Proctor Manual Version:042013

Transcription

1 Proctor Manual Version:042013

2 Welcome Welcome The ESCO Group welcomes you to our family of proctors. Being appointed as an ESCO Group proctor gives you access to conduct examina ons for: ESCO Ins tute, HVAC Excellence, the Carbon Monoxide Safety Associa on (COSA), the AC&R Safety Coali on, and the Green Mechanical Council. All exams, unless otherwise noted, are closed book exams and must be proctored. When submi ng your applica on to become an appointed proctor you agreed: To store all (paper/hard copy) tes ng supplies and materials in a secure loca on that only registered proctors can access. To store any website login informa on (used id, password) in a secure place that only you have access to. At no me should you give anyone else access to your proctor login informa on You will witness the administra on of ALL examina ons, whether conducted online or by paper. To adhere to all verbal and wri en instruc ons set forth by ESCO Group and its affiliates pursuant to test administra on and supervision. To no fy ESCO Group within ten (10) business days if any changes in your address, phone, fax number, e mail, or employment occur. To read all materials from ESCO Group, provided now and in the future, regarding test administra on procedures. All closed book examina ons administered by ESCO Group follow the guidelines created by the US EPA for the Sec on 608 EPA cer fica on program. These guidelines include: The person administering examina ons to the candidates is referred to as the Proctor. One (1) proctor can test up to 35 candidates at one me. Proctors that have more than 35 candidates taking an examina on in any single test session must have an addi onal proctor for each addi onal 35 candidates. The pages that follow provide detailed instruc ons on administering ESCO Group examina ons. We would like to encourage you to contact a member of our team to assist you with naviga ng the proctor login sec on of our website, provide you with addi onal supplies, or answer any ques ons you may have on any of the various training and tes ng programs available through the ESCO Group. ESCO Group P.O. Box 521 Mount Prospect, IL P F Url: Office Hours 8:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. Central Time * Monday Friday * Subject to change 2

3 Overview of Examinations Over One Million Strong and Growing ESCO Group, the leader in HVACR cer fica on and creden aling, provides: student outcome assessments, technician cer fica ons, educator creden aling and specialty cer fica ons. The following informa on is a brief descrip on of the various examina on and creden aling programs we offer. All examina ons (with the excep on of the hands on performance based assessments) are available in either paper format or online. EPA Sec on 608 Cer fica on Sec on 608 of the Federal Clean Air Act requires persons who work with or purchase regulated refrigerants for sta onary equipment to become cer fied through a closed book exam. This examina on is a total of 100 ques ons, broken down into four sec ons: Core, Type I, Type II and Type III. The cer fica on types are defined as follows: Type I: Required for servicing small appliances Type II: Required for servicing or disposing of high pressure appliances, except small appliances and MVACs Type III: Required for servicing or disposing of low pressure appliances Universal: Earned when a candidate successfully passes all four sec ons of the exam. Candidates must pass the Core sec on along with one or more of the Types to earn a cer fica on. Materials Allowed: A calculator (four func on preferred,) a pressure/temperature chart and scratch paper. Time to Complete Exam: 2 hours Passing Score for Each Sec on: 70% or be er. Prerequisites: None Candidates who are retes ng do no need to retake any sec ons in which they have received a passing score. Preparatory Material: A 12 page, condensed preparatory manual is available for purchase, or you may download the PDF from the downloads sec on of the proctor login area. If you are providing candidates with a copy of the manual you have downloaded, you may not charge them for this booklet. For tes ng programs not providing preparatory material, you may instruct exam candidates to order the preparatory material from ESCO vi the website at or by calling our customer service team at EPA Sec on 609 Cer fica on Sec on 609 of the Federal Clean Air Act requires persons who work with or purchase regulated refrigerants for motor vehicle air condi oning to become cer fied. This 50 ques on examina on is an open book test. Materials Allowed: The 609 cer fica on is an open book exam; candidates may use the preparatory manual to complete the exam. Time to Complete Exam: Not a med exam. Passing Score: 84% or be er. Prerequisites: None Preparatory Material: The paper examina on packet includes the preparatory manual; for those candidates par cipa ng in online tes ng, the preparatory manual can be downloaded from the ESCO Ins tute website or through the downloads sec on of the proctor login area. Hea ng, Electrical, Air Condi oning Technology (H.E.A.T.) H.E.A.T. is an end of program, closed book, combined assessment for high school HVACR programs. Two varia ons of the 100 ques on exam is available; both versions cover basic electricity and the vapor compression cycle. The proctor/instructor may choose to offer either the gas or oil version as is relevant in their area/training program. Materials Allowed: A calculator (four func on preferred,) a pressure/temperature chart and scratch paper. Time to Complete Exam: 2 hours Passing Score for Each Sec on: 70% or be er. Prerequisites: None Preparatory Material: Because this examina on is intended for use as an end of program assessment, measuring the student s knowledge of na onal skill competencies for High School HVACR programs, no separate or specific study guide is available. Students should have the knowledge to pass this examina on based on the curriculum u lized within the program. Reports: Proctors will have access to student reports via the online proctor login area. Detailed reports will provide the instructor with categorical analyses of the performance of exam candidates in each categories. These detailed reports provide instructors with the tools to enhance their curriculum based on student overall performance. Exam candidates can further prepare for the 608 examina on by par cipa ng in the free prac ce exam ques ons available on the ESCO website. 3

