The NPTE Quarterly Faculty Newsletter is published by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT) as one mechanism to communicate with faculty in physical therapist and physical therapist assistant programs. This effort to provide ongoing communication includes current information and updates on the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) as well as information on other regulatory issues that might impact or be of interest to program faculty. Subscription to the newsletter is free to all physical therapist and physical therapist assistant program faculty. Please contact communications@fsbpt.org for subscription information, feedback and comments.
New NPTE Content Outlines are on the FSBPT website
The Federation completed its latest practice analysis in 2006 and has used that information to update the content outlines for the 2008 PT and PTA NPTE. The content outlines delineate the major content areas of the examinations. They will be used to develop the exams taken by candidates beginning March 1, 2008. You can review the content outlines by going to www.fsbpt.org.
Updated Candidate Handbook are on the FSBPT Website
The 2007 NPTE Candidate Handbook is here! To allow for more timely updates and faster service, the handbook is now available only online. To download copies, please go to our website, www.fsbpt.org.
NPTE Faculty Workshop Schedule for 2007: September 7-9 in Memphis, Tennessee
We continue to hear positive feedback from faculty of PT and PTA programs that have attended these workshops. They consist of a day of learning how to write and analyze multiple choice questions and a day of general information on the NPTE including how to read and utilize school report information.
One workshop is still open in 2007, and it is held concurrently with the Federation’s Annual Meeting. This workshop is extended a half day to take advantage of the educational sessions offered during the Federation’s Annual Meeting.
Registration is now open for the September workshop. More information can be found online at www.fsbpt.org. You may also email facultyworkshop@fsbpt.org.
Plan Ahead: 2008 NPTE Workshop for Faculty
September 12-14, 2008
Hyatt Regency Minneapolis, Minnesota
Although registration is not open yet, we will conduct at least one NPTE Workshop for Faculty in 2008. This workshop will be held concurrently with the Federation’s annual meeting in Minneapolis. The agenda and cost will be similar to the 2007 NPTE Workshop held in Memphis.
What Students Need to Know
As your students prepare to take the NPTE, one of the resources available to them is the online Practice Exam and Assessment Tool (PEAT). PEAT is a timed, multiple choice practice examination with the “look and feel” of the actual NPTE. Practice exam questions have been developed by experienced clinicians and item writers in the same format as the NPTE. The benefits of using PEAT as part of test preparation include:
Practicing with a timed examination will help your students learn how to pace themselves for the real NPTE.
If your students experience test anxiety, practicing with PEAT can help them become accustomed to the way a timed computer-based exam functions. This may help reduce anxiety on exam day.
An immediate Performance Report by content area, system, and intervention is provided so that students can see how well they did on the practice exam and to show them what they need to study.
PEAT provides students with a rationale for why the correct answer for each question is correct.
References are provided for further research.
Supplemental Materials are available to download and print. They include information about NPTE construction, tips on how to use the content outlines and PEAT in exam preparation and more.
Students have access to PEAT for 30 days at a cost of $70. For more information or to order PEAT, go to www.fsbpt.org.
This Quarter’s Question - What Do I Need to Know About School Reports?
How do I order school reports?
School administrators will need to go back to “For Faculty” and click on “School Reports” to order school report subscriptions.
How do I find out my school code and password in order to log on?
If you have not yet subscribed or don’t know/don’t remember your school code and password, please send an email to schoolreports@fsbpt.org. From there, go to “For Faculty”/ “School Reports” on www.fsbpt.org and log in to either request a free subscription (reports are mailed twice a year at specific intervals determined by the Federation) or purchase an online subscription.
What kind of reports do you offer?
We offer four types of reports. Before you order any subscription, it is a good idea to review the sample reports first. That way you can be sure you’re ordering the report that provides the information you really want. Go to “For Faculty”/ “School Reports” on www.fsbpt.org. Look to the right of the SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR LOGIN box. You will find report descriptions and links to sample reports.
Basic Mail Subscription (Free): Includes two "Basic Reports" that are sent via mail at specific intervals determined by the Federation. If you would like to receive the free basic mail subscription, you must subscribe to it through this online website. This report is available for the current year and it will include information for two prior years.
Basic Online Subscription ($100): Includes two "Basic Reports" that are accessible via the Schools Home website. Basic reports show pass rates for most current graduating classes and two prior years. They include names of student in those graduating classes, although they do not include individual student’s scores on the NPTE.
Enhanced Subscription ($200): Includes two "Enhanced Reports" that are accessible via the Schools Home website. The format of the enhanced report is the same as the Basic Reports but in addition, Enhanced Reports provide individual students’ scores on each attempt to pass the exam.
Content Area Subscription ($200): Includes two "Content Breakdown Reports" that are accessible via the Schools Home website. This report is available for graduating classes of 2003 until present. It compares your first time test takers to first time test takers from all U.S. CAPTE accredited schools during the same period on each area of the examination.
Can I pay with a purchase order?
The online system has two payment options; credit card or invoice. If you pay by credit card, your reports are available to be run the same day. If you prefer to have your institution send a check, you can choose to pay by invoice. When you choose to pay by invoice, the last screen of the purchase process is the official invoice. The invoice can be printed and submitted to your accounts payable department so that a check can be issued and mailed to the Federation with the invoice. Please do not send a purchase order - use the invoice you printed at the time you registered online for your subscription.
What is the “My Students” listing?
The “My Students” listing is a critical component of the school report process. Immediately prior to running each report you should review “My Students” to verify that all the students on the listing did indeed graduate from your institution. If you find a student listed that did not graduate from your program, there is a link to “Request a Correction” for each graduating class on the My Students page. Remember to review the “My Students” listing prior to running every report.
Additionally, you can view the “My Students” listing to see how many candidates have tested (and when they tested) so that you can decide when the best time is to run your report. For instance, you probably would not want to run a report that includes candidates for 2006 if only a small portion of those candidates have tested.
Why do my reports expire after 30 days?
The Federation simply does not have the “storage space” to maintain all school reports for an unlimited period of time. Instead, you should print the reports or to save them as Excel files on your own computers so that you have a permanent record.
If my reports expire after 30 days, why have a subscription for a year?
The first reason is so that you can choose when you would like to run your reports during the year. You may choose to run one report mid-year and another report at the end of the year. The second reason is that by having a subscription, you can request additional reports at a discounted rate of only $50.
