ERIC Number: EJ1090007
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Mar
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1049-7315
EISSN: N/A
Abuses and Mysteries at the Association of Social Work Boards
Woodcock, Ray
Research on Social Work Practice, v26 n2 p225-231 Mar 2016
Under contract with the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), Pearson VUE reportedly performs much of the work of developing and administering the social work licensing exams required by most states. ASWB charges substantial fees for such exams and, after paying Pearson, has been able to bank considerable sums. One of the key contributions to the arrangement of ASWB is its supply of draft exam questions--which, after statistical pretesting by Pearson, may ultimately appear on licensing exams. Prior research indicates that students may find it relatively easy to guess the answers to such questions. Independent researchers have been unable to verify whether such questions accurately distinguish qualified from unqualified practitioners. In addition, ASWB refuses to disclose the rates at which various schools' graduates pass licensing exams. Generally, ASWB engages in an unusual degree of information suppression. Such suppression appears inconsistent with ethical obligations but consistent with revenue maximization.
Descriptors: Social Work, Professional Associations, Governing Boards, Licensing Examinations (Professions), Policy Analysis, Program Costs, High Stakes Tests, Test Validity, Access to Information, Information Policy, Ethics, Barriers, Governance
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
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