NationalCommissionofStateOpticianryRegulatoryBoards 2025WoodlaneDrive St.Paul,MN55125 Tel855.208.9349 Fax651.731.0410 www.NCSORB.org info@ncsorb.com NATIONALOPTICIAN’S PRACTICALEXAMINATION CANDIDATEHANDBOOK FY2013 TABLEOFCONTENTS Contents NationalOptician’sPracticalExamination CandidateHandbookandExaminationOverview Registration&Payment ExaminationEligibility RegistrationProcessing RegistrationFees PaymentProcessing ExaminationPoliciesandProcedures ExaminationChecklistOverview ExaminationTutorialOverview ExaminationBlueprint ▪MultipleChoice ▪SkillExamination SpecialAccommodationsfortheExamination StatementofNon‐Discrimination HowtoScheduleYourExaminationAppointment EligibilityExtensions,AppointmentChangesandFeeRefunds ExaminationConfidentiality Computer‐BasedSkillExaminationDisclaimerandWaiver ExaminationSiteRequirements&Instructions ProhibitedfromtheTestingCenter TerminationofExaminationAdministration/GroundsforDismissal ExaminationScoring ExaminationResults RetakingoftheExamination Appeals TestAdministrator OverviewoftheExaminationProcess NationalOptician’sPracticalExaminationRoleDelineation(JobTaskAnalysis) Page 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 4 5 5 5 6 6 7 8 8 9 10 10 10 11 11 12 1 CANDIDATEHANDBOOK NATIONALOPTICIAN’SPRACTICALEXAMINATIONCANDIDATEHANDBOOK TheNationalOptician’sPracticalExaminationCandidateHandbookcoversboththeSpectaclesandContact LensNationalOptician’sPracticalExaminations.Thepurposeofthishandbookistoprovidethecandidate withtheproceduralinformationthatwillassistintakingtheSpectacles,ortheSpectaclesandContactLens Examination(s).Theexaminationhastwodistinctsectionsamultiple‐choiceandcomputerbasedskill examinationforbothSpectaclesandContactLenses.AllNationalOptician’sPracticalExaminationcandidates arerequiredtoreadthishandbook. ABOUTTHENATIONALOPTICIAN’SPRACTICALEXAMINATION TheNationalCommissionofStateOpticianryRegulatoryBoards(NCSORB®)whichisanon‐profit organizationrepresentingStateLicensingBoardsworkedcollaborativelytodevelopthecomputer‐based NationalOptician’sPracticalExamination.Theexaminationisasignificantchangeinexamination modalitiespreviouslyusedandreplacesthecurrentstatepracticalhands‐onexaminations.Themembersof NCSORBhaveoneimportantgoalforthisexamination:toprotectthepublicbyassessingtheknowledgeand skillsofopticiansinaccuratelyperformingthetasksrequiredinaprofessional,standardized, simulatedenvironment. NCSORBfollowsstricteducationalandpsychologicaltestingprinciplesasdefinedbytheStandardsfor EducationalandPsychologicalTestingoftheAmericanEducationalResearchAssociation,American PsychologicalAssociation,andNationalCouncilonMeasurementinEducation.Thelicensingexamination teststheminimumknowledgeandskillsofopticiansforqualificationoflicensure.Theexamcontentisbased oncommonindustrypracticesandtasksperformedbylicensedopticiansasresearchdatashowedina nationaljobanalysis. CONTACTINFORMATION NationalCommissionofStateOpticianryRegulatoryBoards(NCSORB®) 2025WoodlaneDrive St.Paul,MN55125 Phone(855)208.9349 Fax(651)731‐0410 E‐mail:info@ncsorb.org Website:www.ncsorb.org 2 REGISTRATION&PAYMENT EXAMINATIONELIGIBILITY CandidateswhoaresittingfortheNationalOptician’sPracticalExaminationmustmeettheStateeligibility requirementsfortheStatewheretheyareseekingopticianryemployment.Ifacandidateisseeking employmentinaStatethatdoesnotrequireopticianrylicensure,pleasecontactNCSORBforfurther information. OncetheStateboard(ifapplicable)orthecandidatehassenttheappropriatedocumentationtothetest administrator,thecandidateisdeemedeligibletotaketheNationalOptician’sPracticalExamination.Thetest administratorwillsendthecandidateanemailauthorizationletterconfirmingacceptancetotakethe examination.Theauthorizationletterwillprovideinformationonhowtoregisterfortheexaminationwith