Test-makers wanted.

There are plenty of tests these days, but not enough experts to ensure they are fair and accurate, a more common issue recently.

Psychometricians, or trained specialists who create and evaluate tests, are entering the workforce at a trickle and those who do are often choosing high-paying jobs over ones serving the public sector.

"We are seeing a game of musical chairs in which the best and brightest are being lured from one state to another, and also from the public sector to higher-paying jobs in the private sector," says Robert Schaeffer, public education director for the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, or FairTest.

The work of psychometricians is highly technical, affecting millions of people. A shortage could lead to flawed measurement tools.

Thomas Toch, co-director of the independent think tank Education Sector, noted the problem in his report Margins of Error. The Education Testing Industry in the No Child Left Behind Era. Toch highlighted data from the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago showing that only about a dozen doctoral degrees are awarded in psychometrics each year. A few dozen are awarded in educational assessments/testing/measurement.

Toch says the U.S. Department of Education should fund training 1,000 psychometricians in the next five years. He also recommends funding university-based research on test quality, which could pique student interest in psychometrics.

The government is exploring solutions. A grant program that funds dissertations centered on National Center for Education Statistics data will encourage more applicants, says David Thomas, a department spokesman. It's also considering a joint program in psychometrics that would allow states and districts to send staff members, who already create tests, for certificates and advanced degrees.