What are the participation and performance requirements for CertLink?
During the first four years of CertLink enrollment, a diplomate must meet a minimum participation requirement by answering questions on a quarterly basis, with an option to opt out of one quarter annually. The CertLink annual assessment consists of 52 questions (13 per quarter). With the option to abstain from one quarter per year, diplomates must answer at least 39 questions per year to meet the CertLink participation requirements.
After four years of CertLink participation, a “Look Back” will occur in which performance will be initially evaluated. The timing of this “Look Back” is based on the need to have adequate item performance data to make an assessment. At that point, each diplomate will receive feedback that will include whether he or she is on track to adequately fulfill Certlink criteria. Those not on track will receive advice for improving performance.
On each diplomate's profile, there is a dashboard providing a real-time display of the number of questions answered and the percent correct score. This feature allows a diplomate to monitor his or her own CertLink progress.
The system’s delivery of “repeat questions” impacts a diplomate’s performance data. After answering each question, the diplomate finds out if his or her answer is correct, and receives an explanation of the correct answer. This helps diplomates confirm their understanding and/or fill in knowledge gaps. When a diplomate submits an incorrect answer to a question, he or she will then receive the question again (a "repeat question") the following quarter. If the repeat question is answered correctly, the diplomate receives full credit for the correct answer. Only the second response is scored; the original attempt does not count.
If a diplomate skips questions within a segment or skips a segment entirely without formally opting out of a quarter, those questions are marked incorrect. However, skipped questions will be sent to the diplomate (in addition to 13 new questions) the following quarter.