thetestingfacility,accesstothecandidatetutorial,handbookandchecklist,aswellasthestartandenddates fortheexaminationeligibilityperiod(theperiodoftimethatcandidatesareabletoviewthetutorialand scheduletheexamination)whichis90‐days. REGISTRATIONPROCESSING CandidatesmustcompletetheNationalOptician’sPracticalExaminationregistrationformandincludeallof thefollowinginformation:FirstandLastName,Address,City,State,Zip,Phone,E‐MailandSocialSecurity Number. Registrationformswillnotbeprocessedwithoutavalide‐mailaddress. REGISTRATIONFEES ExaminationfeescanbeobtainedfromtheStateorwillbeincludedontheregistrationform. PAYMENTPROCESSING CandidateswhoaresubmittingregistrationformsfromStatesthatrequirelicensure: UnlessotherwisedirectedbytheStateboard,completedregistrationformsandpaymentaretobesubmitted directlytotheStateorNCSORBforprocessing. CandidateswhoaresubmittingregistrationformsfromStatesthatdoNOTrequirelicensure: CandidateswhoareemployedinaStatethatdoesnotrequireopticianrylicensurearetosubmitcompleted registrationformsandpaymenttotheaddressindicatedontheregistrationform. 3 EXAMINATIONPOLICIES&PROCEDURES EXAMINATIONCHECKLIST CandidateswillbeprovidedachecklistthatoutlinestheexpectationsofeachtaskwithintheSpectaclesand ContactLensSkillExaminations.Itishighlyrecommendedthatcandidatesread,understandandcommitto memorytheinformationprovidedinthecandidatechecklist. EXAMINATIONTUTORIAL Thetutorialdemonstrateshowtonavigatewithintasks;openandclosetaskwindows;usetherequired instrumentstoperformeachopticianrytask,recordandsubmitresponses;restartandexitatask. EXAMINATIONBLUEPRINT Theexaminationwasdevelopedbasedontheexaminationblueprintcontentandtaskareas.Theexamination blueprintdetailsthepercentageofquestionscontainedineachcontentandtaskarea. NATIONALOPTICIAN’SPRACTICALEXAMINATIONCONTENTAREAS Spectacles:Multiple‐ChoiceExamination Domain PercentageofQuestions AnalyzeandInterpret 46% FitandDispense 38% ProduceEyewear 11% GeneralKnowledge 5% Total 100% NATIONALOPTICIAN’SPRACTICALEXAMINATIONCONTENTAREAS ContactLens:Multiple‐ChoiceExamination Domain PercentageofQuestions FitandDispenseContactLenses 100% Total 100% Eachmultiple‐choiceexaminationisatotalof75questions,10areconsideredpretestquestions.Pretest questionsdonotaffectthecandidate’sscoreandareusedinexaminationsasaneffectiveandlegitimateway totestthevalidityoffutureexaminationquestions.Allpretestquestionsarerandomlyplacedthroughoutthe examination. NUMBEROF SCOREDQUESTIONS Spectacles65 ContactLens65 NUMBEROFPRETEST (UNSCORED)QUESTIONS TOTALEXAMINATON QUESTIONS 10 10 75 75 4 EXAMINATIONPOLICIES&PROCEDURES SkillExamination Theskillexaminationsectionsarecomprisedofthefollowingtaskareas: Spectacles–60Minutes ▪ MeasurementofPupillaryDistanceandSegmentHeight Task: Measurepupillarydistanceandsegmentheightandrecordtheresults ▪ NeutralizationofSpectacles Task: Neutralizelensesontwosetsofspectacles;identifyprismineachlens(ifpresent),record resultsinminuscylinderform.Ifprismispresent,prismwillbeverticalonly. ContactLens–60Minutes ▪ ContactLensImages&ConditionsoftheEye Task: Identifyimagescommontoopticianry ▪ CornealCurvatureMeasurement Task: Measurecornealcurvatureonamanualkeratometerandrecordtheresults. ▪ SlitLampOperation Task: Adjustslitlamptodisplayvariouspathologiesandilluminationsusingaslitlamp ▪ EvaluationofaContactLensUsingaSlitLamp Task: Identifythefitofdifferentcontactlensesviewedthroughaslitlamp. Thetotalallottedtimetocompletethemultiple‐choiceandskillexaminationsisasfollows: EXAMINATION ALLOTEDEXAMINATIONTIME Spectacles&ContactLenses SpectaclesOnly ContactLensesOnly 240Minutes–4Hours 120Minutes–2Hours 120Minutes–2Hours Examinationtimeincludescandidateinstructions,reviewandacceptanceoftheexaminationdisclaimer,as wellasthereviewandacceptanceofthedisclaimeroutliningthecandidatetutorial,handbookandchecklist review.Thereisatimerintheupperrighthandcornerofthecomputermonitorforcandidatestochecktheir time,allowingcandidatestoplanaccordinglywhentakingtheexamination.Itmaytakesomecandidatesless thantheallottedtimeprovidedtocompletetheexamination(s). CandidateswhoaretakingboththeSpectacles&ContactLensexaminationswillhavea15minutebreak betweenthe2examinations. Forallothercandidatestherearenoscheduledbreaksduringtheexamination.Ifabreakisneededduring theexamination,theexaminationclockwillcontinuetocountdown. 