PAEA Assessments During the Coronavirus Pandemic

UPDATED March 25, 2020

In this unprecedented time, we are sensitive to the many demands on PA programs. We appreciate the hard work of those programs that have been able to comply with PAEA’s proctoring policies, but we realize that it is increasingly difficult in light of the COVID-19 outbreak. Below we identify important policy updates for each of our exams.

PACKRAT®

PACKRAT is a student self-assessment that will continue to be available, without interruption. This exam can be delivered in a proctored or unproctored mode, onsite or remote, within a scheduled testing window. See instructions here. We encourage programs to leverage this option for students who are at home and might benefit from self-assessment and keyword feedback.

End of Rotation™

PAEA is temporarily waiving our proctoring policies for the End of Rotation exams effective immediately and through the end of June. ExamDriver scheduling and administration procedures will remain unchanged — programs will still need to assign a proctor to start the exam at the appointed time, and in the event of inappropriate behavior, provide rationale for auto-paused exams.

Given this interim decision to waive the requirement for high-security remote proctoring tools, caution is advised when interpreting individual student performance, comparing scores to scores from previous administrations, and making inferences based on the national comparative data provided on score reports. The integrity of these administrations will rely on the honor system and codes of conduct of the educational institution, and thus cohort-level statistics may better reflect the shift in exam administration practices. Programs that wish to do so may continue to monitor students via remote proctoring services.

End of Curriculum™

PAEA continues to explore capabilities for delivering the End of Curriculum exam to students in remote settings. After considering all of the current possibilities, we have made the incredibly difficult decision to temporarily suspend access to and delivery of End of Curriculum exams to limit risks of exposure of this secure, standard-set exam. We have not yet identified a timeline to resume End of Curriculum administration. We will provide ongoing updates as they become available.

PAEA is working with PA programs to support changes you may need with your purchases and to address program-specific questions. More information will follow as soon as updates are available. Please refer to the following resources for additional support:  

• PAEA Coronavirus Resources 
• PAEA Assessment Exam Policies
• PAEA Assessment Proctor Resources and Knowledge Base 
• PAEA Assessment Customer Support: Chat, exams@PAEAonline.org, 301-617-7820 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.