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Journal article
Racial Disparity in Social Work Professional Licensure Exam Pass Rates: Examining Institutional Characteristics and State Licensure Policy as Predictors
Journal of evidence-based social work (2019), Vol.21(2), pp.199-213
2024
Web of Science ID: WOS:001120066000001
Abstract
Purpose: The Association of Social Work Boards (2022a) released a report evidencing test-taker demographics as the strongest predictor of professional licensure exam pass-rates. The purpose of this study was to examine statistical predictors of social work professional licensure exam pass rate disparities between first-time Black/African American and White test-takers.
Materials and Methods: The study addressed the following research question: To what extent do institutional and state licensure characteristics predict race-based disparities in social work licensure exam pass rates? To answer this question, the authors built a data set in an Excel spreadsheet comprised of institutional and state licensure variables using publicly available and reliable sources.
Results: States requiring more clinical supervision hours and imposing higher licensure fees tended to report higher overall pass rates on the ASWB exam. Additionally, a notable correlation was found between states with a higher proportion of Black/African American residents and increased pass rates. Conversely, states that had established a larger number of licensure tiers typically saw lower overall pass rates. Furthermore, it was noted that schools located in the Southern U.S. demonstrated significantly lower ASWB pass rates compared to schools in other regions of the country.DiscussionRecommendations are made regarding future research efforts and professional licensure and regulation standards.
Conclusion: Pass rate disparities have implications for individual exam-takers and their families; for clients and constituencies; and for social work practice, research, ethics, and education.
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Details
- Title
- Racial Disparity in Social Work Professional Licensure Exam Pass Rates
- Publication Details
- Journal of evidence-based social work (2019), Vol.21(2), pp.199-213
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- Taylor & Francis; United States
- Number of pages
- 15
- Copyright
- © 2023 Taylor & Francis
- Identifiers
- WOS:001120066000001; 99380489996406600
- Academic Unit
- Social Work; Usha Kundu, MD College of Health
- Language
- English