I'm guessing that the exam folks are taking notes like mad on this
discussion....I think many of the points, like the ones below, are well
made. In some ways, perhaps we can be described as a profession of
elephant catalogers - all blind, and all assigned a different portion of
the beast's anatomy. The range of variance in content, format, missions,
stakeholder interests (and power over the collections), resources, etc.
in archives-land is very wide (on a bell curve, we're all skewed?). A
test can obviously only attempt to take the most representative slice
available.
I took the test for a very specific reason - I felt that my department
needed some kind of credentialing, as we were being looked at as just
another flavor of library. We were "the library archive." I require my
staff to become eligible for the test, and to train as if they were
going to take the test, including the study guide and readings. This is
my version of a staff development program. Once satisfied of this level
of training, taking the test is up to them (and our travel budget). Of
course they (and I) tend to focus our study on the material relevant to
our operation. How well we do, or would do, on the test would perhaps
reflect the degree to which there were questions relating to our area of
practice. At this point, that really isn't the issue.
Have we heard yet from any of the folks who attended the item writing
sessions at annual conference?
Stephen
-----Original Message-----
From: Archives & Archivists [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Kelly B. Farner
Sent: Wednesday, August 09, 2006 9:41 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: CA Exam
Hello
Thank you Ambika, Your email has returned the discussion back to the
issue of the test format and thank you for giving positive suggestions
on how to make it better. Those issues in my opinion are very important
in trying to get a "ruler" or measure of professional standards. In
discussing the test with my partner, he made the comparison, which was
very helpful in defining a major issue within the test. My partner
said, "It sounds like if you asked IT people what the best laptop is.
There are many correct answers but it's a matter of subjective choice on
what the 'best' is." I felt that the CA exam was as he stated and
another comparison: if the appropriate relative humidity for photographs
is between 30-50%, the exam wanted you to answer 30, 40, or 50. There
is a range of acceptable RH and by making a person answer for only one
"correct" behavior that is not an accurate measure of the knowledge. I
hope that makes sense. I am not saying that was on the exam but trying
to state how the exam format was not the best measure of knowledge. My
suggestion to improve the test would be to allow the test taker a chance
to explain why he or she answered a certain question the way they did.
Instead of getting zero points for an incorrect answer the test taker
may get half the points if his or her answer falls within acceptable
methods etc.
Again hope that makes sense.
Kelly
-----Original Message-----
From: Archives & Archivists [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Ambika Sankaran
Sent: Wednesday, August 09, 2006 7:59 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: CA Exam
Just to give my two small cents in. I'm not accusing anyone of anything
or of the exam being horrible. But why don't the creators of the exam
(this is just a suggestion) take it themselves in a similar setting as
everyone else and see how they do on it. That way they can assess how
the exam is administered and possibly make it better. Or if not get
guinea pigs (in our profession I'm sure some of us don't mind being
guinea pigs) and make it better for those who are interested
in making it better. Nothing is perfect in life but we can definitely
try and make it better.
Ambika Sankaran
---- Original message ----
>Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2006 09:19:27 -0400
>From: "Pullen, Sharon" <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: CA Exam
>To: [log in to unmask]
>
>Bill,
> I never accused anyone, least of all recent graduates of anything.
>My post was in reply to one by Susan Hamson, who is not one of those
who
>took the most recent ACA exam. If you had read the thread with
>more care, you might have realized that.
> I usually take care NOT to post extreme messages to this listserv
>because I wish to avoid the conflicts of personality that discussions
of
>these 'professional' issues often engender. When I have an extreme
>reaction to a post, I usually email the sender directly, rather than
>posting to the listserv.
> Regarding the posts by those who sat for the most recent exam, many
>of their observations were legitimate and should be considered by both
>ACA and SAA in future plans.
> I also believe that if you read the posts by myself and Ms. Hamson,
>although they may not be cordial, at no time did they descend to
>personal name calling.
>
>
>Sharon A. Pullen, C.A.
>Archivist
>Office of the County Clerk
>Historic Documents Library
>310 Center Drive
>Riverhead, NY 11901-3392
>Email: [log in to unmask]
>Phone: (631) 852-2000 extn. 700
>Fax: (631) 852-2004
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Bill Landis [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>Sent: Monday, August 07, 2006 9:59 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: CA Exam
>
>Yikes, Sharon Pullen's post is a bit draconian, IMHO! It is one thing
to
>honestly state your opinion, but to accuse recent grads of endangering
th
>e
>profession because they try to generate a healthy debate about an
issue,
>like archival certification, about which reasonable people might
disagree
>?
>Lighten up! I think having a certification exam that recent graduate
prog
>ram
>graduates don't see the value of having studied for and sat through is
*
>at
>least* as dangerous to the profession as airing reasonable negative
>commentary on the exam.
>
>Certification works for some and not for others (myself included among
th
>e
>latter, in the interests of fair disclosure), but it surely won't make
on
>e a
>better archivist and in my experience has never even remotely been a
fact
>or
>in applying for and interviewing for archival positions.
>
>Just my $0.02,
>
>Bill Landis
>Metadata Coordinator
>(not currently working as an archivist, but using my uncertified
archival
>
>knowledge, graduate degree, training, and experience on a daily basis
in
>my job)
>California Digital Library
>University of California Office of the President
>Oakland, CA
>
>A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List sponsored by the
>Society of American Archivists, www.archivists.org.
>For the terms of participation, please refer to
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>
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>
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>
>A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List sponsored by the
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