Introduction

 

 

We are happy to open this inaugural issue of the Newsletter of Division 2 (Psychological Assessment and Evaluation) of the International Association of Applied Psychology. The newsletter will be published twice a year, with occasional other communications coming through, if fresh and exciting evolutions appear in the world of testing and assessment.

Our intention is to build up the IAAP as a “Big Tent” initiative that can bring together the various international and regional organizations that are active in the domain of testing and assessment. They all offer excellent resources to their members and the communities they work for and, while some of our colleagues who are involved in these various organizations are aware of each other, much of their work remains hidden from the wider international community.

IAAP is uniquely qualified to make all this important work visible – and will do so from now on. This inaugural issue is dedicated to showcase some of the more important of these organizations – with descriptions offered to you all by themselves. So, here it goes … a few words about the ITC, EAPA, EFPA BoA, ETPG, ATP and NCME. In the future, we will tune in for news on each of these important associations, so get to know them!

And for any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to drop us a note at
dragos.iliescu@fpse.unibuc.ro (Dragos Iliescu) or
paula.elosua@ehu.eus (Paula Elosua).

Dragos Iliescu, President of IAAP Division 2
Paula Elosua, President-elect of IAAP Division 2

  The International Test Commission (ITC)  

 

 

The ITC was born in 1976 during the Congress of the International Union of Psychological Sciences (IUPsyS) when its constitution was approved provisionally. During the 1978 ICAP Congress, IAAP President Ed Fleishman singled out the ITC as an important initiative, and the ITC has traditionally stayed in close cooperation with the IAAP (Division 2), especially with its congress that is, in those years when the ICAP is organized, shaped as a satellite congress.

The goals of the ITC. The ITC’s primary goal is to assist in the exchange of information on test development and use among its members and affiliate organisations as well as with non-member societies, organisations, and individuals who desire to improve test related practices. Specific activities associated with this over-arching goal include:

• Publication and communication of relevant information, via the International Journal of Testing (Taylor & Francis) (IJT) and Testing International (The ITC Newsletter) (TI);


• Development and promotion of guidelines and standards governing test development and use;


• Organisation of high quality international biennial conferences;


• Organisation of regional meetings and discussions to advance quality test practices;


• Monitoring global trends in the application of psychological and educational testing, and providing guidance to the psychological testing community as required.

Membership of the ITC. The ITC accepts members in 3 membership categories: Full Members (typically, the national professional association of that country), Affiliate Members (open to organisations or groups of psychologists developing, publishing, and/or using tests and to commercial test publishers), Individual Members (open to anyone with an interest in the work of the ITC).

The outputs of the ITC. Apart from the two publications noted earlier, the ITC has demonstrated its authoritative voice through the following:

a) Development and promotion of a range of Guidelines pertaining to test development and test use. These Guidelines reflect the increasing importance being placed on matters such as: test adaptation, test security, and the impact of computer-based online testing. These published documents are recognised globally as providing robust guidelines (and even standards) for psychological associations, individual practitioners, test developers, regulatory bodies, and researchers. More on the guidelines, including downloadable materials, here: https://www.intestcom.org/page/28

b) ITC Conferences. These high quality conferences are held biennially, and aim to foster the enhancement of standards, and the sharing of information by researchers, practitioners, and even regulators. The next conference will be held in Granada in 2-5 July 2024 – this is not to be missed!

c) Teaching and training. The latest ITC production in this category is the Learning Centre – more on the Learning Centre here: https://learning.intestcom.org/

Steve Sireci, ITC President

 

  The European Association of Psychological Assessment (EAPA)  

 

The European Association of Psychological Assessment (EAPA) was founded in 1990 with Rocío Fernández-Ballesteros as the inaugural president.

The association has five main ambitions:

(1) to increase the scientific interest in psychological assessment;
(2) improve the study of psychological assessment;
(3) promote the interest of young professionals and scientists in the science of psychological assessment;
(4) improve theories, methods, and the practice of assessment; and
(5) create/intensify opportunities for scientific exchanges among European and international scholars.

In short, EAPA is interested in promoting both, the scientific study, but also practical applications of psychological assessment. To achieve these aims, we have established two journals; namely, the European Journal of Psychological Assessment (EJPA) and its sister journal, Psychological Test and Assessment Development (PTAD). The latter focuses primarily on translations and adaptations of psychological measures, while EJPA has more of a general scope in the field of psychological assessment. Additionally, Hogrefe publishes a book series entitled Psychological Assessment – Science and Practice; volumes published in 2022/2023 focus on the assessment of dark side personality traits and positive psychology assessment.

