PES Program Planning

Advisory Services

At PES, we draw on our rich experience to provide advice on program planning when you are creating a new credential or re-engineering an existing program.

Strategic and policy planning. We partner with you to articulate strategic goals for your program and to map out the steps needed to achieve those goals. We also help you to define your mission and vision, and to establish policies that reflect your program objectives.

Program planning and management. If you are seeking to outsource the business planning and financial management of your credentialing program, we have the resources and experience to assume those functions.

Studies of Professional and Occupational Practice

Our R&D department specializes in studies of professional and occupational practice, and can develop a methodology tailored to the unique needs of your program.

Practice analysis. We have developed rigorous procedures for partnering with content experts to define and validate the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for practice at multiple levels of competency. We also help you to make policy decisions regarding eligibility and recertification requirements.

Development of test specifications. We take the results of the analysis of practice to create test specifications describing the content of your examination. This crucial document is the foundation for all test development activities and ensures the job relatedness and defensibility of your examination.

Development of policy recommendations for initial eligibility and continuing competence. We use the results of a comprehensive analysis of practice to develop guidelines for initial eligibility requirements, including specific criteria for education and experience. By considering similarities and differences among recently and less-recently credentialed practitioners, we develop guidelines for professional development initiatives and recertification criteria.

New Program Feasibility Studies

Our staff can design a study to evaluate demand for a proposed new credential. We assess the level of support from key stakeholders and the program's potential financial viability. We understand that a new credential is about more than just the test, and we ask the right questions to assess the potential impact on your mission, organization, and services. Clients have found the results of such studies invaluable in shaping policy for new programs.

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