The Association of Social Work Boards publishes new research on disparities in pass rates for social work licensing exams

Reports outline complex factors influencing test-taker outcomes

The Association of Social Work Boards today published a three-part series of research reports analyzing the social work licensing examination pass rate disparities. The goal of the exam report series, based on additional analyses of data on ASWB exam pass rates and those of other professions, is to inform ASWB’s and the social work profession’s approach to addressing the complex individual, institutional, and community factors influencing the testing experience and exam results.

“We are in this for the long haul. ASWB has continuously invested in initiatives that will help us better understand the pass rate analysis findings, support educators and licensure candidates, and facilitate collaborative solutions with our partners across the profession,” said ASWB CEO Stacey Hardy-Chandler, Ph.D., J.D., LCSW, PGDip. “We know that systems affect people and their experiences and that those same systems also impact social work licensure candidates. This research makes it abundantly clear that addressing the pass rate disparities will require a systemwide approach.”

Together these reports give us a much fuller, richer picture of examinees’ experiences with the exam and the context of their lives leading up to it. Dr. Kim’s findings will help inform exam development moving forward and our ongoing efforts to collaboratively address the persistent disparities.

The exam report series represents a collaboration between ASWB and Joy Kim, MSW, Ph.D., of Rutgers University School of Social Work, along with her associate Michael Joo, MSW, Ph.D. Kim and Joo conducted an inquiry into the sources of pass rate disparities, including analyses of pass rates that control for the individual, institutional, and community factors that test-takers carry with them throughout their lives.

“Dr. Kim’s expertise in social work regulatory research — and licensure standards across multiple professions — is unmatched and will help the field of social work move forward collaboratively,” said Hardy-Chandler.

The research series begins with a report that profiles social work licensing examinees using ASWB data, continues with a review of other professions’ literature on licensing and certification exam pass rate disparities, and concludes with an analysis of the effects of race and ethnicity on Clinical exam outcomes.

“The goal was to look at ASWB exam data from several angles to more fully understand factors impacting the examinees. These findings are reflected in three distinct but complementary reports,” said Kim.

The three-part series of research reports includes:

• Report 1 – The Profile of Social Work License Examinees: A Racially Patterned Educational and Training Journey Before the Exams – evaluates demographic, educational, and employment characteristics impacting social work candidates’ experiences leading up to the social work licensing exam. For example, compared to white examinees, higher percentages of Black examinees took longer to earn their social work degree and had more years of employment in non-direct service jobs prior to taking the exam. The report concludes that the demographic, educational, and employment characteristics indicate that some social work candidates’ journeys to the profession might have been far more disrupted and delayed than others even before they attempted the licensing exams for the first time.
• Report 2 – The Determinants of Licensing Exam Outcomes: The Compounding Effects of Individual, Institutional, and Community Factors – provides an overview of research findings from the literature of other professions to understand the factors that may contribute to the disparate pass rates in social work. The analysis shows that significant racial and ethnic disparities exist across many professions, including medicine, nursing, and psychology, suggesting that outcomes reflect broader societal challenges. This research also indicates a link between an increased percentage of certified or licensed faculty and improved performance by a program’s examinees. The report emphasizes the need for more research to better understand and begin to reduce pass rate disparities.
• Report 3 – The Effects of Race/Ethnicity on Clinical Exam Outcomes: Diminished (yet Persistent) Effects When Other Determinants Are Controlled – outlines the significant impact of key factors on Clinical exam pass rates, including age, gender, primary language, educational background, and employment experiences. The findings suggest that if historically marginalized groups had access and opportunities similar to those of white examinees and experienced equitable institutional and community environments, the pass rate gap would narrow significantly.

Based on the findings from all three reports, Kim and Joo conclude that the exam pass rate disparities present the social work profession with a unique opportunity to embrace a systems-based approach to locating and addressing the sources of these disparities. The reports recommend that professional stakeholders commit to collaborative research and strategic interventions focused on the societal factors that influence pass rate outcomes.

“Now that we better understand the complex and often deeply entrenched sources of the gaps and inequities, we can try to intervene,” Dr. Kim added.

The exam report series is part of ASWB’s ongoing initiative to expand understanding of and increase responsiveness to the factors that disproportionately affect certain examinees.

“Together these reports give us a much fuller, richer picture of examinees’ experiences with the exam and the context of their lives leading up to it. Dr. Kim’s findings will help inform exam development moving forward and our ongoing efforts to collaboratively address the persistent disparities,” said ASWB Senior Director of Examination Services Lavina Harless, MSW, LCSW.