ABSTRACT
The goal of licensure and certification is to assure the public that individuals who work in a profession have met certain standards and are qualified to engage in practice (American Educational Research Association [AERA], American Psychological Association [APA], and National Council on Measurement in Education [NCME], 1999). To meet this goal, it is important that requirements for certification and licensure be based on the requirements for safe and effective practice (AERA, APA, & NCME, 1999; Kane, 1982; Shimberg, 1981; Smith & Hambleton, 1990). This is typically accomplished by conducting an empirical job or practice analysis to identify the job responsibilities of those employed in the profession. Once the job responsibilities have been determined, it is possible to postulate the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) required to effectively carry out those responsibilities. These KSAs then serve as the basis for test plans or test specifications. Practice analysis and the development of test specifications are two related, but distinct, activities (Harvey, 1991; Harvey & Wilson, 2000; Raymond, 2001).1
