Linking Social Work Licensing Exam Content to Educational Competencies: Poor Reliability Challenges the Path to Licensure

Abstract

Purpose: There has been increasing interest in the academy to assist social work graduates to become licensed which is likely to grow as the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE) cites licensure pass rates as a post-graduation outcome required for accreditation by newly adopted standards. This study determines the ability of academics to reliably link Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities statements that are the bases of licensure tests with the CSWE competencies in the Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS). Methods: Four full-time faculty members at two institutions conducted an interrater reliability analysis on practice tests to determine the extent to which licensure questions could be consistently linked to EPAS competencies. Results: Study findings indicate weak reliability between social work licensure examination questions and CSWE EPAS competencies. Conclusion: Lack of consistency threatens the path to licensure and may explain why graduates of accredited programs lack the requisite knowledge to become licensed.