Policies, Proctoring Resources Help Make Assessments the Best They Can Be

It was a banner year for PAEA Assessment — a total of 65,000 exams were delivered, 90 percent of PAEA member programs used PACKRAT™, and 60 percent used End of Rotation™ exams. But with this type of growth comes increased responsibility, shared by PAEA, programs, proctors, and students.

In an effort to keep student exam data safe and exam content secure and valid, PAEA has developed a series of resources to outline the roles we all play to meet these ends. The new hub for exam-related tools is the Proctor Resources page on the PAEA website, which hosts a series of materials to help faculty and staff more easily monitor exam events and help students with exam-related frustrations.

The first of these resources is a series of videos that walk through the proctoring process — from setup through follow-up — to help proctors know what they need to do and when. There are also articles and links to the PAEA Assessment exam websites. Many of these resources are useful for PAEA Assessment users and non-users alike.

A key tool on this page is a new policy document that describes the responsibilities for appropriately delivering as well as taking PAEA Assessment exams. Included in this document are:

• The acknowledgments users attest to at each stage of the exam process
• New alert names that will provide more intuitive tools for proctors
• New proctoring procedures that will help hold students and proctors responsible for maintaining the validity of exam content

These changes will go into effect in November, and we will provide more information as we near that date to ensure that all exam users are prepared.

The final highlight of the webpage is a form where PAEA Assessment-user program directors can acknowledge receipt of the PAEA Assessment Exam Policy document, and where non-user program directors can sign up for a new account. This will replace our informal process of emailing exam support for more information and ensure we get you started off efficiently.

Proctoring is an important responsibility that ensures assessments remain fair and valid — and we want to make sure you’re prepared. As always, please let us know if there are any resources that would be particularly useful to you. And for those attending the Education Forum in Denver next month, you can sign up for one of the two End of Rotation Exam Preview for Faculty sessions offered on Saturday morning, October 28, to learn more best practices. Or come to the Q&A at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.