EAPA regularly organizes winter schools (for post-doctoral students), summer schools (for graduate students), and expert meetings. The winter school is mainly a mentoring event and aims at establishing contacts with experts in psychological assessment and providing career advice. EAPA holds a bi-annual conference at varying locations across Europe (the next conference will be held in Barcelona). Our YouTube channel offers a series of keynote lectures and symposia we have recorded during periods of lockdowns, we are also active on Twitter (@EAPA_Science; no blue badge though), and on our website (https://www.eapa.sience).

EAPA is a relatively young society and we believe that psychological assessment deserves more attention and interest than it currently receives in many educational, research, and practical cases. We hope that our work helps researchers and practitioners to make informed decisions about assessment-related issues and want to mentor younger researchers at different career stages. We are looking forwards to exchange ideas and collaborate with the IAAP and its members.

Rene Proyer, EAPA President

  EFPA European Board of Assessment (BoA)  

 

Overview and Impact. EFPA, The European Federation of Psychologists (established 1981) has the mission to develop and apply psychology for a positive impact on European society and beyond. EFPA publications are regularly consulted to inform European policy and process. Now consisting of 37 European country associations, EFPA represents almost half of the world’s Psychologists whose members are required to observe professional standards. The EFPA Board of Assessment, whose members are national and international experts, convenes regularly to encourage and advance best practices in testing and assessment.

The main aim of the European Federation of Psychologists Board of Assessment (BoA) is the improvement of testing practices in European countries through various actions and projects, linked to strategic priority areas.

Surveying Attitudes to Testing and Assessment. A key initiative is the survey on attitudes to tests and testing. Advances in technology alongside requirements of fairness in assessment increases the need to monitor test perceptions and practice by psychologists.

BoA has surveyed 20 countries, providing insights into professional practice in testing and assessment. Summary findings and communication events from the ‘Psychologists’ Attitudes to Test and Testing Survey’ have shared results.

The data is being used to guide the actions and measures taken by EFPA, but also ITC and other stakeholders. It will also contribute to training and awareness campaigns to improve psychologists’ use of tests across Europe and beyond.

Engagement to shape Policy and Legislation.There is a need to engage with allied yet external organisations to help shape policy and respond to legislative issues within testing and assessment. These affect society as a whole and cover all domains in Health, Work, and Education.

Many of these new rules and regulations have little reference to the scientific and professional advances of psychology – leading to a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Balance and nuance is being voiced and lobbied by BoA at Country and European levels.

BoA has supplied position papers and communications on responses to proposed EU legislation on 1) Artificial Intelligence and 2) Medical Devices; alongside working with publishers for 3) Test Industry regulation.

These have been formulated in collaboration with Industry groups (e.g. ATP, ETPG) and allied bodies (e.g. EAWOP, IAAP, ITC). Further Papers, Symposia, and Round Tables are regularly presented at European and International Congresses in Psychology.

Updating Models and Tools for Applied Psychologists. BoA provides models for both Test User Competence and Test Reviews, which has been adopted and localised across many countries, not restricted to Europe. For example, International Test Commission uses the Test User Competences within its online modular learning centre.

Similarly the EFPA European Test Model provides a standardised approach to evaluate the tests in all applied domains of psychology, regardless of where they have originated and are currently used.

Along with the utilization of technology in Assessment, new topics have arisen since the inception of the Test Model (2013), as worked through in consultation through the Board representatives with their specific Psychological Associations. Many of these new topics have found to be connected with the rise of increased digitization of the test industry such as hidden algorithms, gamification, and continuous norming. These together with other areas were highlighted for further revision and inclusion.

The ultimate goal to the revision process is to reformulate the Test Model to become more practical and easy to use. The update is planned to be confirmed in Autumn 2024.

Nigel Evans, EFPA BoA Convenor

  The European Test Publishers Group (ETPG)  

 

ETPG is a group of 31 psychological test publishers based in countries around Europe. All of them publish original titles and many adapt tests originating outside Europe for particular markets. The group was founded 32 years ago and since then has held a members-only conference every year in a different European city. This discusses important issues in European testing, invites key academics and practitioners to talk about their interests and plan a number of activities for the coming year. It also allows us to understand the diversity of the psychological needs and how they different European countries address them.

ETPG has grown from a founding group of 11 organisations which met first in 1991. It regularly reviews its objectives and activities to reflect changes in how psychological testing is used; who uses these instruments for what purpose; the growth in types of testing and the ways in which it is delivered, as well as developments in the wider fields of health, education and business. A major influence has been the continuing and accelerating growth in digital technology as a means of measuring and understanding psychological issues, and of delivering tests and test results.

As I write this, the group is reviewing its activities before the next conference in June, being hosted by Motibo in Athens. However, its main mission revolves around supporting its members in establishing an industry and an environment which values good, scientific measurement practice, ensuring that this benefits users’ decisions thus benefiting those to whom tests are administered. Tests have increasingly become used in critical decisions affecting children’s education, employment and the health care offered to all European citizens ( among other areas). It therefore becomes increasingly important that publishers produce evidence-based tools and users understand how to discriminate between these and less carefully developed instruments. Before being allowed to join, publishers have to meet certain requirements relating to the quality of their publications and their adherence to national guidelines.

