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Updated 1/24/18

Over the past few years many NCFR members have expressed interest in using the Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) exam as an assessment tool for their Family Life Education (FLE) program. For a number of reasons, this is not feasible. Additionally, the creation of a completely separate assessment exam was cost prohibitive. However, several pieces have since come together to now make this possible. A standing CFLE exam committee has been formed and a process has been established to update the CFLE exam item bank on a regular basis. I am pleased to report that the FLE assessment exam is now available!

Items for the assessment exam were developed using the same criteria as the exam used to award the CFLE credential to individuals. Both the CFLE exam and the FLE assessment exam will be populated with items pulled from a single NCFR test bank. However, items will appear only on one test form; we will not pull questions from the CFLE exam for use on the assessment exam and vice versa.

It is important to note that the assessment exam will not result in certification for those who successfully complete it. The assessment exam will be used only to help Family Science programs evaluate how well their program is covering the family life content areas identified as representing the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for the effective practice of Family Life Educators.

To keep the cost of the assessment exam within reach of most programs, it will be administered by paper and pencil rather than Computer-Based Testing (CBT), although CBT administration may be an option in the future. Schroeder Measurement Technologies (SMT), our testing vendor, will ship printed copies of the exam to programs via secure shipping. The exams will be administered by an approved onsite proctor and shipped back to SMT on the same day.

Exam data will be reported to the program and not to individual students. At this time, we plan to provide a program with the following aggregate data:

Aggregated student data: Average data for all students’ performance (e.g., average score for all students was 80%)

Aggregated student data for each of the 10 FLE content areas: Average data for all students’ performance in each of the 10 content areas (e.g., average score for all students in Content Area 1 = 60%, in Content Area 2 = 95%, and so on)

Comparison of aggregated student data: Data comparing students’ average performance to the average performance of students from peer institutions, which would be identified only by ID number (e.g., average score for all students from University 1 = 79% and University 2 = 84%)

Comparison of aggregated student data for each of the 10 FLE content areas: Data comparing students’ average performance in each of the 10 content areas to the average performance in each of the 10 content areas of students from peer institutions (e.g., average data for all students’ performance in each of the 10 content areas at University 1, Content Area 1 = 75%, Content Area 2 = 97%, and so on; University 2, Content Area 1 = 83%, Content Area 2 = 91%, and so on). Comparison data will not be available until a sufficient number of students have completed the assessment exam. 

Individual student data: Survey respondents expressed some interest in individual student data (students would be identified only by an ID number), but there was greater interest in aggregated data. NCFR will have the option of providing data on individual student scores upon request.

To work out the logistics of offering the FLE assessment exam and reporting data back to the programs, we will be testing the exam with a few schools. The exam will be available this fall to all interested institutions. If you're interested in using the FLE assessment exam for your college or university's program beginning this fall, or if you would like more information, please contact me.

NCFR is excited to be able to respond to a need expressed by the membership and to provide this service to the discipline of Family Science.