News

ASWB's examination development team continues to manage the equally important processes that result in valid, reliable, and fair licensure exams. "Partnerships with our vendors are key," says Exam Development Director Carl Hokanson, LGSW. "We all work together to make sure these projects are successful and uphold the highest standards."

The most comprehensive profession-wide study to date, the Census will generate an up-to-date picture of who today’s social workers are and what they are doing in their practice. Findings will help support the development of a more inclusive and equitable social work workforce and will be used in designing future competence assessments for social work licensure.

ASWB's exam services team and their partners at PSI were prepared for the higher volume and for a possible bump in testing incidents, as test-takers and test centers adjust to new procedures and new software.

ASWB is using the Community Conversations research findings reported by HumRRO to inform the continued development of fair, reliable, and valid competence assessments and to determine future initiatives aimed at closing pass rate gaps among demographic groups.

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.