Objective, consistent assessments based on practice analysis

ASWB has many programs that support social work regulatory agencies in the United States and Canada, including its ongoing examination program used to provide a uniform assessment of entry-level competence. Because it is a requirement for licensure eligibility, it is considered a high-stakes examination. Additional requirements or prerequisites to government licensure as a social worker include education, experience (in some cases), applications, and fees. Criminal background checks and good moral character assessments may also be required.

All entry-level licensure examinations of the professions are developed, administered, scored, and maintained following industry standards.

What is a high-stakes licensure examination?

High-stakes licensure examinations are assessment instruments of entry-level competence whereby successful completion of the examination is required as a condition of government licensure. Entry-level competence examinations are included as a prerequisite to licensure of virtually all professions.

Aptly named, the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (Standards) is a joint product of the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the American Psychological Association (APA), and the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME). Published collaboratively by the three organizations since 1966, it represents the gold standard in guidance on testing within the United States and across the globe. There have been no successful legal challenges to competence examinations as a basis for licensure decisions. This is because the Standards provide a basis for use of these instruments. Readers must distinguish between employment examinations (once employed and used for promotion purposes) and entry-level competence examinations used to evaluate competence as a basis for granting a government-issued license.

How is exam content determined?

Developing high-stakes licensure examinations is a complex process involving the use of psychometrics and statistical analyses. The profession is surveyed for information upon which to build the blueprint of the exam. Practitioners are asked about tasks performed on the first day of practice (hence entry-level), how often such are performed, and how important these tasks are. Data from these survey results is then used to identify the blueprint for the exam.

ASWB is conducting such a survey in 2024. The Social Work Census is currently collecting data about the key knowledge, skills, and abilities required for safe, ethical, and competent entry-level practice. Responses are being gathered from social workers and social service workers in the United States and Canada, where the licensing exams are used by regulatory agencies.

Once the blueprint is established, practicing social workers develop examination questions, which are reviewed by another panel of practicing social workers. Questions go through a rigorous pretest process to ensure that any items showing signs of bias do not become scored items. This process is followed by all professions that use entry-level competence examinations.

Question writers, consultants, Examination Committee members, and psychometric analysis use individuals who are representative of the profession and society. Disparate outcomes in validated exam programs are not an indicator of a test that is not itself valid. In fact, they are an indicator of some of the societal issues that plague many communities today. Exam results are an indicator of a problem, not the problem itself that is in need of elimination.

Why is this process followed?

Adherence by ASWB to the Standards allows the social work boards that are issuing licenses to defend the result in the event of a legal challenge. Consistent, defensible processes and requirements for licensure are premised upon the government mandate for licensure and the fact that some applicants may or will be denied licensure. In fact, the validated entry-level competence exams are the most defensible, uniform measure used throughout the licensure process.

How are other criteria subjective in nature?

Other criteria for licensure, such as education, supervised experience, good moral character are not validated through any legally defensible process. Neither education nor supervised experience is subject to external, independent validation. While the accreditation process requires that degree programs meet standards, those requirements offer a great deal of variability both in coursework and assessments. Supervised experience is often the least standardized component, with requirements varying by jurisdiction.

Why is consistency important?

From a health, safety, and welfare perspective, laws are drafted to address the needs of society, and identifying and attempting to regulate differing populations in differing ways can be a challenge. This is not to ignore the importance of the needs of differing groups, but the laws must be applied uniformly.

At the end of the day, the ASWB examinations are the only uniform, objective, validated, and defensible assessment of candidates seeking licensure. Fracturing the social work profession by populations will lead to deregulation of social work, loss of professional recognition, and potentially a loss of reimbursement for services. If deregulation occurs, the public will have no recourse for harm done aside from costly lawsuits.

Dale J. Atkinson, Esq., is an attorney licensed in Illinois and Utah who received his law degree from Northwestern School of Law in Portland, Oregon, and is now the sole managing member of The Atkinson Firm in Northbrook, Illinois. Atkinson represents associations in all matters relating to their operations as not-for-profit corporations, including regulatory activities, education and accreditation, and disciplinary actions. He is a frequent speaker before these association clients as well as other regulatory groups, agencies, and stakeholders, and produces numerous writings on these topics for publication. Atkinson has been involved with the Federation of Associations of Regulatory Boards (FARB) for more than 30 years.