CLEAR

Tutoring site no longer assisting with cheating detection

The online college homework and tutoring site, Chegg, has updated its honor-code policy such that it will only provide date and time stamp data to universities and testing organizations for their investigations into potential cheating or exam question breaches. The company's past disclosure practices included sharing IP addresses, usernames, and emails with institutions on a case-by-case basis when exam questions or answers shared on the site were suspected of being used for cheating.

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NMC considers English language requirements

After a consultation with record-breaking response levels, the Nursing and Midwifery Council in the UK will vote on proposed changes to its English language requirements. The first proposal will allow candidates to meet the requirements by combining test scores over a 12-month period. The second proposal will allow candidates to meet the requirements through employer-provided supporting evidence of English language proficiency if the candidate narrowly misses passing the test.

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ASWB analyzes exam pass rates

The Association of Social Work Boards has released their 2022 Exam Pass Rate Analysis. The data indicates that exam volume has more than doubled in the last decade and the proportion of test-takers from historically underrepresented groups has increased by 14%. The data indicates lower pass rates among men, older test-takers, those whose first language is not English, and Black test-takers. ASWB recognized "the need to identify potential steps that ASWB can take to address these differences while adhering to the public protection mandate that guides its mission."

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Response article to remote proctoring room scan decision

In a US district court case last month, a judge ruled that room scans taken before online exams are unconstitutional (read more).  Donald Balasa, CLEAR member and legal counsel for the American Association of Medical Assistants, has contributed a response article, providing constitutional background and analysis of the general facts that diminished the University's interests in requiring room scans before online examinations.  He concludes, "Even aside from the facts that this decision may be appealed and the Fourth Amendment applies only to government actors, the odd and atypical facts of this case limit its precedential usefulness.  Internally consistent and consistently applied test security principles, and generally accepted remote proctoring procedures, would avoid most if not all of the legal issues in Ogletree v. Cleveland State University."

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Judge rules against remote proctoring room scans

A US district court judge has ruled that room scans taken before online exams are unconstitutional. The lawsuit was brought forward by a student at Cleveland State University, claiming that the room scan was a violation of Fourth Amendment rights against "unreasonable searches and seizures." The ruling states that "the student's privacy interest in his home outweighs the university's interest in scanning his room" to prevent cheating on the exam.

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Cheating on CPA exams

Accounting firm Ernst & Young has been fined $100 million by the US Securities and Exchange Commission after admitting to allegations that 49 of its auditors cheated on the certified public accountant ethics exam by obtaining and circulating answer keys. Other auditors cheated on continuing professional education courses required for maintenance of licensure. Ernst & Young also withheld evidence during the SEC investigation. In addition to the fine, Ernst & Young is required to retain two separate independent consultants to review the firm's policies and procedures related to ethics as well as review disclosure failures.

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Ontario: lawsuit over exam leak

The Law Society of Ontario is suing an exam preparation company for allegedly providing program participants with documents containing exam questions and answers. The Law Society has cancelled the March 2022 bar exam and postponed the June exams until July, as well as discontinuing the online exam administration, pending the investigation. The exam company denies the allegations.

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Ontario: Law Society cancels online exams

The Law Society of Ontario has changes its scheduled June online examinations to July in-person examinations. An investigation is ongoing into licensing candidates who may have improperly accessed exam content, thus compromising the integrity of the scheduled exam. LSO indicated that a move to in-person delivery is necessary to ensure exam security. A group of licensing candidates has submitted an open letter to the LSO indicating how the change disrupts their exam preparation and travel and creates additional stressors for a class of candidates that has already seen unprecedented disruptions to their education due to the pandemic. Concern was also raised by immuno-compromised students being required to sit for an in-person exam.

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Changes to the CPA Exam: focus on evolving competencies and technologies

In conjunction with the CPA Evolution initiative, the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants have announced a transition policy for changes to the CPA exam. Candidates completing their requirements by December 31, 2023 will not be impacted by the changes. Candidates still working on requirements in January 2024 and beyond will transition to the new exam. Changes tot he exam are in response to employer needs for new CPAs to possess greater skill sets and competencies and a greater knowledge of emerging technologies. In July, the Exposure Draft of the 2024 CPA Exam will be released, outlining the content and skills proposed for each new section of the exam.

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Interested to hear more about how regulators can better align their licensure model to address the competencies and tech-knowledge required of the future licensee?  Join us for a webinar where NASBA discusses why a new model was needed, the process to develop the new model, and getting buy-in for the new model. 

Canada: article supports graduated medical licensure

An article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal proposes replacing high-stakes summative examinations with graduated medical licensure. The article states that there is no evidence supporting the effectiveness of current licensure exams in ensuring patient safety. The authors also note that directing resources toward passing an exam could detract from actual preparation for practice. Instead, the authors propose graduated licensure, a model of assessment that "integrates both training programs’ competency-based assessments and clinical practice data derived from trainees’ clinical work would better align with evidence-informed educational practices, underscore the importance of continuous quality improvement for practitioners and refocus licensure on real-world clinical practice."

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