5 EXAMINATIONPOLICIES&PROCEDURES Themultiple‐choiceexaminationisaseriesofstatementsorquestionsfollowedbyfourpossibleanswers.One answeristhesingle‐bestresponse;theothersaredistractors. Thenumber75inthelensprescription‐5.00+1.50X75isthe A. powerofthesphere. B. axisofthecylinder. C. interpupillarydistance. D. vertexdistance. Answer:B SPECIALACCOMMODATIONS IncompliancewiththeAmericanswithDisabilitiesAct(ADA)thetestadministratorwillprovidereasonable accommodationsforpersonwithdisabilities.Ifyoubelievethatyourequiresuchaccommodation,please contactthetestadministratortoreceiveaspecialaccommodationsquestionnaire.Returnthecompleted questionnairewithyourapplicationandincludedocumentationofyourdisabilityfromaqualified healthcareprovider. STATEMENTOFNON‐DISCRIMINATION Thetestadministratorshalladmitcandidateswithoutregardtoage,sex,color,nationalorigin,disability, religion,sexualorientation,ormaritalstatustoallrights,privileges,programsandexaminations.Itshallnot discriminateonthebasisofage,sex,color,nationalorigin,disability,religion,sexualorientation,ormarital statusintheadministrationoflicensure. HOWTOSCHEDULEANEXAMINATIONAPPOINTMENT ExaminationsaregiventhroughPearsonVUEtestcenters.PearsonVUEdeliversmillionsofhigh‐stakestests annuallyworldwideforclientsinthelicensure,certification,academicadmissions,regulatory,and governmenttestingservicemarkets.Ithasoneoftheworld'slargesttestcenternetworks,withover5,000 testcentersin165countries,230ofwhicharefully‐ownedand‐operatedPearsonProfessionalCenters. PearsonProfessionalCentersutilizeapatent‐winningdesign,whichwascreatedspecificallyforhigh‐stakes testingandoffersacarefullycontrolled,securedtestingenvironment. Thetestadministratorwillprovidethecandidatewithanauthorizationnumberthatmustbepresentedwhen thecandidatearrivesatthetestcenterthedayoftheexamination.Candidatescannotschedulean examinationappointmentwithPearsonVUEuntilthetestadministratorhasreceivedtheappropriate documentationandfees. Toavoidschedulingcomplications,schedulingofexaminationsshouldbedoneshortlyafterthecandidatehas receivedtheirauthorizationletter. 6 EXAMINATIONPOLICIES&PROCEDURES ELIGIBILITYEXTENSIONS,APPOINTMENTCHANGESANDFEEREFUNDS Thepoliciesregardingscheduling,canceling,andchangingappointmentsare: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Ifthecandidatefailstoscheduleanappointmentwithinthe90‐dayeligibilityperiodindicatedinthe confirmationletter,thecandidatewillforfeittheirexaminationregistrationfee.Anewapplication andexaminationfeeisrequiredtoreapplyfortheexamination. Requeststocancelaregistrationform,beforethecandidatehasscheduledanappointmentwiththe testingservice,mustbereceivedinwritingbeforetheendofthe90‐dayeligibilityperiod.A processingfeeof$95.00isretained. Tocancelascheduledexaminationappointmentwithoutafee,thecandidatemustcallPearsonVUE atthetoll‐freetelephonenumberthatwasincludedinthecandidate’sacceptanceletteratleast30 dayspriortotheirscheduledappointmentdate.Iftheappointmentiscancelled5‐29daysbeforethe scheduleddate,PearsonVUEwillcollecta$25.00processingfee.Cancellationlessthanfivedays beforethetestdatewillresultina$95.00cancellationfeewhichmustbepaidpriortorescheduling thecandidate’sexamination. Ifcancellationoccurswithintheallowedtimeperiod,candidatesmayeitherreschedulewithPearson VUEorrequestarefundinwritingfromthetestadministrator.Allrequestsforrefundsmustbe