Some faculty at the University of Maine Schools of Social Work support L.D. 1990 “An Act to Improve the Licensing Procedure for Certain Social Workers by Removing the Examination Requirement.”
They claim the Association for Social Work Board’s national exam for conditional licenses is racist, and the primary reason many Maine social work positions are vacant, and if only this exam were eliminated, recent graduates could have prevented suicides and overdoses.
Entry-level tests of social work graduates’ knowledge is not the problem. The obstacle is our public education system that poorly serves students of color. One outcome has been revealed in ASWB’s most recent report on alarming passing results (page 25): in the master’s exam category, from 2018-2021, 45% of Black and 71% of Asian graduates pass the exam on their first try while 86% of white graduates pass.
Passing the ASWB test is only one gateway to the many tests and challenges that arise over a social work career.
The best continuing education courses require an 80% passing test. Social work practice requires passing exams for certification to treat clients with substance use disorders. Suicide risk assessment can require the use of full Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scales.
L.D. 1990 does not eliminate the ASWB exam for those with master’s degrees, seeking independent clinical licenses, such as the LCSW and LCPC, which most agencies, medical settings, the private sector, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs require of job applicants.
Most professions and licensing boards require passing competency tests to be licensed. Professional licensing is one way to protect clients and the public.
Phyllis Merriam, LCSW
Rockland
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