A new professional credential, the Nationally Certified Educational Diagnostician (NCED), was established in 2006 for assessment specialists known as educational diagnosticians. The first cohort of 511 diagnosticians from 11 states received NCED certificates in January 2008. Discussed in this article are several issues of concern related to national certification of diagnosticians, including viability and distinctiveness of the profession, and quality and uniformity of practice. This article also discusses the chronology of events leading to establishment of the NCED program, qualifications for the credential, and future challenges to the program.
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