receivedbeforetheendofthe90dayeligibilityperiodandaprocessingfeeof$95.00isretained.No refundswillbeissuedforcancellationsthatdonotconformtotheabovepolicy. Ifthecandidatefailstoappearfortheexaminationorarrivesatthetestcentermorethan15minutes latefortheappointment,theabsenceisconsidereda“no‐show”andthecandidatewillnotbetested. Thecandidatewillberequiredtopaya“no‐show”feeof$95.00tothetestadministratorpriorto reschedulingtheexamination. Ifthecandidateisnotadmittedtothetestcenterforfailuretoprovideproperidentification,the candidatewillbechargeda$95.00“no‐show”feethatmustbepaidpriortoreschedulingtheir examination. Ifthecandidateisunabletotaketheexaminationwithintheeligibilityperiodindicatedinthe acceptanceletter,thecandidatemayapplyforaone‐time,30‐dayeligibilityextensionbysubmittinga writtenrequestandpayingtheextensionfeeof$50.00.Thewrittenrequestmustbereceivedbythe endofthe90‐dayeligibilityperiod. EXAMINATIONCONFIDENTIALITY TheNationalOptician’sPracticalExaminationisproprietaryandconfidential.Theexaminationisavailableto thecandidatesolelyforthepurposeofassessingthecandidate’sproficiencylevelinthecontentareas referencedintheexaminationforwhichthecandidateiseligible.Thecandidateisexpresslyprohibitedfrom disclosing,publishing,reproducing,ortransmittingtheexamination(s)inwholeorinpart,inanyformorby anymeansverbalorwritten,electronicormechanical,foranypurpose.Candidateswillbeaskedtoaccept thisdisclosurestatementpriortobeginningtheexamination(s)atthetestcenter.Ifthecandidatedoesnot agreetothedisclosurestatement,thecandidatewillnotbeabletotaketheNationalOptician’sPractical Examination.Allexaminationcontentandmaterialsarestrictlyconfidentialandwillnotbereleasedto anyoneexceptthoseinvolvedinthedevelopmentandadministrationoftheexamination. 7 EXAMINATIONPOLICIES&PROCEDURES Officialexaminationresultsaresentviasecuredserverorregisteredmailtothecandidate(non‐licensed State)orthecandidate’srespectiveStatelicensingboard.(Noexceptions). COMPUTER–BASEDSKILLEXAMINATIONDISCLAIMERANDWAIVER NationalOptician’sPracticalExaminationcandidatesareprovidedwithatutorial,checklistandhandbookto assistwiththeirunderstandingregardingtheuseofthecontrolsandnavigationwithinthecomputer‐based examination.Alsoincludedisanoutlineofthecontentareasonthemultiple‐choiceexamination(s),anoutline ofthespecifictaskswithintheskillexamination(s),thepercentagepassratesforthemultiple‐choiceandskill examination(s),andthetolerancerangesasrequiredforthespecificskillexaminationtasks. Candidateswillberequiredtoacknowledgethattheywereprovidedwithtimelyandsufficientadvancenotice bythetestadministratorthattheexaminationtheywillbetakingforlicensurewasadministeredbycomputer simulation,receivedadequatenoticepriortotakingtheexaminationofatutorialthatprovidesanoverviewof thecomputersimulation,andallowedthecandidatetopracticethecomputersimulationtechniques necessaryfortheexamination. Candidateswillberequiredtoacknowledgereceivingnoticepriortotakingtheexaminationthattheyhad accesstoachecklistoutliningthestandardizedmethodsandskilltaskordertobetestedbythecomputer simulationexamination. Candidateswillberequiredtoacknowledgethattheyhadanadequateopportunitytoadvisethetest administratorofanymedical,physicalormentalconditionthatmightpreventorinhibitthecandidatefrom completingthecomputer‐basedsimulatedexaminationproperly.Thecandidatewillacknowledgethatany suchmedical,physicalormentalconditionhasbeenidentifiedtothetestadministratorandthatthetest administratorhasprovidedadequateandreasonableaccommodationtopermitthecandidatetotakethe examinationwithoutinfluenceorhindrancefromthemedical,physicalormentalconditionidentified. Thecandidatereleasesthetestadministratorandwillholdharmlessfrominjuryorharmofanytype,beit physical,mental,personaloreconomic,asaresultoftakingthisexaminationand/ornotreceivinga passingscore. Candidateswillbeaskedtoacceptthiscomputer‐basedskillexaminationdisclaimerandwaiverpriorto beginningtheirexamination(s)atthetestcenter.Ifthecandidatedoesnotagreetothecomputer‐based skillexaminationdisclaimerandwaiverthecandidatewillnotbeabletotaketheNationalOptician’sPractical Examination. 