The PAE Review Committee* held a meeting on September 25, 2004 in St. Louis, MO. The following is a brief review of the discussion and changes that will be implemented.

The committee is in the process of making a procedure manual to include the following:

1. Each question approved for use in the PAE must have 2 references.

2. Any question without two references will not be used, even if the question refers to common practice.

3. Biotechnological science questions will be added to Version 3 of the PAE beginning January 2005.

4. All exams are to be weighted the same as to difficulty and percentage of each content area. Item analysis report(s) will be presented to the committee on an annual basis in order to evaluate exam questions and their validity.

5. Beginning January 2007 only web based testing (WBT) will be made available. The notification of program directors of the deadline date will begin; methods of notification include notice on the PAE and ARC-ST web site; announcement on the ARC-ST web site; announcement on the ARC-ST discussion board; announcements in the quarterly Instructor’s Newsletter; announcements at Instructor’s Forum and Instructor’s Workshop.

6. The committee will continue to ask instructors for input and exam questions to be reviewed for the exam

7. A $50 fee will be charged for each additional PAE report that is requested by a program director. This fee is effective immediately.

8. Orientation for new committee members and reorientation for current committee members will occur on an annual basis at meetings.

9. The orientation for new committee members will include sending information prior to their first meeting and conducting a face-to-face orientation at their first meeting.

10. Presentation at the Instructor’s Workshop 2005 and Instructor’s Forum 2006 by committee members on test writing skills. Have instructor’s write questions to submit at the end of the presentation for the PAE.

The committee will meet twice in 2005. The first being January 6-8 th. 

*PAE Review Committee: Anthony Adams, CST, University of Colorado Hospital, Aurora, CO; Connie Bell, CST, Glendale Career Center, Glendale, CA; Renee Nemitz, CST, RN, Western Iowa Technical Community College, Sioux City, IA; Wanda Dantzler, RN, CNOR, CRCST, Cincinnati State Tech & Community College, Cincinnati, OH; Keith Orloff, CST, Concorde Career Institute, North Hollywood, CA; Clifford Smith, RN, CNOR, CRNFA, BSN, Mt Aloysius College, Cresson, PA; Chris Keegan, CST, MS, Vincennes University, Vincennes, IN; Roy Zacharias, CST, Concorde Career Institute, Arlington, TX.