Published on : September 8, 2022
This July, the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) celebrated the release of the 2022 Education Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS). Since that time, the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) published the 2022 ASWB Exam Pass Rate Analysis, which included descriptive statistics that suggest significant race and age disparities in exam pass rates. While more rigorous data analysis is needed to accurately understand these disparities among test takers, the descriptive data are alarming.
Therefore, CSWE’s Commission on Accreditation has made the decision to remove licensing exam pass rates from the 2022 EPAS accreditation standards. This change reinforces the 2022 EPAS’ emphasis on anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion, which supports social work education programs in developing a workforce of social workers who are knowledgeable about the ways positionality, power, privilege, and difference affect all levels of practice.
Licensing exam pass rates were identified as an optional post-graduation program outcome in Accreditation Standard 5.0.3. The ASWB data suggest that licensing exam pass rates may not be an equitable measure of program outcomes. Therefore, licensing exam pass rates have been removed in the following areas:
-
2022 EPAS—Accreditation Standard 5.0.3
-
2022 EPAS Glossary—definitions of Licensing exam pass rates and Program outcomes
-
2022 EPAS Frequently Asked Questions—information on program outcomes
Access the updated 2022 EPAS and related resources.