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Fact or Fiction?
Debunking Common Myths
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Part 3 of a 3-Part Series
Myth: The NCIDQ Examination is put together by a bunch of interior designers who don't know anything about testing.Fiction: In August we discussed test validity. In September we covered reliability. This month we will cover the testing concept of "fairness."
In order for NCIDQ to offer a fair examination, we must adhere to a number of guidelines.
- We treat all candidates equally.
- We provide the same information to all candidates at the same time.
- We do not give individual assistance to any candidate.
- We tell candidates what test content they will be tested on.
- We tell candidates how their exams will be scored.
- We don't incorporate "tricks" into exam questions or design exercises.
One area where we often bump into unrealistic expectations from candidates is in the amount of assistance we can provide to them. Credentialing and licensure examinations are very different from educational tests.
In an educational test, the goal of the test is to measure what someone knows or can do and then use the result to help improve that person's learning in areas where he or she has shown a weakness.
The goal of the NCIDQ Examination is completely different. The only goal of the test is to determine, on behalf of the public, who has or who does not have the requisite knowledge, skills and abilities to safely practice interior design in a manner that will protect the public health, safety and welfare. It is not a goal of the NCIDQ Examination to help candidates pass or improve their skills.
We often hear from candidates who would like us to give them this help and we cannot. As noted above, in order to treat all candidates fairly, we cannot offer assistance to any one candidate.
With the change to the exam content in 2010, we have now updated our Web site information to show the new test content for all three sections of the exam. The information on our Web site is one way we reach out to candidates to provide consistent exam information to everyone.
In the past two issues of the Q Letter we have covered other important principles of testing and how NCIDQ applies them to our examination. Beginning next month, we will explain how the test content is changing in 2010. Please be sure to share this information with anyone in your office who may be taking the test in the near future.
Have a common NCIDQ myth you'd like dispelled? E-mail us at news@ncidq.org! |
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Save 10%
On CE Monographs!
NCIDQ has five continuing education courses to choose from! Each monograph comes with an open-book quiz you can take on your schedule to earn 0.6 CEUs in health, life safety and welfare. Active Certificate holders save 10 percent on all NCIDQ monographs!
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| Learn more and place an order! |
NCIDQ's Mission
To protect the health, life safety and welfare of the public by establishing standards of competence in the practice of interior design. |
Bookmark NCIDQ
www.ncidq.org
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Greetings,
Welcome to the October edition of the QLetter, your electronic source for NCIDQ news and updates, industry announcements and calls to action.
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NCIDQ Begins Five-Year Requirement for Exam Completion
NCIDQ has announced a policy effective in 2010 that requires candidates taking the NCIDQ Examination to earn the NCIDQ Certificate to pass all sections of the examination within a five-year period or retest.
This five-year "rolling" window of time describes the way in which the timing accrues. Rather than one five-year fixed period of time, a candidate's time "rolls" forward in five-year increments depending on when he or she passes an exam section.
The practice of interior design evolves, and it is critical that individuals who hold the NCIDQ credential have been tested on the practice as it is relevant today. "Most major licensure or certification programs that deal with public protection have similar requirements," explains Jeffrey F. Kenney, NCIDQ Executive Director. "Certification and licensure examinations represent to the public that the individuals who hold their credential have been determined to be at least minimally competent at the time the credential was issued. When candidates are allowed to take individual test sections over many years or decades, it is harder to claim that at one point in time these individuals possessed all of the knowledge, skills and abilities required for minimum entry-level competence."
Candidates who do not take any sections of the examination within five years of being made eligible by NCIDQ will lose their eligibility status. Candidates who lose their eligibility status due to non-testing must reapply, meet the requirements in effect at that time and pay any application fees.
The next examination will be administered April 9-10, 2010. For first-time takers, the application deadline is December 1, 2009.
Please click here for complete information about this new policy.
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NCIDQ Fact or Fiction Continues Three-Part Series
The Myth: The NCIDQ Examination is put together by a bunch of interior designers who don't know anything about testing.
