PAEA will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the release of the PAEA End of Rotation™ exams in 2023! The success of this exam program is a result of the dedication of our outstanding volunteer Exam Development Board members along with the support of over 250 loyal programs who administer over 70,000 End of Rotation™ exams a year. As we approach this important milestone, we wanted to share an important End of Rotation™ exam administration policy change. When PAEA launches its next-generation exam platform we will waive the requirement for a live in-person or live remote proctor for the End of Rotation™ exams.
This was a thoughtful decision backed by evidence and program feedback:
- Data Based. PAEA has been carefully examining the data and trends in student test taker scores since we waived End of Rotation™ proctoring policies due to the COVID-19 pandemic on March 23, 2020. During this time of waived proctoring policies some programs have administered the exams in-person and proctored, some have administered the exams remotely with a variety of live remote proctoring and monitoring solutions, and some have administered the exams remotely and unproctored. Despite the variety of administration approaches used by programs, we have found that student test takers’ scores have remained stable over time, and we can say with confidence that the End of Rotation™ exams have remained secure and the exam scores have remained valid.
- Considers Expense. Remote proctoring can be expensive, sometimes adding significant additional cost to programs. Waiving our End of Rotation™ exam proctoring policies will result in a cost savings for many programs that have been incurring an additional cost to work with third party remote proctoring services.
- Acknowledges PAEA’s Values. PAEA’s Core Values include Justice, Equity, and Inclusion. We are monitoring the larger public and legal conversations about live remote proctoring, including assertations that it can be an invasive and unjust practice and at this time we cannot require members to use remote proctoring services that may not align with our core values.
Our primary goals in launching the next-generation exam platform are offering improved flexibility and ongoing security for our exam programs. We also want to offer modern features and increased convenience for programs. We believe this decision supports these goals.
What this means for each of our exam programs:
- PACKRAT® has been available, since its inception, to be delivered unproctored or proctored (live or remote). Of note, analysis of PACKRAT® scores over time has also demonstrated that proctoring had no impact on student test taker scores (Rizzolo, D. et al. Impacts of Variations in PACKRAT Administrations. JPAE, 2019.). The same proctoring options for PACKRAT® will continue in the new platform HOWEVER we will add a requirement that the exam be administered with a lockdown browser that is part of the new platform.
- The PAEA End of Rotation™ exams can currently be administered unproctored or proctored (live or remote) due to waived proctoring polices. When PAEA launches the new platform, we will permanently waive the requirement for a live in-person or live remote proctor for the End of Rotation™ exams. We will ADD the requirement that the exams be administered with a lockdown browser that is part of the new platform.
- The PAEA End of Curriculum™ exam must be proctored in-person, and the use of remote proctors is strictly prohibited. This policy will remain in place going forward in the new platform due to the high stakes nature of this exam. We will also CONTINUE to require the use of a lockdown browser that is part of the new platform.
PAEA is sensitive that, given this new announcement, programs need time to review and consider their own practices and policies. The ultimate choice to administer both PACKRAT® and the PAEA End of Rotation™ exams either in-person or remote, with or without proctors, is a program-level decision. Programs should feel confident that regardless of the decision they make, the exams remain secure and the scores valid. PAEA will continue, as has been our practice, to be vigilant in monitoring exam security.
While PAEA will not require proctoring for remote administrations for PACKRAT® and End of Rotation™ exams, programs who wish to continue to use third party remote proctoring solutions for these exams in the new platform may continue to do so. The new system will allow for easier integration with a variety of remote proctoring services.