Welcome once more! In the past five newsletter we have reviewed the components expected from ARC-PA when a PA Program must complete the Required Report for Low First-Time Taker Pass Rates. Now that we covered the ten categories of information that ARC-PA designates, let’s discuss how to create and submit a report that will satisfy their requirements.

ARC-PA’s Key Elements of Analysis

The key concept is to present data related to each required area, then attempt to correlate the results to the program’s PANCE performance. When filling out your report, follow these guidelines:

• Provide narrative describing your program’s approach to analysis of the data collected and displayed, including the benchmarks and thresholds (with rationale) used. 

• Provide narrative describing the analysis of all data collected and displayed. Include resulting conclusion(s) and application of the analysis to the program.

• List the strengths of the program identified because of the data analysis and conclusions. If none, then leave the “strengths’ section blank.

• Use the Action Plan section of the Pass Rate Report to describe any modifications that occurred because of the program’s analysis of the required elements of the report. Remember, Action Plans must be data-driven.

• As a result of the data analysis and conclusions identified, list the areas in need of improvement and plans for addressing these areas as identified by the program’s analysis of the required elements of the Pass Rate Report. If none, then leave this section blank. If completed, list them in the Modifications table.

Tips for Completing the Report

As you evaluate each of the variables in the Pass Rate Report, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Is there a direct correlation between the two variables? In some of the variables such as instructor evaluations, preceptor evaluations, and exit surveys, there may be no direct correlation or even a causal comparative relationship. If that is the case, there are no modifications related to that section.

2. Can you identify lower performance within these variables for students who failed PANCE versus those that passed?

3. Are there valuable data points that can lead you to identify students early who may be at risk based upon the retrospective data, thereby leading to higher performance on the PANCE in the future? 

Then, generate action plans and areas needing improvement directly connected to the data itself. Avoid having a degree of separation between the action plans and the actual data. Remember that the reader will reverse-engineer these areas to the analysis section of the narrative.

Avoid these common mistakes:

• A lack of connectivity between conclusions in the narratives and the sections involving strengths, modifications, and areas in need of improvement.

• Including any strengths, modifications, areas in need of improvement that cannot be directly derived from the narrative within the ARC-PA pass rate template and directly related to a data source.

For more help and information…

If your PA program has experienced a drop in first-time PANCE taker pass rates, Massey & Martin, LLC offers a 1-1.5-day workshop, providing a comprehensive overview about how to identify students at risk for underperforming on the PANCE. 

I can also provide assistance with low pass-rate reports, including data analysis and oversight of drafting. Contact me for an exploratory call.

I have spent over 20 years developing intervention programs to identify students who need additional remediation. Please feel free to call Dr Scott Massey, LLC for a consultation or visit https://www.drscottmassey.com/ for more information about this and the other programs we offer for PA educators.

We also offer a 5th Edition Standards workshop (of one or two days) which comprehensively reviews the 5th Edition Standards regarding the Self-Study Report. The optional Day Two incorporates methodology on taking your assessment system to the next level.

Conclusion: the WIN/WIN situation of passing PANCE rates

We should not get tunnel-vision and assume that first-time PANCE pass rates are important only in how they reflect on the institution. On the other hand, let us not sugarcoat this truth: first-time pass rates matter in your program’s ongoing accreditation. The fine line here is that a passing PANCE score matters just as much to every PA student as they do to your program. When you encourage a strong regimen of test preparation, including practice exams and study schedules, everyone benefits. After all, what is the point of going through the time, stress, and expense of PA school if not to become a Physician Assistant? And one cannot become a Physician Assistant without passing the PANCE. 

A high first-time passing PANCE rate is a win/win. As your program examines the variables that effect PANCE scores, then makes modifications to curriculum, engages in Student Success Coaching, and offers preparatory measures for PANCE exams, know that these efforts benefit everyone, now and in the future of your PA program.