8 EXAMINATIONPOLICIES&PROCEDURES EXAMINATIONSITEREQUIREMENTSANDINSTRUCTIONS Admittancetothetestcenterrequiresacandidateauthorizationletterandtwoformsofidentification.One formmustbeavalidgovernmentissuedIDcontainingboththecandidate’spictureandsignature(driver’s license,passport,governmentidentificationcard,etc.).ThesecondformofIDmustcontainatleastthe candidate’ssignatureandbeinanon‐paperformat(credit‐card,ATMcard,etc.).Thenameonthetwoforms ofIDmustmatchthenameonthecandidate’sauthorizationletterandappointmentregistrationexactly.The followingareNOTacceptableformsofidentification:socialsecuritycardsandlibrarycards. 1. Afteridentificationhasbeenconfirmed,thecandidatewillbeescortedintothetestingroomand assignedatestingstation.Candidatesmaynotbringanypersonalitemswiththemintothetesting room.AvirtualtourshowingcandidateswhattoexpectuponarrivalatthePearsonVUEtestcenter canbeviewedathttp://www.pearsonvue.com/ppc/ 2. Thetestcenterproctorwillprovidecandidateswithawhiteboardforuseduringtesting.Thewhite boardmustbereturnedtothetestproctoruponcompletionoftheexamination. 3. Ifthecandidatehasanycomputer‐relatedquestionsorconcernsduringtheexamination,testcenter proctorsareavailableforassistance. 4. Testcenterproctorswillnotanswerquestionsrelatedtotheexaminationcontentareas,specific items,ortaskswithintheskillexaminations. 5. Onequestionatatimewillappearonthecomputerscreenduringthemultiple‐choiceexamination. Candidateswillhavetheoptiontoanswerthequestionormarkthequestionforreview. 6. Attheendofthemultiple‐choiceexamination,candidatesmayreturntotheexaminationitemsthat weremarkedforreviewprovidedthereistimeremaining. 7. Candidatesmustfinishtheexaminationwithinthetimeallowed.Anonscreentimerwilldisplayin theupperrightcorneroftheexaminationandanon‐screenwarningwillappearwhenthereisfive minutesremainingforeachtaskoftheskillexamination. 8. Aftercompletingtheexamination,candidateswillbeaskedtocompleteashortonlinesurveyabout theirtestingexperience.Commentsareroutinelyreviewedinanefforttocontinuouslyimprovethe examinationprocess. 9. Thetestadministratorwillnotanswerspecificquestionsregardingexaminationcontent. 10. Resultswillbeprovidedtothecandidate2–4weeksafterthecompletionoftheexamination. PROHIBITEDFROMTHETESTINGCENTER CandidatesmayNOTbringanythingoranyoneintothetestingareaortothedeskwherethecandidateis takingtheexamination.Thisincludes: ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ Food Coats Calculators CellularPhones Watches ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ Beverages HoodedClothing EyeglassCases TapeRecorders Wallets ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ BookBags Luggage Pagers Dictionaries PersonalItems 9 EXAMINATIONPOLICIES&PROCEDURES TERMINATIONOFEXAMINATIONADMINISTRATION/GROUNDSFORDISMISSAL Candidatesareexpectedtoconductthemselvesinaprofessionalmanneratalltimesatthetestingcenter.Any personwhoviolatestheExaminationConfidentialityPolicywillbesubjecttoreviewandpossibledisciplinary action(s). Thetestcenterproctorisauthorizedtodismisscandidatesfromanexaminationadministrationandthe candidate’sresultsmaybecanceled,orotherappropriateactionwillbetaken,whenthereisareasonable basisforconcludingthatthecandidatehasengagedinanyofthefollowingconduct: 1. 2. 3. 