NLN Retools Assessment and Evaluation Operations New Test Products and Expanded Online Capability Now Available, Carbondale, IL Branch Office Opens

New York, NY (PRWeb) January 31, 2007 -- Recent changes in its Assessment and Evaluation Business Unit by the National League for Nursing will better equip schools of nursing to attract more qualified applicants and help nursing students enhance their preparation for successful careers in the field.

A new branch office opened in Carbondale, Illinois will centralize and streamline expanded A&E operations. The NLN Midwest staff, which includes software engineers, customer service representatives, and scoring professionals, now provides free to schools of nursing live technical support for online tests, online registration for the pre-admission exam, fee collection, test site seating, and scoring.

Among other improvements instituted within the past year:
• All NLN tests available in both hard copy and online
• All test content updated and current, based on latest changes in curriculum and in accordance with psychometric standards
• New master's level tests introduced in pharmacology and pathophysiology, with more master's level tests in different specialties currently under development
• New practice assessment tests, developed in partnership with Pearson Prentice Hall Health, the leading publisher of nursing textbooks, facilitate study and preparation for specialized achievement tests and national licensure examinations (the NCLEX-RN® and the NCLEX-PN® administered by National Council of State Boards of Nursing)

NLN CEO Dr. Ruth Corcoran observed, "The consolidation of our A&E business operations in Carbondale will advance the NLN's efforts to serve schools of nursing with top-flight products and services that will help alleviate the nursing shortage that has plagued the United States. By creating the most sophisticated tools on the market today to effectively predict students' success, the NLN is making a vital contribution to the future of nursing."

The NLN is noted for its valid and reliable norm-reference tests. Using the NLN's tests allows nurse educators to make valid inferences about each student's ability throughout her or his academic career. NLN tests are trusted assessment and evaluation tools from pre-admission to graduation. They are developed by seeking direction from nurse educators and being responsive to their needs. These precepts form the basis of the philosophy of the NLN and its testing products.

A & E staff consists of nurse educators, psychometricians, software engineers, editors, customer service representatives, and sales managers, and extensive support staff. In-house experts appreciate the broad aspects of psychometrics and the problems of measurement for the nursing profession - practitioners and students, standards, educational programs, and consumers.

More information about the NLN's tests can be found at www.nln.org/testproducts.

To become involved in the test development process and contribute to the quality and content of NLN tests, apply to become an NLN test development consultant, item writer, test reviewer, or field site supervisor. Visit www.nln.org/getinvolved.

Dedicated to excellence in nursing education, the National League for Nursing is the premier organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education offering faculty development, networking opportunities, testing and assessment, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives to its 20,000 individual and 1100 institutional members.

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