The defined assessment-integrity system
Governance, identity, content security, administration, accessibility, incidents, due process, vendors, continuity and performance controls within the approved scope.
Specialty accreditation pathway · CHSPS-HSAI
High-Stakes Assessment Integrity Accreditation
At a glance
- Total to get accredited
- $5,500all-in; includes the $1,250 application fee
- Every year after
- $1,500annual accreditation fee
- Eligibility answer
- 10 business dayswritten-outcome target after a complete inquiry
- Accreditation term
- 3 years
Eligibility review is free. You pay nothing until eligibility is confirmed and an agreement is signed.
For testing organizations, certification bodies and assessment vendors that run consequential exams — independent review of identity, content security, administration, irregularities and candidate due process.
501(c)(3) nonprofit · Standards published · Independent decision · Publicly verifiable
Fit and next steps
Who it’s for, and how it works
A good fit
- Testing organizations and certification bodies operating consequential exams
- Licensure and admissions testing programs
- Assessment vendors that materially control identity, security or delivery
- Free eligibility reviewAbout 5 minutes to submit. CHSPS sends a written outcome, targeted within 10 business days after a complete inquiry.
- Scope & agreementCHSPS confirms the scope in writing. You sign the applicant agreement and pay the $1,250 application fee, credited toward the $5,500 total.
- Evidence & technical reviewYou submit evidence and the $4,250 review balance. Conflict-screened reviewers evaluate it, and you can answer any findings.
- Independent decisionA separate committee makes the decision, and accredited scope becomes publicly verifiable. The review timeline is stated in writing at scope confirmation, before you pay anything.
Step 1 · Confirm fit
Choose HSAI when the assessment-integrity system itself needs independent review.
HSAI is designed for organizations that operate or materially control consequential assessments and need independent evaluation of the controls that protect trustworthy administration, evidence and candidate decisions.
Testing organizationsCertification bodiesLicensure & admissions testingAssessment vendorsHigh-stakes assessment operators
Choose the right pathway
Overall assessment-integrity system
HSAIIdentity, security, delivery, irregularities, candidate rights, vendors, continuity and integrity performance.
Dedicated remote examination administration service
REARemote delivery/proctoring operations are the defined service being accredited.
Professional certification program itself
CERTThe credential's governance, eligibility, assessment and certification decisions are the unit of review.
AI used inside the accredited HSAI system
HSAI-AIAI-assisted item development, scoring support, risk flags or candidate-impact controls can be added as a specialty endorsement.
Step 2 · Define scope
Know exactly what HSAI accreditation covers.
Accreditation applies only to the defined assessment-integrity system, service or operating unit and the examination functions explicitly approved in scope.
No blanket organizational claim
HSAI does not accredit candidates, the underlying profession, unrelated services or individual examination results.
Functions are explicit and verifiable
The assessment system, service or operating unit and the examination functions included in the award are stated in CHSPS public verification.
CORE-100 + HSAI-210 · 2026.1
The specialty pathway uses the core organizational requirements plus HSAI-210 and carries a three-year accreditation term.
Step 3 · Technical evaluation
What HSAI reviewers evaluate.
The twelve domains organize the published 2026.1 standard. The controlled standard remains authoritative; these summaries show the operating systems reviewers will trace.
Governance & risk
Defined accountability, integrity risk assessment and management review.
Candidate identity
Authorization, identity proofing, exceptions and impersonation controls.
Content security
Item access, exposure monitoring, secure transfer and breach response.
Delivery controls
Test-center and remote administration procedures, personnel and environment.
AI & automation
Inventory, validation, required human review, monitoring and change control.
Accessibility
Accommodation delivery, confidentiality and equivalent testing conditions.
Irregularities
Detection, investigation, evidence preservation and disposition.
Due process
Notification, response rights, appeals and consistent sanctions.
Privacy & cyber
Data minimization, access control, incident response and retention.
Vendor oversight
Contracts, service controls, assurance evidence and escalation rights.
Continuity
Outage response, recovery, rescheduling and high-severity incident planning.
