Name
Beyond the Backlash: A Psychometric Reform Agenda for Summative Longitudinal Knowledge Assessments
Description

Longitudinal knowledge assessments (LKAs) in United States medical certification have largely replaced the required decennial examinations in response to widespread physician concerns. Yet a decade later, the evidence base supporting LKAs for summative assessment remains comparatively limited. This session examines four measurement and policy questions in current LKAs: the relationship between current and historical passing standards, progress-report weighting that discounts early-cycle performance, proficiency estimation using cross-sectional IRT models, and security strategies that may not fully deter misconduct. We conclude with a reform agenda that emphasizes independent validity replication, transparent standard-setting, longitudinal growth-model scoring, explicit validity arguments, and clearer communication about security and score interpretation for boards, vendors, the physicians they certify, and the public.

Primary Topic
Design, Development, and Psychometrics
Session Area
Certification & Licensure (C&L) Division, Health Sector SIG