The social work licensing tests are racist

Sign our petition here to get two of them out of Washington, DC! (View the letter with signers here.)

Please view our Information Session here about the Social Work License Modernization Amendment Act of 2023. We also have our presentation slides here and a two-page policy brief here.

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Robert White has introduced the Social Work License Modernization Amendment Act of 2023! Please visit our Legislation page to learn more. Have questions? Check out our FAQs.

On August 5, the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) released data about the pass rates of their licensing exams. ASWB exams are used across the country as part of the social work licensing process. Their data shows alarming pass rate differences by race. BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of C0lor) individuals pass these tests at much lower rates than their white counterparts. Additionally, older social workers and social workers who speak English as a second language pass at lower rates. While disability data was not released, we know from our Deaf and hard of hearing colleagues that they, too, pass at lower rates. We know that these social workers can and do perform at a high level, and this disparity reflects problems with the tests, not with individuals.

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Rather than using this data to hold themselves accountable, the ASWB blames larger systems issues (without noting that they are part of the system!) and individuals for not passing the test. They are worth more than $40 million, with most of their income coming from test fees - of course they are not interested in change.

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Eliminating exams at the supervised practice level is the best first step to bring equity to our profession and ensure the public has needed social workers to address the challenges our city faces. Social workers provide critical services to city residents - there is no reason that a racially biased test needs to be among the licensure requirements, particularly during a time of such great need for social workers. (Click here for the current social work license requirements for DC.)

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If you are affiliated with Washington, DC in some way, please read our letter and sign it here. 

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If you are not affiliated with Washington, DC, your support is still important! Please sign the national petition here, which currently has over 12,000 signatures. (If you're affiliated with DC, please sign both!)