NEW DELHI, INDIA, 24th DECEMBER 2019 (GPN) – The Association of Tests Publishers (ATP), an international, non-profit organization representing providers of tests and assessment tools and services, held its fifth conference on, ‘Global Standards for Assessments in a Digital First World: A Future Perspective,’ in New Delhi on 20^th December. Shri Manish Sisodia, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, was the Chief Guest at the event. Over 300 delegates including from universities and human resource departments attended the event. Experts deliberated important subjects relevant for changes in the examination space such as content and psychometrics; using technology to enable young learners and Artificial Intelligence. One focus area was on eliminating cultural, geographic, and socioeconomic bias in reading assessment. This year’s conference was hosted by I-ATP in partnership with founder members including Pearson VUE, Merittrac and Prometric and sponsors including College Board, Internet Testing Systems, NoPaperForms and Open Eyes Software Solutions.

Chief Guest of the event, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of New Delhi, Shri. Manish Sisodia who also has the additional portfolio as the Education Minister of New Delhi commented: “I thank ATP for inviting me and also appreciate the work they’re doing in this field. Today’s education system needs to develop tools to assess the learning which is delivered in class and understand the thought process of the student. To prepare skilled students for the future, there is a need to develop the right assessment tools as proper evaluation is very crucial. In order to streamline higher education and corporate, the school systems needs to be strengthened. I would request you to please take school education as part of your deliberations. It’s not an overnight affair; we can work together in tandem to address the same.”

Divyalok Sharma, Chair India- ATP & Senior Director, Pearson VUE said: “This conference, which is the only one of its kind in India, focuses on assessment and its importance for both education and the workplace. At India-ATP we bring together educational and workplace leaders so that they can learn together about standards and best practices for assessments, both now and for the future, and develop meaningful working relationships with each other that will be beneficial to India.”

ATP CEO Dr. William G. Harris, who welcomed the delegates at the inaugural session of the Indian Regional Association of Test Publishers (I-ATP), 2019 said: “We’re at the very beginning of the digitization era, which will in turn give rise to a tremendous amount of disruption in the education space. With 5G, we will be having super technologies – blockchain being one example – that will change the way education happens. We will also see a change in certification given the evolution brought about by new and innovative tools.”

Dr. Sandhya Chintala, Executive Director and Vice President, NASSCOM IT ITeS Sector Skills Council who was the keynote speaker commented: “There’s a huge shift in human requirements with the disruptions we’re witnessing today. We look at correlating abilities of an individual to our needs of the present and future, when it comes to education. To establish this correlation, evaluation plays an important role. Technical knowledge needs to be aligned with professional and domain skills and hiring the right talent also depends on the right assessment. With the help of an evolved assessment technology, you can also predict human adaptability to a particular system.”

The key objectives of this event were to gather educational leaders together with human resource professionals, to establish an ongoing dialogue for raising assessment standards by embracing world class best practices and exploring newer technologies. ENDS

About ATP and I-ATP

Established in 1992, The Association of Test Publishers (ATP) is an international, non-profit, trade organization representing providers of tests and assessment tools and/or services related to assessment for clinical, occupational, certification, licensing, educational or other similar uses. For more information on ATP or I-ATP visit www.testpublishers.org

The India ATP (I-ATP) is a Regional Division of the Association of Test Publishers that brings together Indian test publishers and related organizations for the purposes of networking, sharing innovative ideas and creating both educational and marketing opportunities related to testing and assessment.  Founding member of I-ATP include MeritTrac, Pearson VUE and Prometric Testing.

About Pearson VUE

Pearson VUE has been a pioneer in the computer-based testing industry for decades, delivering more than 15 million certification and licensure exams annually in every industry from academia and admissions to IT and healthcare. We are the global leaders in developing and delivering high-stakes exams via the world’s most comprehensive network of nearly 20,000 highly secure test centers in 180 countries. Our leadership in the assessment industry is a result of our collaborative partnerships with a broad range of clients, from leading technology firms to government and regulatory agencies. For more information, please visit PearsonVUE.com.