meetings.

Responsibilities of Item Writing Subcommittee Creates new test questions (items), repairs items, and sometimes reviews items for the Level I examination and ensures that the items adhere to the requirements set forth in the Test Specification for the Level I (AC) Examination (Commission Document No. 28) and the Commission’s Multiple Choice Item Writing Guidelines (Commission Document No. 9). These items are forwarded to the Examination Contractor for a psychometric review including item editing, bias-sensitivity review, and item formatting before inclusion in the item bank.

Responsibilities of Item Writing Subcommittee Creates new test questions (items) , repairs items and sometimes reviews items for the Level II examination and ensures that the items meet the requirements set forth in the Test Specification for the Level II (CPC) Examination (Commission Document No. 29) and the Commission’s Problem Based Scenarios Item Writing Guide (Commission Document No. 13). These items are forwarded to the Examination Contractor for a psychometric review including item editing, bias-sensitivity review, and item formatting before inclusion in the item bank.

Responsibilities of Item Writing Subcommittee Creates and or upgrades test question Exhibits for new examination questions. Develops new test questions for the Level I and Level II Test Specifications based on requests from the Examination Contractor, the Examination Committee, Examination Item Review Committee, new techniques in the industry, and current relevant materials. Submits all test items to the Examination Committee Chair who, in turn, will forward them to the Examination Contractor for a psychometric review including item editing, bias-sensitivity review, and item formatting before inclusion in the item bank.

Responsibilities of Item Writing Subcommittee Maintains the Examination Item Writing Form (Commission Document No, 18. This form is available in hard copy or on the Commission’s website and it contains blanks to be filled in for the name of the author of the proposed question and the author’s reference source to be used to document the correct answer. Train Subject Matter Experts (SME) in item writing procedures according to the Commission’s Multiple Choice Item Writing Guidelines (Commission Document No. 9) and the Commission’s Problem Based Scenarios Item Writing Guide (Commission Document No. 13).

Responsibilities of Item Writing Subcommitee Solicit items from sources such as Web based submissions, workshops, and voluntary submissions that are then reviewed and forwarded to the Examination Contractor for a psychometric review including item editing, bias-sensitivity review, and item formatting before inclusion in the item bank. Advise the Examination Committee on current relevant reference materials for the Examinations.

Responsibilities of Item Writing Subcommittee May recommend to the Examination Committee new Test Specifications Classifications or revisions to the Test Specifications and the Examination Committee will review the recommendations and decide whether to send forward to the Commission for action.

Conclusion You now have been provided with a bit of Commission history, its mission, goals and objectives, an overview of its major processes and details about the responsibilities associated with your respective role in the work of the Commission along with related Commission Policies and Procedures and pertinent documents. If you have any specific questions relating to any of the material presented please contact the Chair of the body on which you serve or report to or the Commission Certification Manager. To complete this training session by completing certain Commission documents and assessments please proceed.

Required Commission Documents To comply with the Commission’s Policies and Procedures certain documents are required associated to your role. First the Commission will need a copy of your resume which needs to be updated to the current year. Second you are required to sign Non-Disclosure Statement for Scoring of Level I (AC) Certification Examination Writing Skills Questions (Commission Document 32). These must be signed on an annual basis and you will be contacted by the Chair of your body or the Certification Manager to complete them when required.

Assessments As part of its training process, the Commission feels it is critical that it assess if the participants understood the information presented through the administration of a short ten question multiple choice evaluation. This assessment can also be used to substantiate your participation in the training. Your score on the evaluation will remain confidential and will be used to not only improve the training and training materials but also your performance in your role. You will receive feedback on how you did along with any recommendations for improvement.

Assessments Finally, the Commission, in its continuous improvement efforts, would appreciate it if you would complete an evaluation of the training session and materials. Thank you for your participation and we look forward to your productive role to promote constructor certification.

Assessments As part of its training process, the Commission feels it is critical that it assess if the participants understood the information presented through the administration of a short ten question multiple choice evaluation. This assessment can also be used to substantiate your participation in the training. Your score on the evaluation will remain confidential and will be used to not only improve the training and training materials but also your performance in your role. You will receive feedback on how you did along with any recommendations for improvement.

Assessments Finally, the Commission, in its continuous improvement efforts, would appreciate it if you would complete an evaluation of the training session and materials using Commission Document No. 37 – Training Session Participant Evaluation. Thank you for your participation and we look forward to your productive role to promote constructor certification

Questions For any questions please ask the trainer or contact: Mr. Joseph Sapp, Certification Manager Constructor Certification Commission joe@professionalconstructor.org 703-683-4999 Revision History: May 17, 2013