PSI leads the debate for equitable testing at the E-ATP 2022 Conference and FAB 2022 Conference

Ahead of two major UK conferences for test publishers and awarding bodies, PSI is calling for increased equity for test takers and the removal of unnecessary barriers in testing while ensuring the validity and security of both in-person and online testing.

The world of high stakes testing has evolved quickly and dramatically since the pandemic, with just under half (45%)* of all PSI’s global certification tests set to be delivered online in 2022. As more organisations look at how best to assess test takers, PSI is leading and influencing UK Awarding Organisations and the wider European testing community about the importance of innovation to deliver more equitable testing experiences – and the technologies and tools available to achieve them.

PSI sponsors and attends the European Association of Test Publishers (E-ATP) Conference in London on 11-13 October 2022 and the Federation of Awarding Bodies (FAB) Conference in Leicester on 20-21 October 2022.

The E-ATP and FAB conferences provide an opportunity for PSI to share over 75 years’ of testing experience gained from delivering more than 17 million tests annually. PSI’s conference sessions will advance the debate in:

• Finding the right mix of onsite and online testing.
• Approaches to test taker communications in the wake of COVID-19.
• Mapping the test taker journey and improving the experience.
• The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in assessment.
• Test taker reactions to online proctoring.
• Data forensics to increase fairness and test security.

Isabelle Gonthier, SVP Content Science at PSI will present at the E-ATP Conference. Isabelle says, “Emerging technology and changing test taker expectations – accelerated by the pandemic – are transforming the testing industry. We need to continue to adapt and respond to changing needs while ensuring tests remain equitable, accessible to all and built on a firm foundation of proven science, regardless of location and the technology used to deliver them.

 “The testing organisations we partner with are deeply passionate about what they do – they know they are improving lives. In a drastically evolving landscape, the testing community must work together to deliver frictionless test taker experiences that are equitable, accurate and fair.”

From test development through to test delivery and beyond, PSI partners with UK testing organisations including the Home Office, Chartered Insurance Institute (CII), Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) and the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM). As well as numerous international testing organisations, such as Microsoft, ISACA, the Linux Foundation and the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP).

*PSI global certification test delivery volumes: 2020 38% online vs 62% test centres; 2021 49% online vs 52% test centres; and 2022 45% online vs 55% test centres.