The Fair Access Coalition on Testing (FACT) is an organization representing testing professionals that was formed in February, 1996 to educate those not credentialed as psychologists who are appropriately trained to provide specific testing services and who have been adversely affected by restrictions on assessment and testing practices that have been imposed. These restrictions are the object of concern for diverse groups whose members utilize assessment instruments and have an interest in protecting the right to use psychological, educational, vocational, industrial or other assessment instruments.
Background Information:
• Assessment instruments and their use are a specific component of the psychological, social, behavioral, educational, emotional, and environmental assessment of an individual's level of functioning in order to form a descriptive or diagnostic profile as the basis for planning services such as treatment, education, resource services, developmental plans, and referral.
• The public access to assessment services through qualified professionals is essential in order to receive the benefits of treatment, education, resource services, developmental plans, referral, and other such professional services.
• Professional associations, regulatory boards or credentialing organizations whose populations use test instruments have established training, practice and ethical standards dealing specifically with professional competence in the use of assessment instruments.
• Likewise, test publishers use guidelines for education, training and experience requisite for access to each assessment instrument they publish.