The group has been building relationships with professional and scientific organisations: I have observer status on EFPA’s Board of Assessment; the group is a member of the International Test Commission and ETPG members are involved in IAAP. This year we will be represented on a panel discussion at the EAWOP conference in Katowice, Poland and several of us plan to attend the European Congress of Psychology.

Other activities include writing and distributing white papers and discussion papers on a range of topics from copyright to emerging technical and policy issues in testing. We will upgrade our web site and social media presence to better communicate these ideas. Collectively, ETPG members have relationships with hundreds of thousands of test users in all major use areas and the group is therefore well-placed to communicate ideas as well as listen to these users’ key concerns.

Do get in touch with me if you would like to discuss any of our activities or suggest areas we could address, either in a conference session or via white papers, discussion documents and other media. Many of the ideas contained in this article will be actioned later in 2023 after our conference.

Ian Florance, ETPG Executive Director

  The Association of Test Publishers (ATP)
Reshaping ATP's Membership Profile: A Thirty-Year Experiment   

 

In 1988 the trade organization that would eventually become the Association of Test Publishers-Global (ATP) was formed. The purpose of the Association was to advocate for test publishers at the US federal and agency levels. Today, ATP advocacy work continues to be central to its mission. The significant difference is that advocacy is no longer limited to a single market. It reaches around the globe.

This transformation from a US-focused to a global trade association is ongoing. The change in ATP is most evident in its membership composition. In the early years, members are employment, clinical, and educational testing organizations. The first real change in the membership makeup occurs when IT certification companies with global testing programs joined. For them, ATP serves as a platform to highlight their programs' issues (i.e., global cheating) and as a forum to pursue pan-border solutions. Adding certification companies to the membership makeup is the first sign of a changing ATP's profile.

Since then, three major global events contributed to reshaping the ATP membership profile. The financial crisis of 2008, known as the Great Recession, caused some of our members, especially the clinical test publishers to rethink ATP membership. Their uneasiness culminated in clinical test publishers exiting the Association. Fortunately for ATP, this void was quickly filled with an influx of institutional members from the US and abroad.

In 2018 ATP experienced a second shift in membership composition with the enforcement of the EU's GDPR. A year before the regulation took effect, ATP published a GDPR Compliance Guidance document for its members. Most recently, it provided similar guidance for the California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA) and China's Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL). As ATP became a source of information on data protection regulations, it welcomed new members from regions outside of the US.

The third and most prominent event to reconfigure ATP's membership profile is the pandemic of 2020. ATP, like most organizations, pivoted to a virtual platform and accelerated the frequency of communications with its members. During these challenging times, a critical success was launching a 3-day global conference with regional (i.e., China & India) and global assessment experts and scientists. The seamless transition from in-person to an interactive virtual environment during the crisis encouraged a new wave of organizations to join. This group was primarily ed-tech startups, Asian, and those interested in reaching markets beyond Asia.

After more than thirty years of advocating for the assessment community, ATP sees the path forward as one powered by innovation and the reinvention of the testing enterprise. The next generation of testing organizations is infusing assessments with advanced technologies (e.g., AGI-generated items). These organizations are rethinking psychometric principles, test Standards, and statistical approaches. Some organizations from this emerging group are expected to pursue ATP membership to network with peers on business, regulations, and related global issues. The experts in these organizations will join professional associations, like IAAP, to participant in the unfolding discussions about the future direction of assessment.

William G. Harris, ATP CEO

  The National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME)  

 

The National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) is a community of measurement scientists and practitioners who work together to advance theory and applications of educational measurement to benefit society. NCME is a professional organization for individuals involved in assessment, evaluation, testing, and other aspects of educational measurement. Members are involved in the construction and use of standardized tests; new forms of assessment, including performance-based assessment; program design; and program evaluation.

NCME members include university faculty; test developers; state and federal testing and research directors; professional evaluators; testing specialists in business, industry, education, community programs, and other professions; licensure, certification, and credentialing professionals; graduate students from educational, psychological, and other measurement programs; and others involved in testing issues and practices.

With a membership that is growing and diversifying, the scope of the organization’s vision has broadened. Service to communities and ensuring that assessment is fair and equitable for all students have become essential elements of NCME's mission and purposes.

NCME publishes the premier academic journals concerned with educational measurement—the Journal of Educational Measurement, Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, and the Chinese/English Journal of Educational Measurement and Evaluation. Membership in NCME includes access to these journals, priority access to an annual academic conference, and possibilities for participation in numerous special interest groups and committees.

Richard J. Patz, Executive Director NCME