ATI Appeal

Nursing Students General Students

Published

Hi all,

I go to a nursing college that integrates ATI into our curriculum. My most recent class that I took was Nursing care of children- my average text exam score was an 80%, I passed my clinical with a Satisfactory, and I did excellent on all of my class assignments but what took the most difficulty was the ATI final proctored exam. Our school requires us to get a level 2 (63.3) to pass the entire class, so even if you recieved an overall A in the class you would fail if you did not pass this test. We are given 2 tries to pass the test and the first try I received a 55.5. After a week long of studying the provided ATI book (read it thoroughly twice), studying class notes, reviewing the Nurse Logic testing strategies, and going through practice tests/ focused review I received a 61.7 (1.4 or 1 question short of passing. After meeting with my course coordinator I was informed that I would not be passing the class due to the 1 question that I missed. I am currently writing an appeal letter that is to be sent to the dean of the nursing department and the dean of the school. Does anyone have any pointers for this letter? Any past experiences from the ATI testing? Any scholarly journals that can support my appeal? Also, (worst case scenario) is there any nursing colleges that would accept my current nursing credits so that I could still graduate by next year?

I'm currently put in a difficult situation because my school only offers this class once a year, so not only will I have to wait til next year to take the class again, but I will not be allowed to take any other nursing classes at my school next year, and I will have to put off graduation for another year.

She failed out of school then went through school again and then passed the NCELX? It doesn't seem like her newfound success could be due to doing at least some of her coursework TWICE?

I think her point was that since the new school didn't have ATI, she passed, graduated, and passed NCLEX. Which could have happened the first time had it not been for ATI failing her.

Specializes in Forensic Psych.

I think her point was that since the new school didn't have ATI, she passed, graduated, and passed NCLEX. Which could have happened the first time had it not been for ATI failing her.

Maybe, maybe not. She didn't take the NCELX the first time, so we have no idea. Maybe she would've failed anyway and needed the extra time to prepare. The world will never know.

She failed out of school then went through school again and then passed the NCELX? It doesn't seem like her newfound success could be due to doing at least some of her coursework TWICE?

Well, not really. You have missed the point. She passed NCLEX because she was able to finish her nursing program, but she did not go through a program twice. She was simply able to finish somewhere else because she was kicked out after the 3rd semester. The point is that because the first school was using ATI tests to weed students out and to keep students from progressing (instead of using the tests in a more productive way), she never got the chance to complete the coursework at the first school and to show that she actually was a good candidate to pass the NCLEX. Instead, ATI supposedly predicted that she would not make it. But she did. These tests are given every semester as part of the school's accrediting purposes - to try to benchmark and predict and weed out which students are not going to help the school keep its high NCLEX pass rates so that they can dump these "bad apples." But they're not all bad apples. Like I've said, I think ATI is a great tool for learning and for practicing questions - they have some good tutorials - but some schools are using these tests for the wrong purposes and not utilizing them as they really could be utilized. Instead of allowing the tests to show them where the school can improve its curriculum and where the student can ID their weaknesses and improve with more curriculum work and maybe take the test again at a later date, they use the tests as artificial barriers to graduation.

I thought the NJ Board of Nursing said it very well when they put a stop to these ATI practices:

"The Board has concluded that these exams are best utilized to determine the overall effectiveness of a nursing program's curriculum, which is prepared and revised as necessary by its faculty. The Board finds that the purpose of the examinations (ATI, HESI, etc.) is to identify for faculty members specific areas of deficiencies in the curriculum and provide a blueprint for the faculty to revise the curriculum as necessary. Additionally, the Board finds that the results of these tests identify for individual students their specific areas of weakness so that they may adequately focus their attention on these areas in their preparation for the NCLEX examination.

Commercially and/or faculty-prepared exit examinations should be used as diagnostic tools that are utilized to assess curriculum strengths and weaknesses as well as individual students' educational strengths and weaknesses and NOT as a SOLE criterion or artificial bar to graduation and/or eligibility to sit for the national licensing examination."

Way to go, NJ BON!! :up:

That's okay, I disagree with your unwillingness (inability?) to type out actual words and sentences. :rolleyes:

Many places consider level 2 AND level 3 to be "passing" the ATI. I'm curious how many people with a level 1 score pass the NCLEX on the first try. Actual hard evidence numbers, not pulled-out-of-rectal orifice anecdotal crap. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

I was just talking about this - my friend did.

As for numbers and national statistics, I don't know.

Thanks GraceyMae - No wonder they call her BrilloHead! :devil: Phew!! Mean! :blackalien:

Specializes in Oncology/hematology.

Well, so far, no one here is being mean, except for the comment above. We are stating our opinions, which are different than yours. We are allowed to have differing opinions than either of you or from the OP or from the person whose post is in question. I wasn't mean or mean spirited. Of course, I've now been chastised twice for having an opinion, but that's okay. I don't agree with people on occasion. That's just the way it goes.

Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

Thread closed for cooling off period and staff review. It may or may not be reopened

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