BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2331
Page 1
CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB
2331 (Dababneh)
As Amended August 19, 2016
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |79-0 |(June 1, 2016) |SENATE: |39-0 |(August 23, |
| | | | | |2016) |
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Original Committee Reference: B. & P.
SUMMARY: Allows an applicant to satisfy the licensure
examination requirement for a dental license by receiving a
passing score on a clinical and written examination developed by
the American Board of Dental Examiners, Inc. (ADEX) subject to
prior review and approval of the examination by the Office of
Professional Examination Services, as provided. This bill would
also authorize the Director of Finance to accept funds for the
purposes of implementing the dental examination developed by the
ADEX. Specifically, this bill:
1)Provides that a passing score on an examination developed by
the ADEX, fulfills part of the examination requirements for
the Dental Board of California (DBC).
2)Specifies that the DBC shall determine the passing score for
the examination.
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3)Indicates that the Department of Consumer Affair's Office of
Professional Examination Services shall review the ADEX
examination to ensure compliance with the requirements of
Section 139 and to certify that the examination process meets
those standards, prior to implementation of the examination.
4)Specifies that if the department determines that the
examination process fails to meet those standards, or if the
ADEX fails to pay the costs and expenses the DBC incurs, it
shall not be implemented. The review of the ADEX examination
shall be conducted during or after DBC's occupational
analysis.
5)Requires the ADEX to pay all reasonable costs and expenses the
DBC incurs, as specified.
6)Permits the Department of Finance to accept funds for the
purposes of reviewing and implementing the examination
developed by the ADEX.
The Senate amendments add language to avoid chaptering out
issues with SB 1478 (Hill) of the current Legislative Session.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee, this bill will result in:
1)Initial costs of about $20,000 for an occupational and
psychometric evaluation of the new examination to ensure that
it complies with the occupational requirements for dentists
and state law regarding non-discrimination (State Dentistry
Fund). The DBC will incur a similar cost every seven years to
validate the continuing appropriateness of the examination.
The costs to validate the examination will be reimbursed by
the ADEX.
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2)One-time costs of $90,000 and ongoing costs of $82,000 per
year to develop regulations and to process additional
licensure applications by the DBC (State Dentistry Fund). By
providing an additional examination for licensure, the DBC
anticipates some growth in the number applicants for licensure
who trained at out-of-state dental schools.
COMMENTS:
Purpose. This bill is sponsored by the American Board of Dental
Examiners, Inc. According to the author, "AB 2331 will
facilitate the recognition of the ADEX Patient Centered
Curriculum Integrated Dental Examination Format (PC-CIF) as an
option for initial licensure in California. This additional
exam option will allow out-of-state dental students seeking to
practice in California, including California residents choosing
to return to their home state, the opportunity to take the ADEX
PC-CIF test in other states where it is administered. This exam
format meets the American Dental Association and California
Dental Associations guidelines for the ethical use of patients
during a licensure exam."
Background. Examination Requirements. The DBC requires that
applicants for licensure as a dentist meet a number of
examination requirements including: 1) passing Parts I and II
of the written examinations of the National Board Dental
Examination of the Joint Commission on National Dental
Examinations, and 2) obtaining a passing score on either the
Western Region Examining Board examination written or clinical
examination, or a portfolio examination. Applicants must also
complete a California law and ethics examination.
History of the DBC Portfolio Examination. In 2008, the DBC
commissioned Comira Psychometric Services to conduct a study of
competencies in dental education programs. The Board had
concerns about existing clinical examinations, especially in
terms of validity of the content tested and the reliability of
judgments made on examinee performance. Comira identified four
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alternatives to initial licensure based on interviews,
observations, and documentation; those alternatives were: 1)
Curriculum Integrated Format (CIF), 2) Objective Standardized
Clinical Examination (OSCE), 3) traditional portfolio, and 4) a
hybrid portfolio examination. The hybrid portfolio examination
was an alternative based upon the synthesis of the traditional
portfolio and test cases (or competency cases) used in the
dental schools for competency evaluations.
In February 2009, Comira prepared a report for the DBC entitled,
Alternative Pathways for Initial Licensure for General Dentists,
Final Report, February 9, 2009, which provided findings and
evidence to support the feasibility of an additional examination
for the DBC to add as a pathway to initial licensure. The
report supported the conclusion that the hybrid portfolio
examination model satisfied the criteria identified by the DBC
and the psychometric consultants. Subsequently, Comira prepared
an additional report for the DBC entitled Portfolio Examination
to Qualify for California Dental Licensure, December 1, 2009
which defined the competencies to be tested in the portfolio
examination and provided background research for the
examination's implementation process.
Using the findings of these two reports, the DBC sponsored
legislation, AB 1524 (Hayashi), Chapter 446, Statutes of 2010.
AB 1524 eliminated the clinical and written examination
administered by the DBC and replaced it with a portfolio
examination of an applicant's competence to enter the practice
of dentistry, to be conducted while the applicant is enrolled in
a DBC-approved dental school located in California.
The DBC implemented the Portfolio Examination process in 2014.
The Portfolio Exam is currently offered at four of the six
dental schools in California including: 1) University of
California, Los Angeles, 2) University of California, San
Francisco, 3) University of the Pacific, and 4) University of
Southern California
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Portfolio Examination Application Process. The portfolio
examination is to be conducted while the applicant is still
enrolled in a DBC-approved dental school located in California.
The portfolio examination is required to utilize uniform
standards of clinical experiences and competencies approved by
the DBC. An applicant is required to pass a final assessment of
the submitted portfolio at the end of his or her dental school
program. Before the portfolio may be submitted to the DBC, the
applicant must pay the Board a $350 application fee and provide
a letter of good standing signed by the dean of the dental
school, or his or her delegate, stating that the applicant has
graduated or will graduate with no pending ethical issues.
The ADEX Examination. The ADEX examination has been recognized
in 43 states. The new PC-CIF, which the author compares to the
DBC's Portfolio Exam, is only recognized in New York. The
PC-CIF includes structured patient involvement, informed
consent, and patient follow-up.
The author purports that graduates from out-of-state dental
programs, including California residents, have to pass the
Western Regional Examining Board examination which requires
out-of-state students to travel to California to take the
examination. The author believes that by adding the ADEX's
PC-CIF as an option, students will be able to take this
examination in the state they are located in
Occupational Analysis. An occupational analysis generally
employs survey methodology to gather job information. That
information may be used to help establish recruitment and
selection criteria for entry into the occupation, and identify
training standards for evaluating training efficacy and
efficiency. Prior to the DBC accepting the ADEX PC-CIF, an
occupational analysis must be completed. In addition, this
measure allows the DBC to accept funding from entities to cover
the costs associated with conducting the occupational analysis
of the ADEX examination to ensure it meets California's
standards.
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Analysis Prepared by:
Le Ondra Clark Harvey Ph.D. / B. & P. / (916)
319-3301 FN:
0004892