Performance
Incident trends, control conformance, repeat events and improvement.
How technical review works
The evaluation traces the operating system, not only the policy set.
HSAI combines document review with source evidence, interviews, demonstrations and end-to-end tracers so reviewers can connect a stated control to implementation and performance.
Administration tracer. Follow one examination from authorization through identity check, delivery logs, scoring handoff and incident closure.
Accommodation tracer. Reperform an approved accommodation workflow and verify delivery matched the authorization.
Security tracer. Follow one incident through detection, evidence preservation, investigation, decision, notification and corrective action.
Step 4 · Before formal application
Confirm eligibility, scope and staged fees.
The free eligibility review determines whether HSAI is the right pathway and whether the proposed system is mature enough for formal review.
✓
Accountable entityA legally accountable organization controls the proposed assessment-integrity scope.
✓
Defined operating systemThe assessment system, service, operating unit, delivery modes and controlled functions can be clearly identified.
✓
Implemented controlsIdentity, security, administration, irregularity, due-process, vendor and related controls are operating rather than merely planned.
✓
Reviewable recordsThe organization can provide evidence that the controls have operated and can be traced during technical review.
Published specialty fees · 2026.1
1 · Eligibility$0
No fee and no commitment.
2 · After scope + agreement$1,250
Specialty application fee.
3 · At evidence submission$4,250
Remaining review balance.
Total initial specialty review$5,500
You do not pay $5,500 upfront.
Fees become billable only under the controlled CHSPS fee and engagement rules. No payment purchases or influences an accreditation outcome.
View complete specialty fee scheduleStep 5 · Accreditation process
What happens after eligibility.
HSAI follows the same governed CHSPS accreditation architecture as the general pathways, with specialty-specific technical evidence and review.
- 01Free Eligibility Review
Confirm pathway fit, system maturity and proposed assessment-integrity scope.
- 02Scope & Agreement
CHSPS confirms the scope in writing and the organization executes the applicant agreement.
- 03Self-Study & Evidence
Submit policies, operating records, security/identity evidence, incident records, accommodations, vendor controls, AI oversight and performance data applicable to scope.
- 04Technical Review
Conflict-screened reviewers evaluate CORE-100 + HSAI-210 and trace implementation.
- 05Findings & Corrective Action
Resolve findings and submit controlled corrective evidence when required.
- 06Independent Decision
A separate decision body determines accreditation; technical reviewers do not confer status.
- 07Public Verification & Maintenance
Approved scope, dates and status become publicly verifiable and enter the maintenance cycle.
Step 6 · Why HSAI
What HSAI accreditation gives the assessment system.
The value is an independently reviewed and publicly verifiable integrity system — not a blanket endorsement of the organization or individual test results.
Independent integrity review
External evaluation of the controls supporting trustworthy assessment administration and candidate-impact decisions.
Defensible evidence chain
Review connects policy to implementation, operating records, incidents and performance rather than accepting documentation alone.
Public verification
A CHSPS record shows the exact accredited HSAI scope, current status and accreditation dates.
Accreditation mark rights
Authorized HSAI accreditation-mark use within the approved scope under the CHSPS Mark & Claims Policy.
Before you decide
Confirm fit, cost and institutional trust.
HSAI is the right starting point when the assessment-integrity system itself is the unit of review. The first review is $1,250 after scope + agreement and $4,250 at evidence submission, for $5,500 total. CHSPS standards, governance and accreditation records are publicly inspectable.
Step 7 · After accreditation
Maintaining HSAI accreditation.
The accredited assessment-integrity system remains responsible for continuing conformity throughout the three-year term. Annual reporting and material-change review keep public verification aligned with the system actually operating.
Keep the integrity record current
Annual reporting confirms continuing operation and surfaces changes that may affect conformity.
- assessment administrations and integrity-control activity
- identity exceptions, security incidents and irregularities
- accessibility and due-process issues
- AI or automation changes affecting integrity decisions
- material vendor performance and continuity events
- integrity trends and corrective action
Report changes that could alter conformity
Changes affecting the accredited scope should be reported under the applicable CHSPS procedure.
