Oct 01, 2009

Interested parties are invited to attend a virtual meeting Oct. 29, 1:00-4:00 p.m. (EST), on a new ASTM International standardization activity on performance testing. The meeting will be held in conjunction with the Performance Testing Council, a major advocate of the development and use of performance testing tools, methods and technology.

According to Julie Timmcke, executive director, Performance Testing Council, ASTM International was selected for this activity after thoroughly vetting the need for consensus standards in the important area of performance testing.

“The Performance Testing Council board of directors chose ASTM International to work on this project because of ASTM’s experience in creating standards and its established process,” says Timmcke.

“Performance testing is a growing area of testing,” notes Timmcke. “There are currently well over 20 national testing programs and the number is growing rapidly.” While performance exams are primarily in the area of information technology certification, Timmcke notes that there are also programs for such varied disciplines as medicine, veterinary medicine, crane operation, architecture, massage therapy, accounting and refinery management.

As accreditation agencies are presently evaluating performance tests by criteria developed primarily or exclusively for multiple-choice exams, the need for criteria that are performance testing-specific becomes extremely urgent. Additionally, as test accreditation becomes more critical for acceptance by federal and state governments, insurance companies and international trade, it becomes equally critical that appropriate standards be developed for performance testing.
 
All interested parties are invited to attend; the virtual meeting is open to all at no cost. To register for the meeting go to the registration link on the ASTM Web site (https://astm.webex.com/astm/k2/j.php?ED=116100247&UID=1049038937&FM=1). For further information, please contact Pat Picariello (phone: 610-832-9720, ppicarie@astm.org).