LATC reviews 10-year LARE and CSE pass-rate data after format changes cause uneven results

The Landscape Architects Technical Committee heard a staff presentation on licensure pass rates for the Landscape Architect Registration Examination (LARE) and the California Supplemental Examination (CSE) and discussed steps to understand disparities across programs.

Staff member Nicholas presented a 10-year survey that disaggregated CSE and LARE results by California program. The analysis showed variation in pass rates across institutions and across test sections. Nicholas and other staff noted that changes to the LARE format and how transitional credit was handled in the October 2023 administration likely led to a spike in test-taking for certain sections and a depressed pass rate in one administration (21% for a specific division in October 2023), a result staff said may reflect anomalies tied to the format transition rather than long-term declines.

Committee members pressed for more granular breakdowns. John Reshinsky asked whether data on individual candidates—how many attempts each candidate made—was available so the committee could analyze average attempts per candidate and whether some programs have higher repeat rates. Susan Landry and others asked staff to separate results by educational pathway, including students from LAAB-accredited university programs, extension certificate programs, and experience-only pathways, to see whether alternative paths to licensure affect pass rates.

Staff said business modernization will allow more granular queries in future reporting and that some comparisons are complicated by non‑apples-to-apples section mappings between old and new LARE formats. Staff also noted recent LATC regulatory updates allowing certain preapprovals should help align pass rates as the new format stabilizes. Committee members requested follow-up data comparing programs and alternate-path applicants and asked staff to report back at a future meeting.

The discussion reflected member concerns about public protection and candidate readiness: Andrew Bowden and Andy (committee member) urged schools and instructors to use the data to improve student preparation; Andy said he has repeatedly raised the issue of California’s divergence from national pass rates and urged continued attention.

Next steps: staff will attempt to break out candidate-level metrics where possible, report on how many examinees used alternate education/experience pathways, and provide a follow-up report once additional data can be extracted from the business-modernization system.