this message was sent out to our class from our student council:
Failure Rate for NBDE Part II - JCNDE Meeting Follow-Up
Dear ASDA Members,
Last week, the Joint Commission on National Dental Examinations (JCNDE) held its annual meeting in Chicago. One of the major topics of discussion at the meeting was the recent rise in the failure rate on Part II of the NBDE, an issue affecting many of you over the past year. Rich Carlile (VCU '11) and voting commissioner Kari Cunningham (Case Western '10) represented ASDA, and for over two hours the JCNDE debated several requests made by ASDA and other organizations represented on the Joint Commission. Although the JCNDE thoroughly discussed all of our requests -- some of which received significant support from other commissioners -- the JCNDE concluded that no major changes should be made at this time to the Part II examination. The decisions were made on facts explained in the document linked below. Although disappointing, be assured that Rich and Kari represented you well at the meeting. The debate on Part II was robust, comprehensive and fact-based; the JCNDE listened carefully to students' concerns.
To help students better understand the process by which the exam is scored, the JCNDE responded to
a list of frequently asked questions submitted by the previous ASDA Board of Trustees. You will notice that several of the answers reference a technical report prepared by the JCNDE. We've provided the
relevant pages of this document.
Although ASDA was unable to officially shorten the time that candidates must wait to retake the exam, the JCNDE does have an appeals process. If you need to retake the exam before the 90 day waiting period, please be in contact with the deans at your dental school to review the procedure. While not guaranteed, ASDA continues to pressure the JCNDE to accept all reasonable requests.
ASDA engaged in ongoing discussions with the ADA in the months leading up to this meeting, and their cooperation and support for ASDA throughout this dialogue was unwavering.
Early next week, ASDA will send out a podcast interview with our JCNDE representative, Rich Carlile, in which he will respond to questions about the recent meeting, describe his role in the Part II debate and provide some insight into upcoming issues in national board exams. We understand the urgency of this situation for many of you. Know that the ASDA leadership continues to communicate with the ADA and the JCNDE, updating them on student concerns. Please feel free to email me if you find that any of your questions were not answered by this letter, the documents linked below or Rich's podcast. ASDA's leadership is committed to advocating on your behalf and we always appreciate feedback on how we can best support you through these challenging times.
Sincerely yours,
Corwyn Hopke
President
American Student Dental Association
