Please see the Call for Candidates 2011 document for open positions and the nominations form below.

Click below for the HEJA-2010 Press Release and the Executive Summary

• official recommendations of the National Task Force on Accreditation
• findings of the Competency Update Project (CUP), 1998-2004, which revealed advanced levels among health educators in their practice
• results from the 2006 NCHEC Feasibility Study Survey indicated that almost two-thirds of respondents revealed that advanced level certification will benefit the profession (Professional Examination Service [PES], 2007), and;
• continuing comments from health educators that the current CHES credential is “entry level” and, therefore, not reflective of the scope of practice of many health educators.

The following policy statement regarding the advanced-level certification, MCHES, was passed by the Board of Commissioners on May 19, 2009 and amended on May 15, 2010:

Click below for MCHES policy statement and MCHES FAQs.

As of June 1, 2008, the CHES exam administered by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (NCHEC) was granted accreditation by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). Accreditation by the NCCA signifies compliance with stringent testing and measurement standards among national health testing organizations. This recognition attests to NCHEC's past and continued efforts to maintain the quality and integrity of the CHES examination program on behalf of the health education profession.

The NCCA is commissioned by the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA), the leader in setting quality standards for credentialing organizations. Certification programs that receive NCCA Accreditation demonstrate compliance with the NCCA's Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs , which were the first standards for professional certification programs developed by the industry. The Standards focus on certification programs and are organized into five sections: (1) Purpose, Governance, and Resources, containing five Standards (2) Responsibilities to Stakeholders, containing four Standards (3) Assessment Instruments, containing nine Standards (4) Recertification, containing two Standards, and (5) Maintaining Accreditation, containing one Standard.

In addition to these standards, for an exam to be considered at the level of professional credentialing (certification, licensure or registration) versus an end-of-course examination, there are 5 major distinguishable criteria.

1. A professional role delineation or job analysis is conducted and periodically validated.
2. A demonstration of how the examination is linked to a defined body of knowledge, based on the professional role delineation or job analysis, is provided.
3. A demonstration of reliability and validity of the examination, based on psychometrically accepted statistical methods, is provided.
4. A minimum passing score is developed using psychometrically accepted statistical methods.
5. A demonstration that alternate forms of the examination are parallel in construction and content coverage, and equated for difficulty using psychometrically sound techniques, is provided.

For the accreditation period of five years, NCHEC is responsible for maintaining continuous compliance with the accreditation standards listed above.

For additional information on the NCCA accreditation, please visit http://www.noca.org/Resources/NCCAAccreditation/tabid/82/Default.aspx or http://www.noca.org/.

NCHEC's mission is to improve the practice of health education and to serve the public and profession of health education by certifying health education specialists, promoting professional development, and strengthening professional preparation and practice.