Premium
The use of “high‐stakes testing” in nursing education: Rhetoric or rigor?
Author(s) -
Dreher Heyward Michael,
Smith Glasgow Mary Ellen,
Schreiber James
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
nursing forum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.618
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1744-6198
pISSN - 0029-6473
DOI - 10.1111/nuf.12363
Subject(s) - standardized test , scrutiny , accreditation , argument (complex analysis) , medicine , educational measurement , nursing , patient safety , academic standards , psychology , medical education , pedagogy , higher education , curriculum , mathematics education , political science , health care , law
The expectations for clinically ready graduates have increased over the years, paralleling changes in the NCLEX exam with increasingly cognitively difficult items in preparation for professional nursing practice. Yet, it is widely recognized that nursing program exit standardized exams have come under increased scrutiny in several public cases. Several articles have frequently been cited in the opposing argument against use of the HESI Exit Exam or other standardized nursing exit exams. We review two of these for logical coherence and standard psychometric adherence given their recurrent use in arguing against nursing program exit standardized testing. In light of patient safety implications and school accreditation consequences, it's more important that schools use exit standardized testing and assess minimum competency of students based on an exit program standardized exam. Measurement standards are critical to these analyses. The use of a program exit standardized exam also alerts students that faculty are holding them accountable for their time in the program.