Administrative Careers with America (ACWA)
Questions and answers
Yes, it is acceptable to develop validated assessment alternatives to ACWA as long as the alternative complies with the following requirements:
- 5 CFR part 300 (http://www.ecfr.gov, search "5 CFR 300.103"), and
- Chapter 2, Section C, of the Delegated Examining Operations Handbook (DEOH) (http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-authorities/competitive-hiring/deo_handbook.pdf), and
- Technical standards in the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (http://uniformguidelines.com/).
5 CFR 300.103 states that selection procedures must have a rational relationship to job performance, including showing that the selection procedures were "professionally developed."
The phrase "professionally developed" comes from Title VII (Sect. 703h) (http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/titlevii.cfm). The Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (http://uniformguidelines.com/) interprets "professionally developed" to mean a selection procedure that is validated according to the technical standards in the Uniform Guidelines. The Uniform Guidelines also states that a validity study can be "performed by any person competent to apply the principles of validity research."
If you have any further questions regarding ACWA or validating selection procedures, please contact Assessment_Information@opm.gov.