The NLN recognizes the immense political, regulatory, and economic pressures placed on faculty
and programs to graduate classes with high first-time pass rates; nurse educators face this pressure more
than any other health care discipline. The NLN has supported research addressing the personal factors
that are directly linked to a graduate’s success in passing the NCLEX the first time. As a profession,
nurse educators are not rewarded for those passing after taking the test at later testing times. Though
such factors are beyond the scope of this vision statement, the following recommendations are
offered to strengthen academic policies that are formulated and implemented to address high-stakes
testing.