Following probation of Florida A&M’s Occupational Therapy program, administrators plan to aggressively prepare students to pass the licensing test on the first try.
The National Licensure Examination placed the OT program on probation in April for failing to meet the accrediting body’s first-time pass rate of 70 per cent. Administrators in May cited the low enrollment as one of the causes for these failures.
Although 100 percent of students pass the test the second time, Interim Director Debora Oliveira says she and the other OT faculty and staff are adding material to their syllabus to ensure students can make the grade in one attempt.
The program has a small number of students, making it harder to meet the quota. If for instance, only six students are in the program and four pass, they would not make the minimum requirements.
“We will be going over test questions in class and putting them on tests so students are more familiar with the material when they see it.” said Oliveira. “it’s not that our students aren’t smart, they need to learn to think the way the test is given.”
Test taking workshops were held this past weekend for graduates and were available via Illuminate for those unable to attend.
The OT program has until December 2012 to reach a first-time pass rate of 70 per cent.
Oliveira says she is very positive and wants the students to shine, she also hopes she has the support of the FAMU community.