The purpose of this policy is to demonstrate to students the established standardized procedures for test question development, analysis, evaluation, and testing procedures to ensure reliability, validity, and fairness in assessing student knowledge and performance in nursing courses.

Policy Objective

1. To provide consistent testing procedures to students throughout the nursing program on all examinations.
2. To provide a graduated progression in assessing student learning throughout the program on all examinations.
3. To identify the use of NCLEX test plan on questions administered in each course.
4. To analyze, evaluate, and revise exam items as needed in order to meet standards set forth by the NCLEX test plan.
5. To identify alignment with and achievement of Course and Program Outcomes.

General Guidelines

• A critical thinking test assesses a student’s ability to apply current nursing knowledge and evaluate current best practices in patient care.
• Exam questions should evaluate the current course content.
• A 20 question dosage calculation exam will be administered in the first, second, and third semesters.
  • Students must receive a 90% to pass medications in clinical and progress in the ADN program.
  • Students have 3 chances to pass this exam before the designated date on the course calendar.
  • If a student does not pass the first and second dosage calculation exam, remediation is designated by the course coordinator and mandated before the second or third attempt.
• Each exam should cover aspects of Clinical Judgement: Recognizing/Assessing, Analyzing/Diagnosis, Prioritizing/Planning, Taking Action/Implementing, and Evaluating.
• All questions should relate to the course student learning outcomes.
• Questions should be leveled to demonstrate a progression of difficulty, from simple to complex, utilizing Bloom’s taxonomy to assess student learning across the curriculum.
• Questions should be scrambled within the exam and responses should be scrambled.

Types of Questions

• Multiple choice item types will contain the following parts: stem, options, distractors (wrong answers), and one correct answer.
• “Select all that apply” item types will have the following parts: stem (includes the words “Select all that apply” bolded, in italics, and in parentheses), options, distractors, and correct answers (can range from 1-7 choices).
• Fill in the blank/value item types – these may be math calculation questions.
• Alternative Style item types will include best practices as outlined in the Next generation NCLEX Guidebook.

Exam Construction

• The faculty select items and create exams based on data gathered over multiple semesters.
• Items and exams are aligned to learning outcomes and the NCLEX blueprint.
• Questions are scaffolded based on Bloom’s Taxonomy from lower to higher difficulty (Appendix II)

Testing Blueprint: Instructor Access Only

• Each exam will use the program blueprint form and will include
  • Course-level student learning outcome, which is directly related to an end-of-program learning outcome
  • NCLEX Category
  • Bloom’s Taxonomy Level
  • Clinical judgment/nursing process category
• After the test is administered, complete analysis data will be added, including:
  • Exam KR-20
  • Item difficulty level
  • Item discrimination index or point biserial

Exam Administration

• Students are to assure that their phones are silenced. All phones, smart watches, backpacks, keys, coats, and drinks are to be left at the sides of the room or in the storage area if in the Testing Center .
• Screenshots or pictures of test information is strictly prohibited.
• Earplugs are permitted but listening devices are not.
• Students will be provided scrap paper or white board and dry eraser. They will be required to return it to the proctor at the same time they submit their exam for disposal.
• Students requesting the restroom during an exam will be required to sign out and in.
• Students are required to leave the room immediately after completing and submitting their exam.
• Students who are late are not permitted to take the exam and will have to make an appointment for a make-up exam.
• If an exam is missed, the student must contact the faculty as soon as possible to make a plan regarding exam make-up.
• Communicating about test items is prohibited and a violation of academic integrity.
• Makeup exams will be written at the same level and assess the same SLOs as the original.
• Students with documented learning accommodations will have all exams monitored and proctored by the Testing Center. Students are responsible for making their own appointments with the Testing Center. Testing times cannot interfere with other program requirements (i.e., do not make an appointment for an exam during a clinical time).
• All written work, service learning, commitments, borrowed books and course evaluations must be submitted before sitting for the final exam in all nursing courses.

Collaborative Testing

• Collaborative testing will be offered based on course, for unit exams, dependent on the following criteria:
  • Student compliance with academic integrity policies.
  • Schedule availability
• Students who did not take the exam on the original date are not eligible to take the collaborative exam.
• Student participation is optional.
• Any student who wishes to participate in collaborative testing must be present and seated in their assigned group at the start time.
• Faculty will choose questions from the Unit Exam for the collaborative testing, based on the exam item analysis.
• Students will work in small groups designated by faculty.
• Students will be allotted 30 minutes to complete the test.
• Students must be present for the entire 30 minutes, or until the group agrees to turn in the test, in order to earn additional points.
• Additional points will be assigned as follows:
  • 9 or 10 correct answers will equal 2 points added to the prior Unit Exam.
  • 8 correct answers will equal 1 point being added to the prior Unit Exam.

Posting Grades

The posting of official grades will not occur until faculty have completed exam analysis. Exam analysis may require additional hours/days. Students are expected to remain patient as the faculty determine exam results.

Exam Review

An exam review may be conducted after the exam at the course faculty’s discretion. This review may take any form the faculty choose.