At the Intersection of Social Work Research, Practice, and Policy: Academic Advocacy Efforts to Eliminate the Association of Social Work Boards Exams from Professional Licensure Requirements

Passage of an Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) exam is a condition of licensure at all levels of practice in nearly all 50 U.S. states. Despite evidence that the ASWB exams are not valid measures, state licensing boards continue to assert that a passing score on an ASWB exam is indicative of an individual's readiness for professional practice. In addition, educators and advocates have long suspected -- and data from a 2022 ASWB report have recently confirmed -- that there are severe disparities in pass rates based on race, age, and other salient social identities such as first language and disability status. Given those disparities, practice organizations like the National Association of Social Workers and educator groups like the National Association of Deans and Directors of Schools of Social Work (NADD) have called for the removal of the ASWB exams from all levels of licensure.

State-level legislative efforts are now underway across the U.S. to eliminate the ASWB exams as a licensure requirement at all levels of practice. For instance, a 2023 law in Illinois now provides a pathway to a clinical social work license that does not require an applicant to have passed the clinical ASWB exam. Other states have eliminated the ASWB Bachelors and Masters exams from their requirements. Legislation to remove testing for various levels of licensure is currently in motion in at least a dozen states. The purpose of this roundtable is to (1) discuss the role of social work researchers and scholars within these reform initiatives, (2) consider how we can effectively support advocates and policy makers, and (3) identify areas in need of further research with respect to the current ASWB exams and possible testing alternatives.

The roundtable session will begin with an overview of the 2022 ASWB Pass Rate Report along with a summary of the empirical evidence on the validity, reliability, and fairness of the current exams. Panelists will review how psychometric standards define the role of an engaged research community in evaluating ASWB exams and consider the potential for more valid and equitable testing alternatives. Panelists will share their advocacy efforts to date including work by the National Association of Deans and Directors and the #StopASWB Coalition. Panelists will then share how they have translated their own empirical research into calls for repeal of the ASWB exams by publishing op-eds, advising state-level social work organizations, providing written and oral testimony to legislators, and presenting research findings to relevant stakeholders. We will conclude by discussing what additional research is needed in this area, and identify upcoming opportunities for social work researchers and scholars to get involved in state-level legislative efforts to repeal or replace the ASWB exams in the social work licensure process.