Simulation and High-Stakes Assessment

Abstract High-stakes assessment is the process of using test scores for the purpose of making decisions that have major consequences for the individual being tested. It is part of the licensing and/or credentialing process for many of the health professions. As a process, it drives individual learning, enables self-assessment, and can provide a focus for health school curricula. A major limitation of high-stakes assessment is the high accuracy, minimal misclassification requirement that often limits the examinations to multiple-choice knowledge assessments. This chapter presents the definition and history of high-stakes assessment, then discusses the advantages and challenges of using high-fidelity simulation for this purpose.