4 Overview of Examinations (Continued) Hea ng, Electrical, Air Condi oning Technology (H.E.A.T.) PLUS This is an end of program, closed book assessment for high school HVACR programs that consists of the H.E.A.T. exam, PLUS a 25 ques on core exam covering computer literacy, safety, related math, employability skills, work ethics in addi on to a hands on performance test. Employment Ready/Career Ready Assessments This series of discipline specific, closed book exams is u lized by post secondary schools and training centers to validate a person has the retained knowledge necessary for employment in the HVACR industry. Employment Ready cer fica ons are available in any of the following exam categories: Electrical Light Commercial Air Condi oning Air Condi oning Basic Refrigera on & Charging Procedures Electric Heat Gas Heat Oil Heat Residen al & Light Commercial Hydronic Heat Heat Pump Carbon Monoxide System Diagnos cs & Troubleshoo ng Fuel Oil Combus on Natural Gas Combus on Carbon Monoxide & Combus on Analysis Light Commercial Refrigera on Combus on Appliance Zone Materials Allowed: A calculator (four func on preferred,) a pressure/temperature chart and scratch paper. Time to Complete Exam: 2 hours Passing Score for Each Sec on: 70% or be er. Prerequisites: None Preparatory Material: Because these examina ons are intended for use as an end of program/sec on assessment, measuring the individual s knowledge of na onal skill competencies, no separate or specific study guides are available. Students should have the knowledge to pass this examina on based on the curriculum u lized within the program. Reports: Proctors will have access to student reports via the online proctor login area. Detailed reports will provide the instructor with categorical analyses of the performance of exam candidates in each categories. These detailed reports provide instructors with the tools to enhance their curriculum based on student overall performance. Professional Level/Technician Cer fica ons This series of closed book, wri en, challenging exams is for experienced technicians that have documented two or more years of field experience. Each cer fica on measures the level of knowledge possessed by HVACR field personnel in that given category. Cer fica on is available in the following categories: Residen al Air Condi oning Light Commercial Air Condi oning Light Commercial Refrigera on Heat Pump Service Heat Pump Installer Gas Heat Electric Heat Residen al & Light Commercial Hydronic Heat Materials Allowed: A calculator (four func on preferred,) a pressure/temperature chart and scratch paper. Time to Complete Exam: 2 hours Passing Score: 70% Prerequisite: Two years of verifiable field experience and a passing score on the Core Exam (Electrical and Refrigera on Theory.) Preparatory Material: ESCO publishes a number of technical publica ons that can be used to prepare for these examina ons. Please contact our customer service team at if we can assist you with any ques ons! 4

5 Overview of Examinations (Continued) Master Specialist Cer fica ons This series of discipline specific, hands on exams allow a technician to validate they can apply their retained knowledge through performance. Eligibility for the exam includes three or more years of documented field experience and the related Professional Level cer fica on. Because this is a performance based examina on, specific equipment and facili es are required to administer these exams. Please contact us at if you are interested in becoming a tes ng facility. Cer fied Subject Ma er Educator (CSME) and Cer fied Master HVACR Educator (CMHE) This series of closed book, discipline specific exams are designed to validate that an instructor has mastered the subject ma er required to teach the competencies of their curriculum. These examina ons are only available in online format. Successful comple on of six or more CSME examina ons plus the Core/Capstone examina on result in the CMHE creden al, the highest creden al conferred upon an HVACR educator. The Capstone exam covers technical educa on methodologies as well as principles and prac ces that a est to an instructor s pedagogical skills. are intended to assess an instructor s knowledge of standard curriculum in the HVACR industry, no specific study guides are available. Materials u lized within the classroom/training program should be sufficient in preparing for these examina ons. Specialty Cer fica ons ESCO Group offers a variety of closed book specialty cer fica ons as listed below: Residen al Heal Load Analyst Cer fied Carbon Monoxide Inspector Combus on Analysis System Performance Universal R 410A Green Awareness Duct and Envelope Analyst Residen al Energy Analyst Cer fied Residen al Energy Auditor Time to complete any of the above exams: 2 hours Passing Score: 70% Because these are specialty examina ons, each one varies in the structure of the exam, number of ques ons and prerequisites. Please contact us at with any ques ons! A separate CSME/CMHE proctor applica on is required to administer this exam. Proctor access to the exam may be obtained by contac ng Esco Group 24 hours prior to the scheduled exam. Time to Complete Exam: 3 hours Passing Score: 80% Prerequisite: A candidate must meet their state s requirement for teaching and complete a creden al request form to obtain approval from ESCO prior to taking these exams. (The creden al request form is located in the downloads sec on of the proctor login area.). Examina ons Available: Core Capstone Air Condi oning Light Commercial Refrigera on Gas Heat Heat Pumps Electrical Light Commercial Air Condi oning Electric Heat Oil Heat Preparing for the CSME/CMHE exams: A guide to the Capstone examina on is available for download on the HVAC Excellence website. Because categories of tes ng 5