4. Usingorattemptingtousesomeoneelsetotaketheexamination Failingtoprovideacceptablepersonalidentification Havingaccesstoorusingnotesoranyprohibitedaidrelatedtotheexamination Creatingadisturbance(disruptivebehaviorinanyformwillnotbetolerated;thetestcenterproctor hassolediscretionindeterminingwhetherspecificconductconstitutesdisruptivebehavior) 5. Communicating,inanymanner,withanotherpersonotherthanthetestcenterproctoraboutthe examinationduringtheadministration,includingattemptingtogiveorreceiveassistance 6. Attemptingtoremoveanyitemsfromthetestingroom 7. Eatingordrinkinginthetestingroom 8. Leavingthetestingroomortestcentervicinitywithoutpermission 9. Removingorattemptingtoremove,examination‐relatedmaterial,orportionsofatestinanyformat fromthetestingroom 10. Attemptingtotamperwithacomputer 11. Engaginginoranydishonestorunethicalconduct 12. FailingtofollowanyexaminationadministrationregulationssetforthinthisNationalOptician’s PracticalExaminationCandidateHandbook,instructionsgivenbythetestcenterproctor,orspecified inanyexaminationmaterials. 10 EXAMINATIONPOLICIES&PROCEDURES EXAMINATIONSCORING Thepassingscoreforeachmultiple‐choiceexamination,aswellasallthetaskswithintheskillexamination is70%. Tolerancerangeshavebeenestablishedforthespecifictaskswithintheskillexaminations: SpectacleSkillExamination MeasurePupillaryDistanceandSegmentHeight PupillaryDistance: InterpupillaryDistance +/‐0.50mm SegmentHeight: Progressive +/‐1.0mm Bifocal +/‐1.5mm Trifocal +/‐1.5mm NeutralizeSpectacles: Sphere +/‐0.25D Cylinder +/‐0.25D BifocalAdd +/‐0.25D Prism +/‐0.25D Axis +/‐3degrees ContactLensExamination CornealCurvatureMeasurement: HorizontalPower +/‐0.25D VerticalPower +/‐0.25D HorizontalAxis +/‐5degrees VerticalAxis +/‐5degrees WhentakingtheSkillExaminationbeawareofenteringthecorrectvaluesintheappropriatefields. 11 EXAMINATIONPOLICIES&PROCEDURES EXAMINATIONRESULTS Examinationresultswillbesentuponcompletionoftheexamination.Theexaminationresultswillinclude pass/failforthemultiple‐choiceexaminationaswellaspass/failforeachtaskwithintheskillexamination. RETAKINGTHEEXAMINATION ThenumberoftimescandidatestestingforlicensureareeligibletoretaketheNationalOptician’sPractical ExaminationiscontingentonspecificStaterequirements.Ifthecandidateisnottestingforlicensure, candidatesmayretaketheexamination2timeswithinaone‐yearperiod. StateofFloridacandidatesmustwait60daysbetweentheinitialexaminationandanyretakesoftheNational Optician’sPracticalExamination. Oncetheretestregistrationformisprocessed,candidateshave90daystoscheduleandcompletethe examination.Ifthecandidatedecidesnottoapplytoretestwithinthe12monthsoftheinitialexaminationor failstocompletetheexaminationwithinthe90‐dayeligibilityperiod,theinitialapplicationprocessbegins again. APPEALS Anycandidatemayappealdeterminationsrelatedtoexaminationresults.Theappealmustbeinwritingand receivedwithin30‐daysofbeingnotifiedofexaminationresults.Theappealmustbeaddressedtothetest administratorandinclude:adetailedwrittenexplanationofthegroundsfortheappeal,anyevidenceor documentationtosupportthereasonadecisionshouldbeoverturned,andtheappealfeeof$50.00.The burdenofproofistheresponsibilityoftheapplicant.Writtennotificationofthedecisionregardingtheappeal willbemailedwithinfourtosixweeksafterreceivingtheappeal.Decisionsregardingappealswillbefinal andbinding.Nocandidateappealdetailswillbediscussedbytelephone. ThisappealsprocessistheonlymethodtoreviewalldecisionsmadebytheNationalCommissionofState OpticianryRegulatoryBoardsregardingapplications,examinations,testadministration,resultsand/or challengesorcomplaints. TestAdministrator NationalCommissionofStateOpticianryRegulatoryBoards 2025WoodlaneDrive St.Paul,MN55125 info@ncsorb.org Tel855.208.9349 Fax651.731.0410 www.NCSORB.org 12 OVERVIEWOFEXAMINATIONDEVELOPMENT NATIONALOPTICIAN’SPRACTICALEXAMINATIONROLEDELINEATION(JOBANALYSIS) NationalJobTaskAnalysisandTestDevelopment NCSORBfollowsstricteducationalandpsychologicaltestingprinciplesasdefinedbytheStandardsfor EducationalandPsychologicalTestingoftheAmericanEducationalResearchAssociation,American