Credentialing
and licensure exams must be valid, reliable and fair. NCIDQ follows the
same standards for developing, administering and scoring the exam as
virtually all other exams of similar gravitas. We follow the guidelines
published in The Standards for Educational and Psychological Tests
(published jointly by the American Psychological Association, the
National Council on Measurement in Education and the American
Educational Research Association). These standards spell out policies
that NCIDQ follows to ensure that we administer a valid, fair and
reliable test.
NCIDQ will explain exam validity, reliability and fairness in a three-part series. Part 3 of the series can be read on the left. |
NCIDQ Publishes List of Candidates Whose Records May Be Destroyed
NCIDQ requires all exam candidates who have been approved to take the examination to take at least one section of the exam within five years of approval. In the event that a candidate does not begin the exam within five years, NCIDQ will destroy his or her records unless a candidate requests an extension.
We have attempted to contact candidates affected by this policy and have now created a document that is published online that lists all candidates affected.
Please review the list of affected candidates here.
If you know someone on this list, please let them know of this destruction policy and have them call us immediately at 202-721-0220.
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NCIDQ Office Design Wins Award
NCIDQ's office was recently awarded first place honors in the corporate office category of the Washington Metro Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) interior design competition.
Our new space reflects NCIDQ's role in the interior design community by being both educational and inspirational. Combined with sustainably responsible design practices, the space showcases the spirit of innovative design.
The NCIDQ headquarters project, designed by Perkins+Will, illustrates the history of interior design, showcasing the interior design profession's evolution from one of an individual with good taste to a profession requiring artistry and business acumen. The space also conveys how the profession demands expertise in life safety codes, sustainability and anthropometrics.
Read more about how the staff used the design process to educate themselves about the design process and how the new, greener office has changed the way the staff operates in the October/November issue of Interiors & Sources magazine.
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NCIDQ Celebrates Milestone Certificate Holders
NCIDQ is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. In honor of this accomplishment, we are featuring four milestones in Certificate holder history in our QLetter issues!
This month we are featuring Darcy Hield, Certificate No. 10000.
Hield passed the exam in April of 1992. She said she felt NCIDQ validated interior design as a credible profession and took the exam to validate her career. She told us that having the NCIDQ credential helped her move away from being a 'decorator.'
"Early on in my career I felt we always had to prove that [interior designers] could offer insight into other design elements besides finishes," said Hield. "The NCIDQ Certificate helps establish a level of professionalism and legitimacy."
In the past 17 years, Hield has witnessed interior design evolve into a more collaborative profession. "In my first few projects as a budding designer I remember laying out cubicles and furniture and selecting carpet and wall finishes - that was it! Now we meet with clients and establish a total design concept from beginning to end. This has been the most rewarding part of the profession."
Hield is the Principal in a small interior architecture firm and focuses primarily on healthcare design projects.
Hield's advice to future NCIDQ Certificate holders is that "each project is an opportunity to demonstrate good design practices and principles... embrace all of the technology and information out there!"
Look for more milestones in our November QLetter!
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ASID and IIDA Members - CE Reporting Period Ends This Year
If you are an ASID practitioner member or an IIDA professional or associate member, you have until December 31 to complete the continuing education required to maintain your membership in those organizations. ASID requires six hours and IIDA requires 10 hours of continuing education credit every two years.
NCIDQ's monographs are a convenient and affordable way to earn six hours in health, safety and welfare topics. All NCIDQ monographs are IDCEC approved.
All you need to do is read the monograph when it's convenient for you and complete a 25-question quiz. No need to travel or be away from the office; you'll earn six hours (0.6 CEUs) on your schedule! Plus, active Certificate holders can take a 10% discount! These monographs will become valuable references for your professional library.
Choose from these titles:
- Ethical Decision Making for Designers
- Culturally Sensitive Design for Long-Term Care Facilities
- Structures in Interior Design
- Creating Sustainable Interiors
- ADA Guidelines - Past, Present and Future
For more information on our monographs or to order yours today, visit our Web site at www.ncidq.org.
If you log your CE hours in the profession's CE Registry, NCIDQ also encourages you to send in your CE transcripts before the end
of the year. The sooner you send us your transcripts, the sooner they
will be entered into our system.
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Sincerely,
NCIDQ
E-mail: news@ncidq.org
Phone: 202-721-0220
Fax: 202-721-0221
Web Site: http://www.ncidq.org
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