ANSI/ISO 17024 is an internationally recognized standard for the accreditation of personnel certification bodies. ANSI stands for the American National Standards Institute, while ISO refers to the International Organization for Standardization. The portion of ANSI which carries out the accreditation process is the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB).
What does ANSI/ISO 17024 cover?
ANSI 17024 specifies the requirements for bodies operating certification programs for individuals, ensuring that the certification processes are fair, valid, and reliable. The standard outlines the general principles and requirements for the certification of personnel across various fields, including but not limited to healthcare, information technology, engineering, and safety.
The standard covers a wide range of aspects related to certification bodies, including:
- Impartiality and independence: Certification bodies must demonstrate impartiality and avoid any conflicts of interest.
- Certification program development: The standard sets criteria for developing certification programs, including defining competencies, establishing eligibility requirements, and developing examination processes.
- Examination processes: It outlines guidelines for the design, development, and administration of examinations to assess individuals’ knowledge, skills, and competencies.
- Certification process: The standard addresses the application process, evaluation of candidates, decision-making on certification, and ongoing certification maintenance.
- Management system requirements: ANSI/ISO 17024 includes requirements for the management system of the certification body, including document control, record keeping, and continual improvement processes.
What does ANSI/ISO 17024 mean?
Accreditation to ANSI/ISO 17024 provides assurance to stakeholders that the certification programs and processes are conducted in a consistent, competent, and reliable manner. It enhances the credibility and acceptance of certifications issued by accredited certification bodies, helping individuals demonstrate their professional competence and expertise in their respective fields.
Should my organization pursue accreditation?
That is a business question for you. In some cases, you are required; in some professions, there might be a law that candidates do not receive federal funding or do not have certifications recognized if their certification is not accredited. However, for many professions, accreditation is optional. In those cases, if there are two certification bodies, it is a competitive advantage for one to become accredited. But for small certification bodies with no competitors, accreditation is often not worth the great expense.
Note that ANSI/ISO 17024 is not the only show in town. The National Commission for Certifying Agencies also accredits certifications, though they define it per certification program, not certification body.
Do I need to do all this work myself?
No! Much of it, yes, you need to do, because no one else has the specific knowledge of your profession and content area. But we can certainly help with some portions, especially the exam development and psychometrics. We can also provide the item banking and exam delivery platform to securely administer your exams and report the results.
Nathan Thompson, PhD, is CEO and Co-Founder of Assessment Systems Corporation (ASC). He is a psychometrician, software developer, author, and researcher, and evangelist for AI and automation. His mission is to elevate the profession of psychometrics by using software to automate psychometric work like item review, job analysis, and Angoff studies, so we can focus on more innovative work. His core goal is to improve assessment throughout the world.
Nate was originally trained as a psychometrician, with an honors degree at Luther College with a triple major of Math/Psych/Latin, and then a PhD in Psychometrics at the University of Minnesota. He then worked multiple roles in the testing industry, including item writer, test development manager, essay test marker, consulting psychometrician, software developer, project manager, and business leader. He is also cofounder and Membership Director at the International Association for Computerized Adaptive Testing (iacat.org). He’s published 100+ papers and presentations, but his favorite remains https://scholarworks.umass.edu/pare/vol16/iss1/1/.