PsychologicalAssociation,andNationalCouncilonMeasurementinEducation.Thelicensingexamination teststheminimumknowledgeandskillsofopticiansforqualificationoflicensure. ThedevelopmentoftheNationalOptician’sPracticalExaminationisbasedontheresultsofanational“Job TaskAnalysis”onlinesurveywhichwasdistributedtolicenseddispensingopticiansthroughstatelicensing boardsandnon‐licensedopticiansinnon‐licensingstates.TheexaminationwasdesignedbyNCSORBwiththe psychometricconsultingservicesofProfessionalCredentialingServices,Inc.Thesurveywasconducted consistentwithgenerallyacceptedpsychometricprinciples.Thedatawasanalyzedtodeterminethe assessmentinstrumentstobeusedandthatthemostcommonknowledgeandskillsassociatedwiththe performancedomainsandtaskswerevalid,reliableandspecificallymeasuredactualopticianjob performance. Thejobtaskanalysisdatadeterminedthefivecorecontentdomainsandsixtasksmostcommonlyperformed byopticiansforthespectacleandcontactlensexaminations.Subjectmatterexpertsidentifiedperformance standardsanddevelopedtestitemsandtheskillsimulationexaminationusinggenerallyacceptedwritten examdevelopmentprocessesasidentifiedintheStandardsforEducationalandPsychologicalTesting.The relativeweightassignedtoeachmajorcontentdomainwasassignedbytheNCSORBExamination DevelopmentCommitteebasedupontheimportancerankingsoftheessentialtaskswithinthedomains. NCSORBhasawideconstituencyofsubjectmatterexpertswithinitsmembershipofstatelicensingboards. Licensedopticiansandsubjectmatterexpertsdevelopedandestablishedtheexaminationsandscoring protocolswiththeguidanceofapsychometricconsultant.Allexaminationdevelopment,administration, policies,andscoringproceduressupportthepurposeofstatelicensingofopticians.Subjectmatterexperts involvedinthedevelopmentandfeedbackprocessrepresentedlicensingboardsandlicensedopticiansfrom Arkansas,Connecticut,Florida,Kentucky,Massachusetts,Tennessee,Virginia,amongothers. NCSORBusescriterion‐referencedtestdevelopment,suchasoutlinedbyShrock&Coscarelli(1996)aswellas Educational&PsychologicalStandardsbytheAmericanEducationalResearchAssociation,American PsychologicalAssociation,andtheNationalCouncilonMeasurementinEducation(1999).Thetest developmentprocessincluded,butwasnotlimitedto,thefollowing; ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ JobTaskAnalysis Minimalcompetencyofopticiansidentifiedthroughconsensus Researchontestingmodalities Testitemdevelopment 13 OVERVIEWOFEXAMINATIONDEVELOPMENT ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ Standardsettingandcutscoresetting SkillSimulationexaminationdevelopment Establishedscoringprotocols Teststatisticsreviewandevaluation Researchoncomputertestcenterandvendordelivery AmodifiedAngoffmethodwasusedtoestablisheachtestquestion(item)passingscoreandtheexamination cutscore.Inthiscommonlyacceptedpsychometricprocedure,contentexpertsestimatetheprobabilityof eachquestionbeingansweredcorrectlybyapersonwhomeetstheminimumeligibilityrequirements.Forthe skillsimulationexamination,thereliabilityofeachoftheseparateskilltestswasdeterminedthroughan inter‐raterreliabilityprocedure.Theexaminationwaspilotedwithlicensedopticiansacrossthecountry.The researchshowedthattheskillsimulationexaminationisvalidandreliable. ResultsReportingandDataAnalysis Candidatesaresentfeedbackreportsafterthecompletionoftheirexamination.Thesefeedbackreports provideinformationonthecontentdomainareasmissedforfuturestudyandfutureexampreparation(if necessary)bythecandidate.AtechnicalreportoftheexaminationstatisticsisprovidedannuallytoNCSORB’s BoardofDirectorswithsuchdataasthenumberofitemsineachtest,thenumberwhotookthetest,the numberthatpassed,thepercentagethatpassed,themeanpassingscorewithstandarddeviation,thetest reliability,andthestandarderrorofmeasurement. UseofComputersforCertificationandLicensingExaminationsandbyOpticians Performancetestingisanacceptedmethodofmeasuringtheknowledgeandskillsofcandidatesfor certificationand/orlicensure.