Measurement Experts at NBME Receive National Recognition

PHILADELPHIA, May 26, 2018 – Three National Board of Medical Examiners® (NBME®) researchers have received recognition for their influential studies in psychometrics, the science of measurement. Drs. Brian Clauser, Richard Feinberg, and Carol Morrison have been honored with awards for career and research contributions.

Psychometricians develop assessments such as examinations for educational, employment or professional credentialing purposes. Through high-quality assessments, NBME measures health care professionals' knowledge and skills. This helps provide consumers a high degree of confidence that their providers have met a common standard.

Brian Clauser, EdD was awarded the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) Award for Career Contributions. This award is given annually to honor a person whose contributions have had a widespread positive impact on the field of educational measurement. It is considered to be the most prestigious recognition of achievement in the area of psychometrics and assessment.

Brian has published well over 100 papers focused largely on four areas of inquiry: differential item functioning, standard setting, generalizability theory, and automated scoring of simulation and performance assessment. He is widely recognized as the foremost measurement expert on licensure and credentialing within the measurement community as highlighted by his chapter in the most recent edition of Educational Measurement.

Brian's service includes roles as the NCME Annual Meeting Program Chair, a member of the board of editors for several prestigious journals, and a three-year term as the Editor of the Journal of Educational Measurement, the most prestigious journal in educational measurement. Brian's work has had an important impact on the licensure of physicians within the United States and internationally.

NCME is a professional organization for individuals involved in assessment, evaluation, testing, and other aspects of educational measurement. Members are involved in the construction and use of standardized tests; new forms of assessment, including performance-based assessment; program design; and program evaluation.

Richard Feinberg, PhD was awarded the NCME Jason Millman Promising Measurement Scholar Award. This award recognizes a scholar at the early stages of their career (less than six years since earning a doctoral degree) whose research has the potential to make a major contribution to the applied measurement field. The award committee unanimously selected Dr. Feinberg for the Millman Award based on his extensive publication and presentation record notably including well-developed research agendas related to subscores and testing time. These research programs, consistent with the award call, are affecting practice. Further, the upcoming book It's About Time: Integrating Timing Considerations to Improve Standardized Testing Practices as part of the NCME Applications of Educational Measurement and Assessment Book Series along with several existing publications on testing time and speededness are likely to continue to impact the field in the coming years.

Rich's service contributions including conference and journal reviews, and as an advisory editor on the ITEMS section of Educational Measurement: Issues and Practices, stood out even among a strong set of award candidates.

In 1995, the Department of Education at Cornell University initiated the Jason Millman Promising Scholar Program to honor the lifetime work of Dr. Jason Millman, to recognize his contributions to the field of applied measurement, and to continue Dr. Millman's support of scholars in their formative years who are just beginning their research careers.

Carol Morrison, PhD was awarded the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Division I: Education in the Professions Established Investigator Award. This award is given each year to the lead author of the outstanding paper presented as part of the AERA Annual Meeting (Division I). In 2017, Carol presented a paper entitled, Implementing a New Score Scale for the Clinical Science Subject Examinations, coauthored by fellow NBME employees Linette Ross, Greg Baker, Marie Maranki, and Beth Fletcher. It documented the rationale and transition of NBME Clinical Science Subject examinations to an equated percent correct score metric.

AERA, founded in 1916, is a national research society that strives to advance knowledge about education, encourage scholarly inquiry related to education, and promote the use of research to improve education and serve the public good.

Pictured from left to right: National Board of Medical Examiners® experts receive national recognition. Richard Feinberg, PhD was awarded the National Council on Measurement (NCME) Jason Millman Promising Measurement Scholar Award; Carol Morrison, PhD received the American Educational Research Association Division I: Education in the Professions Established Investigator Award; and Brian Clauser, EdD was awarded the NCME Award for Career Contributions. The awards spotlight their influential studies in psychometrics, to develop assessments such as examinations for educational, employment or professional credentialing purposes.

About the National Board of Medical Examiners®
NBME® is an independent, not-for-profit organization that provides high-quality assessments for the health professions. Protection of the health of the public through state-of-the-art assessment is the mission of the NBME, along with a major commitment to research and development in evaluation and measurement. Among its products and services, the NBME develops the United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®), which provides a common evaluation system and established minimum standards for all doctors of medicine seeking an initial license to practice medicine in the United States. USMLE is a joint program of the NBME and the Federation of State Medical Boards. The NBME's examinations and services are also widely used by individuals and institutions in the United States and around the world. More information is available at www.nbme.org.