November 30, 2016 | NLN Member Update: Fair Testing

As the days grow ever shorter, this seems like a good time for a journey back in time to the spring of 2012. In that merry month of May, the NLN released two living documents that address an issue of great importance to all of us in the nursing education community: high-stakes testing.

A lot of challenging and insightful work by the NLN Presidential Task Force on High-Stakes Testing was behind the publications of NLN Vision: Fair Testing Imperative in Nursing Education and the “NLN Fair Testing Guidelines.” Devised to help nursing programs make more balanced decisions about the use of standardized tests, both are based on the League’s core values of caring, integrity, diversity, and excellence, and on widely accepted testing principles.

At the NLN, we believe that tests and evaluative measures must be used not only to assess student achievement but, as importantly, to support student learning and evaluate and improve teaching and program effectiveness. These fundamental beliefs are not only displayed in all the services offered by NLN Testing, they are front and center in the research and development of new products.

How is the NLN able to do this? We have a not-so-secret weapon – our Center for Assessment and Evaluation (A&E). NLN Testing Services works hand-in-hand with the center, which is charged with “promoting valid, reliable, and evidence-based measurement and identifying best practices for establishing guidelines and standards of practice that recognize and value each test taker’s perspective, background, and context.”

Allow me to share some recent headlines from NLN Testing Services that reflect the League’s commitment to best practices in assessment and evaluation.

	The NLN now offers a single pre-admission exam (PAX) for both RN and PN/VN applicants with revised content and formatting. Coming in January, PAX Prep is the NLN’s official study guide whose online content and format closely mirror that of the actual test. It’s a prospective student’s best bet of gaining admission to the nursing program of his or her choice.
	A new partnership with ProctorU allows us to offer online proctoring, giving students the convenience of home testing and institutions the ability to ensure academic integrity.
	The online Student Store is open for current nursing students, applicants to nursing programs, and nurses in practice.

Of course, this is just the latest news. Please visit the NLN Center for Assessment and Evaluation and NLN Testing Services, or call customer service at 800-732-8656 for information on all our offerings.

In closing, I’d like to thank all of you who participated in yesterday’s #NLNGivingTuesday campaign, including a special acknowledgment of the contributions by our NLN ambassadors. The outpouring of time and money is a testament to the heart and soul of nursing education.

Colleagues, as you know this Member Update is right after Thanksgiving. I hope each and everyone’s holiday was all that it’s meant to be – full of joy, gratitude, and peace. And I wish you the same for all the holidays coming up and the New Year.

Next Issue of the NLN Member Update: Wednesday, December 14, 2016. View previous issues of NLN Member Update »