6 Paper Testing Procedures Paper Tes ng Procedures 1. If conduc ng an EPA exam, the ESCO Ins tute EPA approval le er (found on page 8 of this manual) must be displayed in the area where exams are being conducted. 2. Make certain exam candidates understand that they are par cipa ng in a closed book exam and may not use outside materials except for those supplied by the proctor which include: scratch paper, a calculator and PT charts. (If applicable.) 3. Cell phones, tablets, or other electronic devices may NOT be used during the examina on. (Calculators within these devices may NOT be used.) 4. Proctors cannot assist exam candidates on the meaning of any test ques ons. 5. Proctors must verify the exam candidate s iden ty by checking their photo iden fica on prior to administering an exam. 6. Provide exam candidates with the following: A place free of distrac ons Two #2 pencils An exam booklet. If you are administering the EPA exam to more than one person, provide people near one another different versions of the exam. An answer sheet/scantron form. 7. Explain how to complete answer sheets to exam candidates. (Name, address, SS#, etc.) 8. Instruct exam candidate/s to fill in the exam version number (found on the front cover of their test booklet) on their answer sheet. 9. Instruct exam candidates not to WRITE IN THE TEST BOOKLETS. When an exam candidate completes their exam, collect the used exam book, answer sheet, scratch paper, and PT chart (if applicable.) Place the exam book back in its secure loca on for future use. Submi ng Paper Exams for Scoring 1. Verify that the exam candidate completed all of their informa on correctly; name, address, phone, etc. 2. Make sure the exam code and your ESCO Proctor ID # is on the answer sheet. 3. Place the completed answer sheet/s along with a completed Transmi al Form (indicates how you are paying for the exam, who conducted it, and the number of exams enclosed) in one of our postage paid return envelopes and return to ESCO within ONE (1) business day of the test. 4. Place your return address on the envelope and put it in the mail. 5. ESCO Group scores examina ons within one business day of receipt. Remember: One proctor may test up to 35 persons in a test session. 6

7 Online Testing Procedures Overview of Online Tes ng Online tes ng is the most convenient and secure method of conduc ng examina ons. Online tes ng is to be conducted under the same condi ons as paper examina ons; proctors must be present during the exam. At no me should a proctor give anyone their user ID and password to access the ESCO Group online exam portals. Online Tes ng Procedures 1. If conduc ng an EPA exam, the ESCO Ins tute EPA approval le er (found on page 8 of this manual) must be displayed in the area where exams are being conducted. 2. Make certain exam candidates understand that they are par cipa ng in a closed book exam and may not use outside materials except for those supplied by the proctor which include: scratch paper, a calculator and PT charts. (If applicable.) 3. Cell phones, tablets, or other electronic devices (other than the computer being used for tes ng) may NOT be used during the examina on. (Calculators within these devices may NOT be used.) 4. Proctor cannot assist exam candidates on the meaning of any test ques ons. 5. Proctors must verify the exam candidate s iden ty by checking their photo iden fica on prior to administering the exam. 6. Exam candidates should be instructed not to leave the exam browser window while comple ng their exam; doing so will void their examina on. 7. If taking EPA Sec on 608 exams or other exams split in sec ons (such as Green Awareness or System Performance) candidates should be instructed not to submit their exam for scoring un l they have completed ALL sec ons of the examina on. (Candidates can navigate to the various sec ons by clicking on the sec on bu ons located on the le side of the screen.) Purchasing Online Exams (Quick Guide) Visit and click Proctor Login. Enter your User ID and Password. Once you are logged into the secure area, click on the EXAMS menu op on across the top of the page. Click the BOX on the right that addresses your tes ng needs. (i.e. Purchase Exams or Student Pay.) Choose the type of exam you wish to conduct from the pull down menu. (608, 410A, Employment Ready, etc.) Choose the exam and quan ty then click Add to Cart. (Note: Sec on 608 has several versions. Exam candidates si ng next to each other MUST have different versions). Verify the quan ty and exam is correct and click Checkout. Verify the billing address, enter any missing informa on & choose your payment method. (Credit card or Purchase Order.) Complete the required informa on and Click Proceed to Summary. Review your order and payment informa on for correctness and click Complete Order. You will then receive a message that your order has been completed along with an order number. An e mail will automa cally be sent to the e mail address used in the order process. 7

