From Aspiration to Optimization: A Longitudinal Assessment Journey Across Organizations
As credentialing organizations continue to modernize recertification, longitudinal assessment (LA) has emerged as a compelling, evidence‑based alternative to traditional high‑stakes exams. By emphasizing continuous learning, ongoing engagement, and practice‑relevant assessment, LA offers the potential to enhance both the certificant experience and the long‑term value of certification. However, adopting and sustaining longitudinal assessment is not a uniform process, and programs often face different challenges depending on their stage of maturity.
This panel brings together three credentialing organizations at distinct points in their longitudinal assessment journeys to share practical insights, lessons learned, and strategic priorities. The first organization is in an exploratory phase, examining how LA could complement or enhance its existing recertification model. Panelists will discuss the motivations driving this exploration, approaches to building internal and stakeholder consensus, and the foundational considerations shaping early planning efforts, including alignment with evidence‑based guidelines and continued competency goals.
The second organization has recently completed its first full year of longitudinal assessment and will share early outcomes from initial implementation. Discussion will focus on candidate engagement trends, operational and administrative lessons learned, and psychometric findings related to scale stability, learning effects, and assessment integrity. Panelists will also reflect on how participant perceptions evolved over the first year and identify emerging challenges and opportunities that have informed proposed program enhancements.
The third organization offers a seasoned perspective, having delivered longitudinal assessment over multiple years. Their discussion will highlight strategies for sustaining engagement, evolving program design over time, and leveraging longitudinal data to drive continuous improvement while maintaining psychometric rigor and public trust.
Together, these perspectives provide attendees with a practical roadmap for exploring, launching, or refining longitudinal assessment programs. The session concludes with an interactive Q&A, allowing participants to engage directly with panelists on the opportunities and challenges of modernizing recertification through LA.
Learning Objectives:
Describe the key motivations driving credentialing organizations to explore or adopt longitudinal assessment as a modern recertification pathway.
Compare the challenges, lessons learned, and strategic priorities associated with longitudinal assessment programs at different stages of implementation.
Identify early outcomes and operational considerations from a first‑year longitudinal assessment program, including candidate engagement trends and psychometric implications.
Explain strategies used by mature longitudinal assessment programs to sustain certificant engagement while maintaining assessment integrity and psychometric rigor.
Apply insights from multiple organizational experiences to outline practical considerations for exploring, launching, or enhancing a longitudinal assessment program within their own certification context.
Presenters:
Ryan Howard, Director of Learning & Assessments, ITS
David Anderson, President & CEO, W!se
Eric Deutz, Assessment Development Analyst, NBCRNA
Elysia McGowan, Managing Director, American Board of Dermatology
