Certificants who change their mailing address or email address must notify NRCA as soon as possible. Failure to do so may cause important updates on NRCA's programs to be missed that could affect a certificant's status. Change of address notices should be sent by email to certification@nrca.net.
An applicant's personal information and materials for any NRCA PROCertification credential will be kept confidential unless authorized by other NRCA policies or practices or otherwise directed in writing by the applicant. Only members of NRCA PROCertification committees, staff and designated individuals acting on behalf of NRCA's board of directors will have access to these documents. NRCA will take all reasonable precautions to ensure an applicant's personal information will not be released to third parties.
Individual exam scores are reported only to the candidate in a pass/fail format and will remain confidential unless a participant agrees in writing to release his or her score to specific parties.
An NRCA PROCertification credential will be denied or revoked if there is evidence that qualifications were misrepresented, or for false information or cheating of any type. Failure to meet annual maintenance requirements for the credential also will cause the credential to be revoked.
Valid certifications must have a governance structure that complies with international and professional standards. NRCA PROCertification governance structure represents all major stakeholders and there is independence in decision-making across all essential certification activities. There is clear and appropriate separation between all NRCA certification and education and training functions to avoid conflicts of interest between those functions, and to protect the integrity of certification activities.
Professional Standards for Certifications
NRCA followed certification standards set by several organizations to create the PROCertification program. The organizations included:
- The International Standards Organization document ISO/IEC 17024: Conformity assessment—General requirements for bodies operating certification of persons, 2012
- The Institute for Credentialing Excellence document ICE 1100: 2010(E)- Standard for Assessment-Based Credential Programs
- The International Accreditation Service document Accreditation Criteria for Bodies Operating Certification of Persons: AC474, June 2013
- The International Board of Standards for Training, Performance and Instruction document 2003 ibstpi® Instructor Standards: Competencies & Performance Statements
Additionally, NRCA drew on the internationally recognized standards of:
- The U.S. Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers document EM 385-1-1, Safety and Health Requirements, published 30 November 2014
- The Interstate Renewable Energy Council document IREC Standard 14732: 2013 General Requirements for Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Credential Programs
PROCertification Program Committee
The PROCertification Program Committee’s activities help ensure the certifications serve the strategic goals and needs of all stakeholders. The committee:
- Identifies strategies that advance a certification’s purpose
- Regularly monitors performance data of each certification to ensure the roofing industry’s needs are met
Certification Exams Committee
The Certification Exams Committee oversees development of certification exams. It consists of three subcommittees:
- Exam Development Subcommittee
- Networks with industry subject matter experts to help create exam content
- Monitors pass/fail ratios as an indicator of exam efficacy
- Eligibility Subcommittee
- Develops and maintains the certification candidate eligibility criteria
- Develops and maintains recertification requirements
- Appeals Subcommittee
- Evaluates appeals filed by candidates whose applications were denied; candidates who failed exam(s); or certificants whose credentials were revoked
- Implements disciplinary processes
NRCA PROCertification includes a strong grievance/appeals process to independently evaluate facts and circumstances when credentials or renewals have been denied. Individuals may choose to file under the following circumstances:
- The initial certification/credential application or renewal has been denied or revoked because the eligibility requirements were not met.
- The initial certification/credential application or renewal has been denied or revoked because not all steps of the application, renewal, training and/or examination process were completed.
- The initial certification/credential application or renewal has been denied or revoked because qualifications were misrepresented, or for presenting false information or cheating of any type.
- A certification candidate disputes pass/fail of the online knowledge exam.
Individuals may file a grievance/appeal within 30 days of receiving notice of the adverse decision. The individual must send written notice of the request for an appeal and the reason for that request. The written grievance/request for appeal must be mailed to NRCA PROCertification program administrator:
National Roofing Contractors Association
Attn.: NRCA PROCertification Program Administrator
10255 W. Higgins Road, Suite 600
Rosemont, IL 60018-5607
The grievance/request for appeal must contain the following information:
- The name, mailing address, email address and telephone number of the individual who is appealing the decision.
- A concise statement indicating the grounds for the appeal, including all evidence, facts and supporting documentation upon which the appeal is based.
- A statement of the specific ruling or relief requested.
- Signature of the appellant or an authorized agent of the appellant.
All grounds must be specifically stated in the appeal to be considered. Appeals received after the 30-day deadline will not be considered.
Upon receipt, the grievance/request for appeal will be independently evaluated by designated, qualified members of the NRCA Certification Exams Committee Appeals Subcommittee. This committee will determine the merits of the grievance/appeal within 60 days of the initial receipt and notify the individual in writing of the committee's decision. NRCA reserves the right to request additional information or documentation from the appellant to aid the committee in its evaluation of the grievance/appeal. The committee's decision will be based on the appellant's written submissions and documentation.
If an appellant is dissatisfied with the determination of the Certification Exams Committee Appeals Subcommittee, that person may submit a request for second-tier review, in writing, to the NRCA PROCertification program administrator within 30 days of receiving notice of the Certification Exams Committee Appeals Subcommittee's decision.
Determinations made by the Certification Exams Committee are final and subject to appeal by appropriate court action or arbitration in accordance with applicable law. The proper venue for any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to NCRA PROCertification shall be Cook County, Illinois, and each party waives any defense, whether asserted by motion or pleading, that Cook County, Illinois, is an improper or inconvenient venue.
NRCA does not discriminate and prohibits discrimination against its applicants, candidates and certificants based on race, color, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, or personal or business relationships. Membership in any voluntary association or trade organization is not required.
NRCA owns and will continue to own all rights, copyrights, title and interest to NRCA PROCertification courses, course materials, handbooks, manuals and assessment materials. These are protected by U.S. and international copyright laws. Individuals who have earned NRCA PROCertification credentials, or who are involved in helping others earn NRCA PROCertification credentials, agree not to use, copy, distribute, modify, or make derivative works of any courses, course materials, educational content, information, resources, documents, materials, agreements, and assessments. Doing so may result in severe civil and criminal penalties.
If a certification has expired or has been suspended or revoked, the individual may not claim to have an active PROCertification credential. That individual may not use an NRCA PROCertification designation until NRCA acknowledges the relevant renewal or recertification requirements have been satisfied or active status has been reinstated.
Arrangements for people with disabilities is available upon request in conformance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Professional documentation supporting a request for accommodation must be submitted to NRCA no later than 30 business days before the scheduled test date.
To request special accommodations, the individual seeking an accommodation must complete a request form that is available during the application process. The individual also must have a qualified licensed professional complete a professional evaluation. The professional must be an individual qualified to assess, diagnose and treat the stated disability. Any information and documentation provided regarding the disability and the need for accommodation in testing will be kept strictly confidential and will be shared only to the extent necessary with our testing vendor.
NRCA reserves the right to contact building owners/operators, permitting authorities and responsible contractors to verify the work experience of applicants.
All NRCA PROCertification information, documents and materials are provided "as is," and NRCA makes no warranties, whether express, implied, statutory or otherwise, including, without limitation, warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall NRCA be liable for any direct, indirect, special, punitive or consequential damages of any kind or nature whatsoever, including without limitation, loss of profits or other economic loss caused by, resulting from, or otherwise arising from use of or reliance on any of the NRCA PROCertification program materials.