8 Online Testing Procedures (Continued) Conduc ng Online Exams Visit and click proctor login. Enter your User ID and Password. Click EXAMS to view your available exam credits. To conduct an exam, click on the exam type/version under the Available Exam Credits and follow instruc ons. Recovering Online Exams From me to me, problems occur when an exam candidate is in the midst of taking their exam online. The computer/screen may freeze up, they acciden ally closed the browser, etc. Just for this reason, we offer a Recover Exam feature. Should an exam candidate lose access to the exam, please log back into the proctor sec on of the website, goto Exams then click on Recover Exam. Follow instruc ons. This should recover the examina on at the exact point the candidate le off with all of the answers that have been completed s ll there. Click on exam name to launch exam. The next page displayed will be the Student informa on page. Have the exam candidate enter their informa on. Then click Proceed. The next screen that will appear is the exam. The exam candidate will follow direc ons and take the exam online. As the proctor, it is your responsibility to stay in the tes ng area to monitor the exam. When exam candidate is done they should click on, I have completed my exam show me my grade. 1. Just as a reminder, If taking EPA Sec on 608 exams or other exams split in sec ons (such as Green Awareness or System Performance) candidates should be instructed not to submit their exam for scoring un l they have completed ALL sec ons of the examina on. (Candidates can navigate to the various sec ons by clicking on the sec on bu ons located on the le side of the screen.) Results will appear on screen, (candidate may print this) and the official documents will be mailed the next business day. 8

9 Other Procedures Combining Test Results (EPA Sec on 608 Cer fica on) If an exam candidate is re tes ng and originally tested through ESCO the original test results are in our database. Simply have the technician take the sec on or sec ons that are necessary and we will send them a new card based on their new results. If the exam candidate has passed a sec on or sec ons of the exam through an EPA approved organiza on other than ESCO, we will require proof of which sec on(s) have been successfully completed. If conduc ng a paper exam, have the candidate re test for the necessary sec on(s) and a ach a copy of their cer fica on card or scores to the answer sheet (with a paper clip DO NOT STAPLE!). If conduc ng an online exam, fax a copy of the cer fica on card or scores along with the candidate s name, address, phone and social security number to on the day you are conduc ng the exam. Special Needs A translator may be used when a candidate does not speak or read English well. The translator may only read the ques ons and answer choices. Translators may not give answers to ques ons. A reader may be used when a candidate has poor reading/ comprehension skills or when a candidate has a documented learning disability on file with the school. The reader may read the ques on and answer choices to the candidate, but may not assist in answering ques ons. When a reader or translator are used, it is advisable that the proctor make special arrangements for a private test area so that other candidates are not distracted during the test session. Examina on Fees Paper Exams Completed exams MUST be returned for grading within ONE BUSINESS DAY of the test date. Do not delay the return of completed exams for any reason. A transmi al form must be completed and returned with the exams. Unless otherwise arranged in advance, completed exams must be accompanied with payment in full at the appropriate rate per exam. You may pay by check, money order, purchase order (approved accounts) or credit card. Please make all checks payable to ESCO. DO NOT SEND CASH. Ordering Supplies To order supplies by phone, contact us toll free at Please have your proctor number when ordering supplies. To order supplies online, simply login to the proctor login sec on of the website and click Shop; then choose supplies from the pull down menu. Reports Proctors can access a variety of reports online 24 7 by logging into the proctor login area. We encourage you to contact us for a walk through of the program. Downloads A number of valuable resources can be found in the downloads areas of the ESCO website (once logged in as a proctor.) PT Charts, order forms, PowerPoint presenta on, and much, much more. Login and click Downloads to access the numerous resources. Ques ons? Please contact a member of our team for assistance at or visit us online at 9

10 Prices and programs subject to change. Visit the Downloads sec on of the website or call to confirm pricing. 10

11 Prices and programs subject to change. Visit the Downloads sec on of the website or call to confirm pricing. 11

12 This letter must be posted whenever conducting an EPA Section 608 examination. 12