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Please contact the ABC office (515-232-3623; abc@abccert.org) for publication price information. ABC publications are described below. Discounts are available to members of ABC.
A Note about Study Guides and Manuals
ABC does not currently sell study guides or training manuals, but is frequently contacted about them. Please refer to the Exam References and Study Material page for more information about reference sources and study guides.
We recommend you contact your certifying authority for any information they might provide regarding suggested reference material.
Publications available from ABC:
ABC Guidance for the Evaluation and Accreditation of Distance Education
Available online. An explanatory article describes and provides background information on the two documents,
designed as tools for programs to use in establishing their own procedures for evaluating and accrediting distance education.
Certification Program Standards
The Certification Program Standards contain standards for authorization, certification qualifications, renewal, reciprocity, staffing, funding, enforcement and compliance, and program evaluation. Separate publications are available for operator, laboratory analyst, backflow prevention assembly tester, and biosolids land applier certification programs.
The Operator Certification Program Standards also includes standards for classification of utilities, and appendices detailing the Points Classification System and the Plant Point Rating System.
'Need-to-Know' Criteria
The 'Need-to-Know' Criteria list the most critical job tasks performed by operators and analysts and the capabilities required to perform those job tasks. Available for Water Treatment, Distribution, Very Small Water Systems, Wastewater Treatment, Collection, Industrial Waste, Water Lab Analyst, Wastewater Lab Analyst, and Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester (BPAT need-to-know information is part of the BPAT Certification Program Standards publication).
Need-to-Know publications are available in PDF format from the Need-to-Know Criteria page in the Exam Information section of this web site.
Model Act and Regulations
The Model Act and Regulations contains guidance for certification program legislation and regulations. The model act defines terminology; creates the classification system, certification board, certification requirement, procedures for adopting regulations and administrative procedures, prohibited acts and penalties, and reciprocity; defines funding authority; and incorporates severability. The model regulations address certification board representation, utility classification, applicant qualifications, exams, certificates, and revocation.
Certification Program Guide
The Certification Program Guide provides a detailed description of the steps necessary to establish and administer a certification program for water treatment and wastewater treatment utility employees.
The Certifier
ABC's newsletter, The Certifier, focuses on state and provincial certification programs, certification issues, and association events.
The Directory (Available only to ABC members)
The Directory contains contact information on certifying authorities in the United States and Canada as well as other international certifying authorities. Each listing includes a contact name, address, telephone and fax numbers, and a list of what programs the certifying authority administers. E-mail and web site addresses are provided when available.
Item Writing Guidelines
This publication contains guidelines for writing new test items for certification examinations as well as definitions of basic testing terms and examples. Also included are sections on writing each component of a test item: stem, options, correct answer, and distractors.
Validating Your Certification Exam
The need to validate exams has always existed but new regulations covering water treatment plant and distribution operators are making validation mandatory. Similar requirements for wastewater examination validation are under consideration. This pamphlet provides an overview of the steps required for operator certification programs to accumulate evidence that their exams are valid.
The pamphlet is now available in PDF format (approx. 180 KB).
A Guidebook on the Best Practices for Validating Operator Licensure Exams
The Guidebook will help certification programs understand the importance of using proper validation procedures and the relationship between validation and administering a fair and relevant certification program. In addition to an in-depth discussion of the steps for validating a certification exam, the Guidebook also discusses other indicators of quality in a certification program including program elements such as initial education and experience standards, continuing education and other renewal requirements, and program policies.
ABC At A Glance
A brochure providing general information about membership and services offered by ABC.
ABC: The First 10 Years, 1972-1982
Early years of the Association documented by Harris Seidel, ABC's first President and Executive Secretary and a leader in the field of environmental certification.
Copyright © 1998-2006 Association of Boards of Certification
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