3/4/13 9:06 AMAssociation of Test Publishers - Contact Center

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TEST PUBLISHER NEWS/Summer 2012ATP Internationalization... making the worldsmaller for testing“The Internationalization of ATP is about making the world smallerfor testing,” ATP Treasurer and Past Chair Marten Roorda of Citorecently told a Task Force of ATP Board members charged with themission of restructuring ATP into a cohesive, global organization.ATP CEO Dr. William G. Harris added that the Board is beingresponsive to shifting demographics within ATP and also ourmembers’ global expansion. “ATP members continue to grow andflourish in a world that continues to shrink in the face ofsophisticated technologies and high-speed communications,” hecommented. “And shifting populations make it a top priority ofmost companies to reach out to the global marketplace.”Both Roorda and Harris point to record breaking attendance andsponsorship numbers at both the Innovations in Testing Conferenceheld in Palm Springs,California in 2012 and Phoenix, Arizona in2011 which attracted a diverse community of attendees fromEurope, Asia, South America and Australia in addition to the NorthAmerican audience.ATP has two Regional Divisions firmly established in Europe andChina, with another in the process of being formed in India. TheEuropean Division will host its 4th annual conference in Berlin inSeptember and E-ATP Chair Sue Marten of SAP already reportsrecord high numbers for both attendance and sponsorship. And inChina, Asia-ATP has created a founders committee, launched awebsite and begun recruiting members in earnest.

Europe-ATP Preparesfor SeptemberConference in BerlinFrom cheating to legalprotections -- Internationalleaders to focus onchallenges in educational,clinical and businessassessmentThe European Division of theAssociation of Test Publishers (E-ATP) will host its fourth annualGrowing Talent in Europe: GainingAdvantage Through Assessment,12-14 September 2012 at the HotelConcorde Berlin.Focusing on the challenges faced byassessment professionals fromclinicians to educators toemployers, this conference willaddress such concerns as detectingsuspicious answers on astandardised test, or asking thewrong question on an employmentassessment that could lead to legalreview. In other sessions,individuals involved in assessmentwill learn new and innovative waysto accurately assess students andworkers in a more technologicallyadvanced society; and how toprepare tests for the future in an

ever evolving climate of social andeconomic change.The conference will feature keynotespeakers Marta Lopez, Director,Strategic Planning and Staffing forthe United Nations who will shareher experience on attracting,acquiring and developing talent atthe U.N.; Martin Bean, Vice-Chancellor, The Open Universitywho will share his thoughts on the

3/4/13 9:06 AMAssociation of Test Publishers - Contact Center

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In anotherinternational allianceearlier in the year,[pictured left] ATPhosted, in concertwith the Brusselsbased EuropeanPersonnel SelectionOffice (EPSO) and theMadrid based Instituto

Nacional de Administracion Publica (INAP), the first InternationalPublic Sector Assessment Recruitment Conference (IPSAR) inMadrid. “Attendees came from public service offices across Europeto network and learn from industry leaders in a program tailoredfor their unique niche,” remarked Board Member Eugene Burke ofSHL in talking about the success of the inaugural, internationalevent.ATP Legislative Counsel Alan Thiemann points out that issues thatmay have been looked upon a decade ago as a North Americanchallenges now have far reaching effects. “For example the issueof Interoperability," notes Thiemann. “There is an issue that isheating up here in North America because the U.S. Department ofEducation announced its Race to the Top initiative with a keyrequirement being interoperable assessment systems. This issue isbound to spillover into the global marketplace.” In response, saysThiemann, ATP has launched an ATP study group to develop anindustry position on this issue.Harris adds that the many challenges facing test publishers frominteroperability to security to shifting populations have becomeglobal issues which require coordination on a global level. “Just asATP has been the intelligent voice of testing in North America formore than two decades, I am confident we are making the leaptoward being just as effective as a global voice.”The ATP Internationalization Task Force will meet again in Berlinin September and later make recommendations on restructuring tothe ATP Board of Directors.