- candidate identity controls
- content-security or delivery controls
- AI/automation used in integrity decisions
- accessibility or due-process controls
- material vendors or outsourced functions
- continuity or incident-response architecture
Revalidate the living integrity system
Renewal reassesses the current system rather than merely replaying the original submission.
- governance and integrity-risk controls
- identity, content security and delivery evidence
- AI/human-oversight safeguards
- irregularity and due-process records
- privacy, vendor oversight and continuity
- performance monitoring and improvement
For assessment, psychometric & quality teams
Measures and quantitative reference criteria.
Technical measures support self-assessment and reviewer calibration. They are not automatic pass/fail thresholds unless a normative CHSPS clause expressly incorporates a value.
View HSAI measures & reference bands
CHSPS reference bands remain controlled technical references until sufficient validated distributions support an empirical benchmark release. Context, trend, denominator size and severity still govern interpretation.
AIM-01 · Identity verification exceptions
Exceptions per 1,000 administrations, stratified by delivery mode.
Preferred ≤ 4.0Watch 4.1–8.0Review > 8.0
AIM-03 · Material security events
Confirmed content-security events per 1,000 administrations.
Preferred ≤ 0.5Watch 0.51–1.50Review > 1.50
AIM-04 · Technology interruptions
Administrations materially disrupted by technology failure.
Preferred ≤ 10Watch 10.1–20Review > 20
AIM-06 · Accommodation conformance
Approved accommodations delivered exactly as authorized.
Preferred ≥ 98.5%Watch 96.0–98.4%Review < 96.0%
AIM-13 · Required human review
Required human reviews completed for AI-generated integrity flags.
Preferred 100%Watch 98.0–99.9%Review < 98.0%
AIM-15 · Repeat incident share
Confirmed repeat integrity incidents after corrective action.
Preferred ≤ 5.0%Watch 5.1–10.0%Review > 10.0%
Optional related scope
Explore HSAI-AIUsing AI in consequential assessment decisions?
HSAI-215 can extend an HSAI engagement to AI-assisted item development, scoring support, proctoring/risk flags and candidate-impact controls. The endorsement is optional and applies only to the approved AI-assisted assessment scope.
Published standard
Use the controlled requirements for formal preparation.
This page explains the buyer journey and review model. CHSPS-CORE-100 and CHSPS-HSAI-210 remain the authoritative accreditation requirements.
Before you apply
Questions buyers ask first
What does it cost, all-in?
$5,500 for the initial specialty review: the $1,250 application fee when you sign the applicant agreement, then the $4,250 review balance when you submit evidence. After that, $1,500 a year and a $3,500 renewal review every 3 years. A concurrent additional specialty scope in the same organization is $2,750. The eligibility review is free.
How long does it take?
The free eligibility review targets a written outcome within 10 business days after a complete inquiry. CHSPS does not publish a single planning target for this pathway; the review timeline is stated in writing at scope confirmation, before you pay anything.
What do we need to start, and what evidence comes later?
Nothing to upload. Step 1 asks only for your name, email and organization; the rest of the form covers scope, operating status and readiness, in about 5 minutes. Formal evidence comes after the agreement is signed: policies, operating records, security and identity evidence, incident records, accommodations, vendor controls, AI oversight and performance data for the scope.
Can organizations outside the United States apply?
Yes. CHSPS is a United States–based 501(c)(3) nonprofit; organizations in any country may apply.
What if we are not eligible?
Every eligibility review ends in a written outcome: Eligible, Potentially Eligible — Additional Information Required, or Not Eligible, with the specific thresholds not yet met. There is no charge for the review, and if a different CHSPS pathway fits better, the review says so.
Ready when you are
Start with a free HSAI eligibility and scope review.
Tell CHSPS what assessment system, service or operating unit you want reviewed. You will receive a written fit-and-scope determination before any paid application step.
CHSPS is an independent accreditor. CHSPS is a United States–based 501(c)(3) nonprofit; organizations in any country may apply.