Knowledge Base

NOCTI is committed to ensuring that its assessments remain relevant, rigorous, and aligned with current workforce expectations. Assessment development begins with identifying occupational areas that reflect established, emerging, or evolving career pathways. Assessment titles and occupational descriptions are reviewed using nationally recognized resources, including the U.S. Department of Education's Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) and the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Information Network (O*NET), and are validated by industry and education professionals.

 

Each assessment is developed by a committee of subject matter experts representing business and industry, secondary education, and post-secondary education. Committee members are selected for their expertise and practical experience within the occupational area and provide guidance on the knowledge and skills that are essential for career success. Whenever possible, committee membership reflects diverse geographic regions and perspectives to ensure broad industry representation.

 

The development process includes occupational analysis, content validation, item development, technical review, pilot testing, and psychometric evaluation to ensure assessment quality and validity. This collaborative approach helps ensure that NOCTI assessments accurately measure the competencies valued by employers and educators.

 

Because occupations continue to evolve, NOCTI regularly reviews and updates its assessments to reflect advancements in technology, changes in industry practices, and emerging workforce demands. Revision committees composed of industry and education experts use current occupational data and stakeholder feedback to evaluate assessment content and make necessary updates. Through this ongoing review process, NOCTI maintains assessments that are relevant, reliable, and aligned with the skills needed for success in today's workplace.

 

NOCTI assessments are designed to reflect the reading demands of the occupations they measure. Assessment content is written at a level that is appropriate for the knowledge and skills required in the industry and is not intended to exceed the reading expectations of the occupation.

 

During the assessment development process, subject matter experts review industry resources and occupational materials to help ensure that assessment language is clear, relevant, and representative of workplace terminology. Readability is evaluated as part of the development and review process to support fair and accurate measurement of occupational knowledge and skills.

This approach helps ensure that assessment results reflect a learners occupational competence rather than their ability to interpret unnecessarily complex language.