BENTONVILLE — NorthWest Arkansas Community College’s Testing Center has passed a test of its own.
The college’s testing center recently became one of eight test centers in the country to be certified by the National College Testing Association and the college testing center in the state to receive the designation, according to a college news release.
Shannon Siebler, testing services director for the college, accepted the award in September during the association’s national conference in San Diego.
Certification first required meeting a detailed application process in which college officials submitted policies, training documents, organizational charts, photographs and a list of security procedures before the evaluation could move forward. Two reviewers came to campus for a site visit, Siebler said. Once the organization was convinced all of the required standards were being met, the college was awarded the certification, according to the release.
David Espinoza, president of the National College Testing Association and testing center director at the University of Oregon, said the granting of test center certification signifies that a test center meets the highest standards for test security and efficiency of operations. Espinoza said through the college’s participation in the certification pilot phase, the staff of the NorthWest Arkansas Community College Testing Center has assisted with the development of the organization’s certification process and procedures, which begin full implementation in 2012, according to the release.
The testing center, on the third floor of the Student Center, is a busy place. Last year, the center staff administered 23,000 tests, a 30 percent jump from the year before. Siebler said the center provides a variety of functions, such as administering the Compass test to new students, monitoring makeup and distance learning exams and providing accommodation services for the disability resource center, according to the release.