In this issue:
We are excited to welcome back both staff and volunteers to our offices very soon! While we have all made our way using virtual means, we are eager to bring back in-person collaborations and connections. Please note, we will require proof of vaccination for all staff and volunteers who plan to work on-site in our office in Alexandria, Virginia. We plan to have in-person meetings in 2022, but we will require proof of vaccination before we issue travel authorizations. As always, we will continue to monitor all pandemic developments closely and follow safety guidance from health organizations.
FSBPT will be hosting a virtual Educators Workshop January 21-23, 2022. The workshop will include self-led learning with on-demand presentations, materials, and quizzes; live Q&As and group discussions during the event weekend to discuss the materials; and one-on-one sessions with our Item Writing Trainers and other staff during and after the event weekend. Watch the brief video below to learn more and register now.
FSBPT will soon formally review and revise the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE) Content Outlines for both the Physical Therapist and Physical Therapist Assistant examinations with the help of the Technical Advisory Panel and Practice Analysis Task Forces.
The Practice Analysis Task Forces consist of a diverse group of PT professionals charged with reviewing the data from the practice analysis data collections from 2016-2022 in order to identify critical work activities and knowledge and skill requirements related to safe and effective entry-level practice. These groups will then use the data to revise the content to be included on the NPTE at each exam level, as well as the number of questions that should be allocated to each content area in accordance with their relative importance and the breadth of material to be assessed. The result will be new Content Outlines.
In 2023, FSBPT will conduct a performance standard review to potentially revise the passing standard for the NPTE as defined by minimally safe and competent physical therapy practice. Ultimately, examinations will be reflective of the new Content Outlines and performance standards beginning in 2024.
We are looking for volunteers for the Practice Analysis Task Forces who will participate in meetings in 2022 and 2023. If you are interested, please contact us at volunteer@fsbpt.org. We also encourage you to learn more about the practice analysis process.
We are accepting presentation ideas and proposals for 2022 webinars and in-person sessions at the 2022 Annual Meeting in Orange County, California.
If you have a specific idea, please submit a proposal. However, we are also interested in learning about your general ideas on what issues we should examine. We encourage educators to please share topics and ideas with us. You can watch recent webinars and register for upcoming sessions on the FSBPT events platform.
To ensure that schools and candidates have accurate information, FSBPT will begin posting the first-time pass rates for CAPTE-accredited institutions on our website early next year. Based on a review of school websites, some schools had difficulty meeting CAPTE’s requirement to post this information.
The two-year pass rates will be updated in the first quarter of each year and will include the two most recent years with complete data. For example, early in 2022, we will publish the pass rates for the 2020 and 2021 graduating cohorts.
FSBPT will report the following statistics:
To protect candidate confidentiality, FSBPT will not publish the pass rates from very small cohorts across the reported time frame (< 10 candidates) or the counts of candidates within each cohort year.
First-time pass rates are generally high among CAPTE-accredited programs. Additionally, many factors can affect pass rates, most notably, first-time pass rates may be driven by individual student factors such as preparation strategies, academic achievement at program entry, and individual circumstances (such as life events that delay the NPTE). Users are cautioned against over-interpreting differences among first-time pass rates as strong indicators of the quality of instruction at these institutions.
The NPTE helps jurisdictions determine if entry-level PTs and PTAs are competent to practice safely and effectively. To fairly assess candidates, we must also ensure that there are no barriers to anyone based on demographic background, age, place of birth, or other factors that are not within an individual’s control. To do that, FSBPT leverages multiple tools and strategies and ensures that all volunteers are properly trained to avoid bias in items. In a recent webinar, FSBPT staff detailed the different approaches FSBPT takes to ensure the NPTE remains a fair and equitable tool to promote public protection. Watch the webinar now.
Item writing for the NPTE is a great way to gain expertise in crafting multiple-choice questions, share your knowledge of the profession, work with and learn from colleagues, and have fun! FSBPT is currently holding Basic Item Writing Workshops virtually due to COVID-19; however, we plan to transition to in-person workshops in 2022.
If you or someone you know would like to participate in an Item Writing Workshop, apply online or send an inquiry to volunteer@fsbpt.org.
Visit the FSBPT website for information on a range of topics.
Back to Top
If you have questions, challenges or ideas, we want to hear from you! FSBPT (703) 299-3100 | FCCPT (703) 684-8406 (Call FSBPT unless otherwise noted after name)
Contact Person
Title
Topics
William A. Hatherill
Chief Executive Officer
FSBPT Issues
Susan Layton Rich Woolf
Chief Operating Officer Chief Professional Officer
General questions and feedback; research questions
Lorin Mueller, PhD
Managing Director of Assessment
Psychometrics, test development and construction
Christine Sousa
Managing Director of Exam Services
Exam administration issues, ADA
Jamie Nolan, FCCPT
Managing Director of the Foreign Credentialing Commission on Physical Therapy (FCCPT)
Foreign educated graduates
Rhonda Collins
Administrative Assistant
School reports: schoolreports@fsbpt.org
Practice Exam and Assessment Tool (PEAT): peat@fsbpt.org