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NCCCO currently administers
certification programs for operators
of mobile
cranes, tower
cranes and overhead
cranes.
For
a complete description of the crane
examinations and application process,
download a Candidate Handbook for
Mobile
Cranes, Tower
Cranes or Overhead
Cranes. For details on the written
examination administration process,
download
a Written Examination Test Site Coordinator
Handbook. For details of the practical
examination administration process, download a Practical Examination Test
Site Coordinator Handbook.
To ensure CCO examinations are psychometrically
sound, fair and effective measurements of a crane
operator's knowledge and skills, NCCCO teams
the expertise of its subject matter experts with
one of the nation's leading professional credentialing
organizations, International Assessment Institute
(IAI).
IAI can draw on Block and Associates' 40-year
history in the construction trades, and National
Assessment Institute's 22 years of subject-matter
knowledge depth.
IAI played a vital role in the development of
the NCCCO examinations, and continues to assist
NCCCO in the administration and further development
of written and practical examinations used in
this national certification program.
This combination of crane knowledge and psychometric expertise, supplemented with input from OSHA and ANSI/ASME committees, is unprecedented in this industry.
The
first step in the development of a
fair and objective examination for
crane operators was a "job analysis"
study. The team of crane experts that NCCCO assembled initially identified the knowledge necessary for safe crane operations. A survey was then given to several hundred crane operators, who validated
that the knowledge recommended by
the experts was vital to safe operations.
The test "blueprints" or
content specifications generated from
the validation study were used to
begin the item (question) writing
process for each certification program.
The
CCO Mobile written
examinations consist of a Core
Examination and four Specialty Examinations.
The Written Core Examination consists
of 90 multiple-choice items; each
Specialty Examination consists of
26 multiple-choice items. The CCO
Tower written exam consist of a single
50 multiple-choice item exam for which
candidates have 60 minutes to complete.
The CCO Overhead written
examination consist of 60 multiple-choice
item exam which candidates have 60
minutes to complete. All items
have been developed by experts with
knowledge and expertise in the area
of crane operation, and all are reviewed
at least four times before they are
"field-tested" in an actual
test administration: (a) items are
first reviewed by crane operation
subject-matter experts for content
relevance, competency level, and importance;
(b) IAI reviews each item for psychometric
quality; (c) IAI editorial staff reviews
each item for grammar, spelling, and
usage; and (d) additional panels of
crane experts review and validate
all items prior to final approval.
Development of the
written certification examinations
involves panels of crane operation
content experts who work with the
staff of IAI to write and review all
questions used in the examinations.
Each examination contains a unique
combination of items from the item
bank; items are selected for the examination
on the basis of the content areas
as defined by the
test blueprints. The content areas
have been developed through the original
role delineation and serve to guarantee
each test is consistent in difficulty
and question content. Each of the
written exams are based on the crane
operator validation study conducted
by NCCCO in conjunction with IAI.
The CCO practical
examinations
were developed as fair and
objective assessment of the essential
skills crane operator needs in order
to safely operate mobile cranes. They
were developed by experts from all
aspects of the crane industry - crane
operators, training directors, managers,
supervisors, manufacturers - representing
many thousands of hours of crane operating
experience.
Minimum passing scores are determined following
test construction. Each stage of this rigorous
examination development process follows the standards
established by the American Educational Research
Association as outlined in its Standards
for Educational and Psychological Testing. These
procedures are recognized by professional test
developers nationwide in all professional disciplines.
Their use by NCCCO and IAI ensures that only
fair and reliable competency-based certification
examinations are used in the assessment of crane
operator competency.
In concert with the NCCCO
Task Force, International Assessment Institute
also designed the Practical
Examiner Accreditation Program whereby
NCCCO trains and accredits CCO-certified crane
operators to administer CCO practical examinations.
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