Thoughts on the ASWB Exam
In August 2022, the Association of Social Work Boards released a report outlining 10 years (if not more) of test results involving social work exams for the Masters and Bachelors level clinicians. Many states require a potential social worker to pass the test along with finishing school, obtaining supervision and working a specific number of hours in order to be a licensed social worker. There are several critiques of this report including the low passing rates of communities of color including black, Latinx, and Asian communities. The test did not report the numbers of people with different abilities who needed accommodations with their test. Those numbers were not recorded but I bet they have them. According to some of the resources below, the ASWB has had this data for a long time, claimed they did not have it and now just recently released it.
So, how does this impact social workers? First out of the gate, many states within the US require a social worker to pass this test along with other criteria in order to be licensed and be a practicing social worker. If new social workers, especially those of color are unable to pass the test than we are doing a huge disservice to the profession by making it a white only profession. We are not being diverse, serving the needs of the people we work with, being inclusive and understanding the perspective and valuable experiences communities of color can bring to the field.
This report is concerning and upsetting given the really poor passing rates of communities of color who are taking these exams and most concerning are the passing rates of black social workers which is less than 50%. There are real systemic issues at play here including the types of questions being asked, how some of those questions play into stereotypes of marginalized communities, the way questions are asked and framed which come from a very ethno-centric/white perspective. Much like we see in our educational systems, the way in which questions are asked, perspectives taken, the ways people learn, the influence of culture on our educational system along with power inequities, lack of access to basic resources, and really the plan uselessness of these tests. They don’t do a good job “screening out” people who should not be practicing nor are they a good test on the competency of social workers other than they can play the game and pass a standardized test or at least play a good game of passing a test.
We all know people who should not be practicing and who passed the test even though they would not be considered competent social workers. It is time we look inward on the profession to really dismantle and examine the way race, gender, ability and other needs impacts and influences the ways we practice social work. We need to get rid of taking a test that doesn’t measure competency and ability.
If you want to read more about this report and some thoughts on its inherent problems, check out the resources below:
ASWB Report:
https://www.aswb.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/2022-ASWB-Exam-Pass-Rate-Analysis.pdf
Social Workers Rise: Why the ASWB Matters: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8xMjcyYWIyMC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw/episode/ZjM2NDcyMjItMThkNS00NmVjLTk1NDItZGJiMzllNGNhMjNj?hl=en&ved=2ahUKEwjk28v3vrP6AhVDkIkEHfh8DW0QjrkEegQIAxAF&ep=6
Doing the Work: Addressing Racism in Social Work Licensing #StopASWB:
Stop ASWB Exam Petition:
https://www.change.org/p/aswb-end-discriminatory-social-work-licensing-exams
