Take a Peek at the End of Curriculum Development Process
While the PAEA End of Curriculum™ exam is still in development, information on the general process and timeline are available to help faculty understand this new exam and make decisions about adoption for future use at your program.
A new webpage on EndofCurriculum.org features a two-minute video describing the rigorous development process from item writing to standard setting. The page also features an infographic that illustrates the many layers of peer review, expert review, and validation — the critical steps for development of an exam of the highest standard.
During discussions with deans and program directors, PAEA’s Assessment team found that the most valuable information for implementing a new exam is an understanding of its quality. We feel strongly that the iterative process used to develop the End of Curriculum exam, undertaken by a diverse and large group of stakeholders, provides a level of certainty in the national standard that the exam measures. The exam blueprint, content area list, and learning objectives organized by task area are available on the content pages. These documents can assist you in mapping the knowledge areas assessed to your program objectives.
Where are we now? We are currently peer reviewing the second set of newly developed questions, pilot testing the first set of questions (ending in February), and making preparations for key validation (March), form construction (July), and standard setting (November). We are also in the process of developing the technological enhancements necessary to allow programs to purchase, schedule, deliver, and access score reports for the exam. We will need help with some of these steps over the course of the year. Stay tuned for requests via email and check the Networker for additional information.
We intend to provide a wide variety of information and resources over the course of the next year to ensure that you’re ready for the new exam. In the meantime, if you have any specific questions about the End of Curriculum exam, do not hesitate to contact us at exams@PAEAonline.org.
