News

ASWB is committed to providing consistent, high-quality exam administration for social workers who are becoming licensed, and our new partnership with PSI will allow us to enhance your experience.

ASWB is pleased to announce the 2023 edition of the Examination Program Yearbook, highlighting the individuals who serve as Examination Committee volunteers, item writers, and exam development consultants.

ASWB recently took a major step forward in building competence assessments for the future of social work when a group of volunteers gathered for a working meeting. The Practice Analysis Task Force, composed of social workers selected for expertise and diversity, met in Reston, Virginia, September 7–9, 2023.

The Association of Social Work Boards today announced a strategic partnership with PSI, a leading testing provider, to administer its social work licensing examination program beginning in early 2024.

ASWB has undertaken a series of initiatives that will inform the development of updated competence measures that are even more reflective of today’s practice of social work. Our work on these new assessments builds off more than a year of ASWB’s investment in qualitative and quantitative research on the social work profession and individual practitioners’ experiences with licensure.

The 2022–2024 Practice Analysis Task Force, a group of 32 licensed social workers, provides subject matter expertise to ASWB’s next analysis of the practice of social work.

Last year, ASWB took the groundbreaking step of publishing pass rate data for the social work licensing exams to contribute to and lead engagement in profession-wide conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion. At that time, we also pledged to include a more diverse set of voices in our exam development process and provide more support and resources for educators and supervisors as they prepare licensure candidates. We are committed to listening to and learning from the social work com

The community conversations, an ASWB initiative to conduct qualitative research on experiences with licensing and the exams, are nearing the halfway point. Final results will be published alongside pass data in August 2023 and will be used as ASWB reenvisions its competence assessments.

The data highlighted disparities in exam pass rates for different demographic groups. For Black test-takers and older test-takers, pass rates were particularly low. The discrepancies seen in the data are unacceptable. Recognizing that multiple factors impact a test-taker’s performance and need to be addressed, we remain committed to doing our part and working with other […]

ASWB has contracted with the independent firm Fifth Theory to provide free test mastery mindset support to test-takers who are unsuccessful in passing the social work licensing exams. Fifth Theory’s research-based Test Mastery Inclusion program is designed to help test-takers be successful on a high-stakes exam. ASWB acknowledges that the personal and educational experiences that […]