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Nominations are being accepted now for the 2013ATP Board of Directors

The Association of Test Publishers (ATP) invites members tonominate individuals for the 2013 ATP Board of Directors. Youmust be a regular member in good standing to make a nomination.The deadline for nominations is Tuesday, September 4, 2012: ATPBoard Nomination Form.

opportunities for technology ineducation; and, Rona Fairchild,Chairman and Chief ExecutiveFinancial Times Group who will talkabout how educators can solve the'professions paradox' in Europe.

[Registration is stillopen.]------------------------SECURITY UPDATEATP Responds to GAOInquiry on CheatingIn the wake of K-12 cheatingscandals by school administratorsand teachers in major schooldistricts around the country (e.g,Atlanta, Philadelphia, DC), theSenate Homeland Security andGovernmental Affairs Committee’sSubcommittee on DC Oversight hasrequested a report from the USGovernment Accountability Office(GAO). The Senate request, datedDecember 9, 2011, calls attentionto the fact that the uncertainty overthe validity of statewide test data“threatens to undermine the entireFederal school accountabilitysystem.” GAO has been requestedto evaluate: (1) the extent to whichstates have implemented leadingpractices to prevent and detectcheating on statewide tests; (2)how districts implement or enhancestate policies to prevent and detectcheating; and (3) to what extentUS DOE “oversight and assistance”to states help prevent and detectcheating.To prepare its report, GAO hasinitiated a series of meetings withvarious education organizations tounderstand what states are doingand how state policies andprocedures get implemented at thelocal level. GAO also is conductinga national survey of every state,will visit on-site with five selectedstate departments, and is hosting awebsite to collect information ontesting improprieties. The report isexpected to be released inFebruary, 2013."Obviously erasures, coachingstudents during the test, andsimilar behaviors, have always beena point of concern, but with everincreasing stakes involved instandardized testing, whether forschool districts vying for funding oreducators concerned about classperformance and teacherevaluations, these irregularities arebeing focused on more and more atthe state level," says ATPLegislative Counsel Alan Thiemann. So Thiemann says he was notsurprised when GAO recently called

3/4/13 9:06 AMAssociation of Test Publishers - Contact Center

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Nominations are being accepted now for 2013 ATPAwardsThe Association of Test Publishers (ATP) invites members tonominate individuals for two prestigious career awards in testing.Nominations are sought for The Career Achievement

Award and The Award for Professional Contributions and Service

to Testing. The nomination process has been made easier and cannow be completed online. Click here to make a nomination. Thedeadline for nominations is Friday, September 7, 2012. [Questions?Contact this year's Award Committee Chair Reid Klion atreid@panpowered.com]

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upon ATP for a consultation session.GAO was already fully briefed onsecurity procedures discussed in theATP/CCSSO Operational BestPractices for Statewide Large ScaleAssessment Programs, so the firstround of discussions focused onhow districts and schools couldapply those procedures and whatchanges are being made in thesecond version of documentcurrently being drafted. “Unfortunately, the Best Practicesare written for states and theirservice providers, not for districtsand their employees,” Thiemannnoted, “and thus, it will benecessary for GAO to adjust howsuch information is presented forteachers, principals, andadministrators.” To help GAOunderstand those differences,Thiemann gathered a group of ATPrepresentatives to meet with GAOin DC to explore test security issuesin greater detail. The group wascomprised of ATP Chair Lisa Ehrlich,COO of Measured Progress, NikkiEatchel of Questar Assessment,Chair of the ATP Test SecurityCommittee, Wayne Camara of TheCollege Board and former ATPChair, and Karla Egan ofCTB/McGraw-Hill. "The GAO was impressed by theresources ATP provided in terms ofexpertise and knowledge on thisissue," says Thiemann. He addedthat talks are continuing on how tocombat this particular challenge. "Most importantly test publisherscan reassure states that this type ofcheating can be both prevented inadvance and detected after testadministrations, so that theintegrity of the statewideassessment is fully protected,”says Thiemann.

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