“Licensureprogramshaveusedperformance‐typeassessmentsintheir licensuretestsfordecades”(Impara,1993,p.215;Yang,Buckendahl,Juszkiewica,&Bhola,2002;Williamson, Bejar,&Mislevy,2006;Knapp,Anderson,&Wild,2009)andtheuseoftechnologyinperformancetestingisa growingdeliverymethodandinstrumenttool. Thereareandalwayshavebeenvariousformsof“simulated”skillexaminations(e.g.clinicalhands‐on, practicalorobservedtechniques).Methodofdeliveryandformatusingtechnologyischangingfor performance‐basedexaminations.Manymedicalfieldsuseperformance‐basedtestingtomeasurethe knowledgeandskillsofcandidates.Forexample,theMedicalBoardofExaminersusesacomprehensive performance‐basedsimulationtomeasuretheknowledgeandskillsofinternalmedicinephysiciansforBoard examination,whichmaybeacceptedforphysicianlicensureattheprerogativeofthestateLicensingBoard. Examplesofotherorganizationsusingperformance‐basedsimulationsincludethenationalCPAexamination, athletictrainers,massagetherapyandcraneoperators. 14 OVERVIEWOFEXAMINATIONDEVELOPMENT NCSORBconductedacomprehensivestudyontheusabilityofacomputerandsimulatedequipmentduring thedevelopmentprocess.Allofthisisdoneforthepurposeofreducingtheuseofacomputerasavariable affectingtheresultsofthesimulationtest. ComparisonofHands‐onPracticalExaminationswithSimulations Researchandliteratureshowsthatdeliveryofexaminationsbycomputerarevalidandreliablemethodsof testingtheknowledgeandskillsofcandidatesinthehealthcareprofessions.Additionally,thereisahighlevel ofcorrespondencebetweenhumanscoringandcomputer‐automatedscoring(Yang,etal,2002).NCSORB conductedacomprehensivecomputerusabilitystudywithlicensedopticians.AdditionalresearchbyNCSORB andotherorganizationsthathaveperformance‐basedexaminationsusingcomputer‐basedtestinghave shownthattheexaminations: ▪ Providesgreaterstandardizationofthetesting&evaluation ▪ Validatesexaminationreliability ▪ Eliminatestheneedfortrainingofevaluators&models/patients ▪ Reducesevaluationbias Candidateerrorsinthecomputer‐basedsimulationcorrespondtosimilarerrorsinpreviousexamination formatswithcandidateshavingthefollowingissues,butnotlimitedto: ▪ Testanxiety ▪ Notproperlypreparingtotaketheexaminationbystudyingandreviewingmaterials ▪ Failingtoreadtheinstructions ▪ Transposingorenteringdataincorrectly(forexample:enterthesphereasthecylinder) ▪ Leavingblanksintheexaminationbynotenteringaresponse ▪ Guessingtheanswerbyselectingthesameresponseforthedifferentitems Tolerances Resulttolerancerangesareestablishedbasedonacceptedtolerancesforopticianrytasksconductedonthe job.Tolerancerangesweredeterminedbasedonresearchthatcorrespondstotolerancesinstatelicensing examinationsasdeterminedbytheBoardsandotheracceptednationalstandards. SkillsandTasksPerformance ThesimulationportionoftheNationalOptician’sPracticalExaminationdoesnotmeasureanoptician’s techniqueinperformingaskilltask,onlytheinterpretationandaccuracyofrecordingresults.Valid psychometricprinciples,testdevelopmentmethods,standardsettingprotocols,andevaluationmethodsare usedtoensureareliableinterpretationoftestscoresandteststatisticsforperformance‐basedtesting. 15 OVERVIEWOFEXAMINATIONDEVELOPMENT Withinputfrommultiplesubjectmatterexpertswhoarelicensedopticiansandmanyofthemonstate licensingboards,theskillexaminationsweredevelopedbasedonbestpractices,usingcommonequipment andinstruments. Allskilltasksweredevelopedwithinspecifictolerancestoaccommodateforreal‐worldversusthesimulated environment.Theskillexaminationrequirescandidateswithintheirscopeofpracticetoidentifyandrecord resultstobeawardedlicensurebytheirState.Thisexaminationdoesnotrequireopticiancandidatesto diagnoseortreat. ©2013,CenterforOrganizationalManagement,AllRightsReserved.