North Shore Community College’s Center for Alternative Studies and Educational Testing (CAS) was recently awarded Test Center Certification by the National College Testing Association (NCTA). The Center for Alternative Studies and Educational Testing at NSCC is one of the few test centers in the U.S. and Canada to have completed this intensive certification process. Criteria for certification are rigorous and are based on the NCTA Professional Standards and Guidelines, which were developed to guide post-secondary test centers in the delivery of quality testing programs.
This certification will be in place for five years and can be renewed by demonstrating continued compliance to national standards.
NSCC’s Center for Alternative Studies & Educational Testing supports student success by providing a comprehensive array of testing options and alternative pathways for earning college credit. The Director of CAS, Cristy Sugarman, stated, “We proudly promote a culture of student-centered service and are proactive in finding innovative, collaborative solutions to provide expanded opportunities to students, the community, and the workforce. We maintain best-practice standards in our prior learning and educational assessment activities, as evidenced by both local and international recognitions, the most recent of which is our NCTA Certification.
“NSCC is one of only two institutions in the Commonwealth to have earned NCTA certification. Those who collaborate with NSCC to fulfill assessment needs, such as our many partners in education and industry, are assured that our Center for Alternative Studies and Educational Assessment operates under the highest national industry standards and procedures,” Sugarman noted.
The National College Testing Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of professionalism and high quality service in the administration of testing programs, offers certification to college and university test centers that demonstrate exemplary practices. NCTA membership numbers more than 2,100 testing professionals from 615 colleges and universities as well as 42 test companies and organizations offering test-related products and services. www.ncta-testing.org
Contact NSCC’s Center for Alternative Studies and Educational Testing at 781-477-2120 for more information about the numerous testing services provided, or go to www.northshore.edu/cas.