The Testing Center at the University of Memphis received an award for Test Center Certification by the National College Testing Association (NCTA).
“We are very ecstatic to receive this recognition,” Trenda Smith, manager of the U of M Testing Center, said. “My staff - Kimberly Avant, Joyce Crout, and Charlotte Wade – and I have worked very hard and diligently for this award.”
The NCTA, which was established in 2000 by the merging of different regional associations, is a non-profit organization of testing experts working in colleges and universities, in companies with test-related goods and services, and in other professional testing settings.
Today, the NCTA has more than 1,300 members representing over 600 colleges and universities as well as more than 40 corporations and certification agencies in the United States and Canada while maintaining a broad set of standards for testing centers administering paper and pencil and computer-based examinations, as well as a collection of useful operational instructions.
The criteria for certification is “rigorous and time consuming” Smith said. Recognition for this certification is based on the NCTA Professional Standards and Guidelines – instructions developed to direct post-secondary test centers in the delivery of quality testing programs.
“We had to meet these national guidelines while also showing that our facilities are up-to-date and provide a safe and effective learning environment,” Smith said. “Now whenever anyone comes through the area searching for a testing center, ours will be one of the first ones they will look at because of our certification.”
The Testing Center at the U of M is a part of the Student Health and Counseling Services department along with the Counseling Center and the Student Health Center. The Testing Center, in addition to exams offered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) Center – offers “a variety of exams that range from professional tests, to academic tests, and even to certification licensures,” Smith said.
The Testing Center also offers aid for student assessment needs including student-related testing, COMPASS testing for placement, nationally administered exams and certifications, non-standard accommodations available on request, and comprehensive assessment services for the U of M and the Mid-South Community. The mission of the Testing Center according to their website, is “to assist students in fulfilling educational goals by providing a variety of testing services by certified personnel in a pleasant, technologically advanced environment.”
The Testing Center at the U of M is one of the few post-secondary institutions in the United States and Canada that have completed “this intensive certification process,” Smith said. The certification will be in place for five years and can be renewed by demonstrating persistent obedience to national standards.
“We are excited and honored to be among this elite group of certified centers,” Smith said. “We have worked very rigorously to gain this certification and we plan to continue to provide students, professionals, and anyone else the same kind of help that we have been offering in the past.”
