Current State of Test Development, Administration, and Analysis

Bristol, Timothy J.; Nelson, John W.; Sherrill, Karin J.; Wangerin, Virginia

doi:10.1097/nne.0000000000000425

Cited by 16 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…In addition, the study also reported that 57% of the respondents used 1 type of item analysis, with the point biserial as the most reported. 15 National nursing examinations such as the NCLEX-RN readily admit to using examination standards to assess item and examination analysis. The study results indicate that the participants lack the ability to effectively review and validate items.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research has shown that education improves the quality of MCQs developed by teaching faculty and provides reassurance of reliability of examination items and accuracy of test scores. 5,14,15 Despite the problematic nature of item writing, there are some tools available to nursing faculty. Given the high stakes nature of these examinations, NCSBN provides a test plan to guide examinees.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Preparedness to Write Items for Nursing Education Examinations

et al. 2021

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Background: Nursing programs in the United States primarily use multiple-choice questions to prepare students for the NCLEX. Currently, the optional next-generation NCLEX is testing the validity and reliability of situational case studies. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the preparedness and confidence of nurse educators in writing NCLEXstyle questions. Methods: A descriptive survey design with snowball sampling was used to collect the data and was sent to 1550 deans/ directors/coordinators of publicly available email addresses of accredited schools of nursing. Results: A total of 300 participants completed the survey from 44 states. When asked about confidence in writing NCLEX-style items, those who received formal education or training reported being somewhat confident (51%), whereas those who did not reported ambivalent or not confident (49%). Conclusion: Surveyed nurse educators lack confidence in writing questions and feel unprepared for the new question types instituted by the NCSBN in 2023. Nurse educators need continued education to develop and review NCLEX-style items and examinations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Preparedness to Write Items for Nursing Education Examinations

et al. 2021

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“…Fairness is based on the use of unbiased, reliable, and valid test questions, which from a positivist point of view provide an objective measurement of learning. 13,28 Instead E26 ADVANCES IN NURSING SCIENCE/JANUARY-MARCH 2022 of considering a student's context when enforcing these rules, educators operating from a positivist paradigm believe that treating everyone the same is fair. In this section, we briefly illustrate how traditional views of "fairness" lead to unfair and unjust treatment that creates inequity and suggest a solution to this problem.…”

Section: Equity In Nursing Education Through Universal Design For Lea...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, nurse educators often strive for objectivity and fairness during examinations by using traditional face-to-face, proctored, timelimited examinations with multiple-choice and alternate format questions to emulate entry-to-practice examinations. 13 The goal of this type of testing is to measure learning by assigning a number to reflect and rank student abilities. 12 To understand why testing is designed in this way, we turn toward the philosophical basis for testing.…”

Section: Philosophical Foundations Of Traditional Examinationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revisioning Assessment and Evaluation in Nursing Education Through Critical Caring Pedagogy

Killam

Camargo‐Plazas

2021

Advances in Nursing Science

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Instead of instilling in nursing students critical thinking to challenge injustice and oppression in nursing practice, nurse educators often rely on outdated traditional approaches to education. This situation is certainly true in traditional methods of evaluation that often propagate a banking mode of learning. One of the most commonly used methods of evaluating students is traditional examinations, which have recently become a source of pedagogical conflict among educators. In this article, we outline how educators unknowingly encourage surface learning, uncaring practices, oppression, inequity, and cheating when they rely on traditional examinations. We draw on critical caring pedagogy and universal design for learning to advocate for increased use of authentic assessment in nursing education.

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“…Peer review is considered a best practice when writing test items, 7 but the practice is underutilized by nursing faculty. 8,9 Nursing faculty, who are writing their own NGN items or choosing questions to include on classroom tests from vendor test banks, may not be able to undertake the same extensive review process used by the NCSBN. However, it is possible to follow item writing procedures similar to those used by the NCSBN and conduct peer review.…”

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confidence: 99%

Creating a Peer Review Process for Faculty-Developed Next Generation NCLEX Items

Hensel

Billings²

2022

Nurse Educ

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ith changes to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), nursing faculty are seeking best methods to prepare students for the Next Generation NCLEX (NGN). 1,2 The licensing examination will remain a legally defensible examination characterized by development practices that align items to a test plan, use standardized item writing procedures, include layers of review, require pretesting, and involve psychometric analysis. [2][3][4][5] Potential questions used in this examination go through item, editorial, sensitivity, differential, and nursing regulatory reviews before becoming operational items. 4,5 The NCLEX item writers are registered nurse and practical nurse faculty teaching clinical nursing content. The NCLEX test item review is a modification of a peer review process where other nurses, who provide direct patient care in a clinical setting and work with new nurses, determine whether items are suitable to test entry-level practice, are current, and are accurate. 4,5 Sensitivity and differential reviews look for unintentional bias such as stereotypes and linguistic issues, which may affect measurement. 5 Editorial reviews examine grammar, clarity, spelling, and punctuation. 5 The nursing regulatory review focuses primarily on the appropriateness of an item to test entry-level practice. 5 Peer ReviewPeer review has long been the standard for scholarly writing and thought to be empowering and leading to professional growth. 6 Peer review involves the evaluation of work (teaching, research, test item writing) by people with expertise similar to the person or product being reviewed. Peer review is considered a best practice when writing test items, 7 but the practice is underutilized by nursing faculty. 8,9 Nursing faculty, who are writing their own NGN items or choosing questions to include on classroom tests from vendor test banks, may not be able to undertake the same extensive review process used by the NCSBN. However, it is possible to follow item writing procedures similar to those used by the NCSBN and conduct peer review. The purpose of this article is to report the findings from a pilot study of a peer review process used with a group of faculty who were writing NGN items for the Maryland NextGen Test Bank Project.

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Current State of Test Development, Administration, and Analysis

Cited by 16 publications

References 23 publications

Preparedness to Write Items for Nursing Education Examinations

Preparedness to Write Items for Nursing Education Examinations

Revisioning Assessment and Evaluation in Nursing Education Through Critical Caring Pedagogy

Creating a Peer Review Process for Faculty-Developed Next Generation NCLEX Items

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