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DCA exam unit outlines occupational-analysis process, national exam review
Summary
The Department of Consumer Affairs Office of Professional Examination Services explained how California validates licensing exams, including five-year occupational analyses and national exam linkage studies, during a presentation to the Landscape Architects Technical Committee.
The Department of Consumer Affairs' Office of Professional Examination Services told the Landscape Architects Technical Committee on May 21 that California requires recurring occupational analyses and formal validation of any national exam used for state licensure.
OPS Research Data Supervisor 2 Karen Okasich said OPS is “a unit within the Department of Consumer Affairs” that helps boards develop licensing examinations “that are legally defensible, valid, and fair to candidates.” Brian Knox, the office's test development specialist, described the occupational-analysis (OA) steps OPS follows to define the content domains tested on licensure exams.
Okasich told the committee that California law — Business and Professions Code section 139 — requires examinations be based on a current occupational analysis, typically updated about every five years. She said the OA identifies the tasks and knowledge new licensees must demonstrate for safe, entry-level practice and that the OA is the “starting point” for exam development, item writing, pretesting, exam construction and passing-score setting.
Knox summarized the OA process: subject-matter experts (SMEs) from diverse practice backgrounds draft task and knowledge statements; a practitioner survey rates importance and frequency; and a final SME workshop establishes the examination outline and weighting for content areas. OPS said SMEs should include recent licensees (licensed five years or less) so the exam reflects entry-level competencies rather than long-term specializations.
OPS explained how it reviews national examinations under the department's validation policy. The national review includes a psychometric evaluation of the national OA and item-development procedures, a linkage study comparing the national OA to California practice, and an assessment of whether the national exam plus the California supplemental exam together cover California-specific competencies. Okasich said the last national review for the landscape exam was performed in 2023 and that a subsequent review would likely occur within about three years.
On passing scores, OPS recommended criterion-referenced methods and said the California supplemental exam currently uses a modified-Angoff standard-setting procedure. Knox and Okasich emphasized that passing scores are set to reflect minimum competence rather than a fixed percentage such as “70%,” and that statistical equating and anchor items are used to maintain score consistency between administrations.
Committee members asked about handling regulatory changes between five-year reviews, selection and diversity of SMEs, whether OPS analyzes repeat-test takers or school-level outcomes, and sample/practice exams. Okasich said OPS can expedite item updates for critical regulatory changes and that OPS is preparing sample questions for candidate manuals but noted legal and cost considerations for offering practice exams.
The OPS presentation concluded with an assurance that OPS will work with the committee on selecting representative SMEs, conducting the national linkage study, and producing a national-review report with findings and recommendations.
