Administration
Statement of Impartiality
The Certification Steering Committee shall commit to acting impartially in relation to its applicants, candidates, and certified persons. Representatives of the Certification Steering Committee shall understand the importance of making decisions related to certification in accordance with its policies and procedures, and shall exercise due diligence in doing so. The Certification Program shall make public the policies and procedures affecting applicants, candidates and certified person, and shall fairly and accurately convey information about the certification program to all stakeholders. The Certification Steering Committee shall understand threats to impartiality, which include, but are not limited to self-interest, activities from related bodies, relationships of personnel, financial interests, favoritism, conflict-of-interest, familiarity and intimidation. The Certification Steering Committee shall periodically conduct a threat analysis to determine the potential, both real and perceived, of an individual or an organization to influence the certification process or benefit from the certification process.
The AVIXA Certification Steering Committee
The AVIXA independent Certification Steering Committee is responsible for overseeing the development and administration of credible Certified Technology Specialist™ certifications (CTS®, CTS®-D and CTS®-I) and for ensuring the credentials meet high standards of ethical and professional practice for the audiovisual industry. This oversight offers assurance of the proficiency and competency of AV professionals. The committee has responsibility for the entire certification program and oversight of committees that report to it. It is comprised of a chair, three CTS, three CTS-I and three CTS-D members. The committee members are elected and only certified individuals may vote. The initial Certification Steering Committee was appointed.
The 2024 Certification Steering Committee members are:
Samantha Davis, CTS
University of Bristol
Deborah Jones, CTS
Queen Elizabeth II Centre
George Chacko, CTS
Pace University
Sachin Sonje, CTS-D, CTS-I
Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co Ltd
Matthew O'Reilly, CTS-D, CTS-I
University of Toronto at Mississauga
Dan Georgescu, CTS-D, CTS-I
Cardone, Soloman, & Associates
Edwin Morman, CTS-D, CTS-I
Independent
Josh Harbourn, CTS-I
Room Ready
Gregory Rushton, CTS-D
MBI
Other Committees
The Certification Steering Committee has a number of other volunteer committees that have specified areas of responsibilities and are composed of subject-matter-expert volunteers who meet the qualifications for the committee on which they serve. The committees report to the Certification Steering Committee, and the committee members accept non-disclosure and conflict of interest agreements while serving on a committee. Committees are formed as needs develop; however, the following is a list of ongoing volunteer committees:
- Ethics & Disciplinary Committee — Reports to the Certification Steering Committee and has responsibility for investigating all reported violations of the Code of Ethics and Conduct; issues and publishes sanctions.
- Eligibility Committee — Reports to the Certification Steering Committee and has responsibility for developing, refining and recommending eligibility for all certification exams, and for reviewing denials or unusual circumstances associated with interpreting the CTS, CTS-D and CTS-I eligibility requirements.
- Renewal Committee — Reports to the Certification Steering Committee and has responsibility for developing, refining and recommending changes to renewal policies for all certified individuals. The committee also assists as needed in reviews and determinations of decisions regarding applications for awarding renewal units for courses as well as denials of renewal decisions for individuals submitting a renewal application.
- Appeals Committee – Reports to the Certification Steering Committee and determines the final decision for all eligibility and renewal committee decision appeals.
- Nominating Committee – Reports to the Certification Steering Committee and assures proper conduct of the nominating and election process.
- CTS Marketing Committee — Reports to the Certification Steering Committee and has the responsibility of developing various marketing programs designed to increase the awareness of the CTS credentials as related to such areas as recognition, credibility and value, to both those holding the certification as well as other multiple stakeholders.
- CTS Scheme Committee –— Reports to the Certification Steering Committee and reviews psychometric reports on CTS exam performance; decides scoring matters based upon recommendations of test company experts; works with the CTS Technical Committee of Subject Matter Experts (SME) when new items are required for the CTS exams.
- CTS Technical Committee — Reports to the CTS Scheme Committee and is responsible for creating new items for the CTS item bank.
- CTS-I Scheme Committee — Reports to the Certification Steering Committee and reviews psychometric reports on CTS-I exam performance; decides scoring matters based upon recommendations of test company experts; and works with the CTS-I Technical Committee of Subject Matter Experts (SME) when new items are required for the CTS-I exams.
- CTS-I Technical Committee — Reports to the CTS-I Scheme Committee and is responsible for creating new items for the CTS-I item bank.
- CTS-D Scheme Committee — Reports to the Certification Steering Committee and reviews psychometric reports on the CTS-D exam performance; decides scoring matters based upon recommendations of test company experts; and works with the CTS-D Technical Committee of Subject Matter Experts (SME) when new items are required for the CTS-D exams.
- CTS-D Technical Committee — Reports to the CTS-D Scheme Committee and is responsible for creating new items for the CTS-D item bank.
Anyone interested in volunteering for a certification-related committee should fill out a form with their interest.
Annual Reports
Starting in January of 2008, the Certification Steering Committee began providing annual reports that include general certification program updates as well as an overall summary report of total certified and examination results. These are posted on the AVIXA website.
As of December 19, 2022 here are our certification numbers:
- Total Certified Individuals: 13,474
- CTS (General) Certifications Held: 10,307
- CTS-D (Design) Certifications Held: 1,268
- CTS-I (Install) Certifications Held: 1,236
- CTS-D & CTS-I Dual-Certified Individuals: 663
Pass Rates (Averaged) as of December 19, 2022:
CTS: 75%
CTS-D: 58%
CTS-I: 63%
Certification is not a guarantee for performance by certified individuals. Certified Technology Specialist™ (CTS®) holders at all levels of certification have demonstrated audiovisual knowledge and/or skills. Certified individuals adhere to the CTS Code of Ethics and Conduct and maintain their status through continued education. Certification demonstrates commitment to professional growth in the audiovisual industry and is strongly supported by AVIXA.
All eligibility, application, score reports, special accommodation requests and general inquiries regarding AVIXA certification will be handled through the AVIXA Certification Office, with headquarters located in Fairfax, Va., U.S.A. Purchases of education, membership or any other AVIXA services are not required to seek certification.
Certification Office
The AVIXA certification staff office is referred to as the certification office and supports the AVIXA independent Certification Steering Committee and its programs. The certification office serves as the primary contact for all certification issues and activities.
AVIXA
Attn. Certification Office
11242 Waples Mill Rd., Suite 200
Fairfax, VA 22030
Phone: 1.800.659.7469 or +1.703.273.7200
Fax: +1.703.991.8259