To All Those Interested in the Performance of Students on Comps

Attached to this cover page is the Spring 2003 and Summer 2003 Semester summary of results for the comprehensive exams.  I would like to point out some of the points to note on these results for your review and comment.  First is the fact that as our new cut-off standards (included below) describe, all those that took the exam except one person earned a clear pass.  The one person who did not earn a clear pass did well enough to qualify for an oral review of the areas they were weak in rather than having to retake the exam.  Our Human Services people all passed but not by a great margin and the faculty will be looking at and talking to students and other stake holders about revisions to the exam based on an item analysis or about revisions to the assessed courses.  Next, our School and Mental Health people did well.  Our group mean equaled or exceeded the national standardization group mean in 6 of the 8 areas and for the total score for Spring.  The other three areas for Spring, our group mean was close enough to be within the standard of error measure for equivalency.  Six out of the nine students for both semesters (one of which was in the 33 hour program) scored better than the National Mean and two of the other students (who were both finishing 33 hour programs) were very close to it.  We wish to congratulate our students but also take some pride in that our program is getting students where they need to be.

~ Comprehensive Exam Cut-Off Score ~

(effective Spring 2003)

Individuals taking the Comprehensive Examination for the M.A. in Human Services who score 70 or above, will have passed the examination.  Those who score 60 to 69 points on the examination will be notified within five days that they will need to review the material they were weak in and then they will complete an oral examination given by at least two counseling faculty on the material in that area within two weeks of receiving notification.  If they do not pass the oral review, or if they receive an initial score below 60 on the examination, they will meet with the comprehensive exam committee consisting of at least two counseling faculty to plan for remediation.  These individuals will have to retake the Comprehensive Exam the next time it is offered.  Students can retake the examination twice but if they fail it the third time they will be dismissed from the program.

Individuals taking the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination (CPCE), those in the Masters Degree programs in School Counseling and in Mental Health Counseling, will have earned a clear pass on the comprehensive examination if their total score is above one standard deviation below the national mean.  If they score between one and one and a half standard deviations below the national mean on the total score, they will be asked to complete an oral examination given by at least two counseling faculty on the areas that they were one standard deviation or more below the national mean on.  They will be notified of the need for the oral exam within five days of the department receiving the results from the national scoring service.  If they fail the oral review or if they score below one and one half standard deviations below the national mean on the original examination, they will meet with the comprehensive exam committee consisting of at least two counseling faculty to plan for remediation.  These individuals will have to retake the Comprehensive Exam the next time it is offered.  Students can retake the examination twice but if they fail it the third time they will be dismissed from the program.