IPAC (Formerly IPMAAC) Call for Papers

There are a couple of updates on the organization formerly known as IPMAAC. Due to a change in its relationship with IPMA-HR, IPMAAC has changed its name its name to IPAC--the International Personnel Assessment Council. IPAC has also posted a call for proposals for its 33rd Annual Conference to be held September 12-16, 2009 in Nashville, TN (proposal due date: January 30, 2009).
Read more!

Cheating on Pre-Employment Assessments

While cheating is a concern to all in the testing industry, it is most often seen as a concern to those working in certification and education. However, a recent Wall Street Journal article describes how the current economic climate may be fostering an increase in cheating on pre-employment selection tests.
Read more!

I-O Division Leadership for 2009

January marks the annual change in leadership within the ATP Divisions. As a result, Ryan Ross becomes Chair for 2009. He will be ably assisted by John Weiner (Vice Chair) and Julie Carswell (Secretary).

This also marks the end of my term as a I-O Division chair. I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation for having had the opportunity to serve the division as well as ATP as whole. I am also grateful to those who shared their valuable time and efforts in supporting the goals of ATP.

Reid Klion
Read more!

ATP Intellectual Property Theft Collaborative Working Group

A number of working groups were formed as part of the 2008 ATP Test Security Summit. The IP Theft Collaborative Working Group has recently published its work product. If you don't have a password to access the wiki, there is information on the page on how to obtain one. Also, information on the 2009 Security Summit can be found on the ATP Conference website.

Read more!

Journal of Applied Testing Technology

The Association of Test Publishers publishes a peer-reviewed online journal, Journal of Applied Testing Technology edited by Chad W. Buckendahl and William G. Harris. The most recent article is a piece by Nathan Thompson, entitled "A Proposed Framework for Test Administration Methods." The article compares and contrasts a number of test administration methodologies including CBT, CAT, CCT, and LOFT.
Read more!

ATP Conference Registration Now Open

Registration for 2009 ATP Conference is now open. Innovations in Testing 2009 will be held February 22-25 2009 in Palm Springs, CA. See the Conference website for full information.
Read more!

Submission Deadline for EAWOP Conference Approaches

October 3, 2008 is the proposal submission deadline for the 14th European Congress of Work and Organizational Psychology to be held in Santiago de Compostela, Spain on May 13-16, 2009. Organized under the auspices of the European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology (EAWOP), the conference has the theme "Developing People in 21st Century Organizations: Global and Local Perspectives."
Read more!

2009 SIOP Call for Papers

The call for papers for the 2009 SIOP Conference (April 2-4 in New Orleans) is now available. The deadline is September 5, 2008 @ 5PM EDT.
Read more!

Update on eBay Sales of Protected Test Content

As an update to an earlier post, the Summer 2008 issue of the Test Publisher, the ATP newsletter, has the following:

eBay Removes intellectual property from auction site in response to ATP member complaints

"Six auctions down and a myriad to go," is how ATP's Legislative Counsel Alan Thiemann recently described the ongoing battle with eBay over test materials being sold online.

In response to growing concerns by its members over the presence of copyrighted tests being sold by various Internet sites, ATP has started working with the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) to expand the SIIA's existing enforcement for taking down unauthorized sales of copyrighted content.

Thiemann reported that "acting on information obtained from an ATP member, ATP/SIIA contacted eBay and within 24 hours six different auctions had been taken down." He added that, "as often occurs, one of the auctioneers challenged that action." Again working with the publisher, ATP/SIIA provided specific information demonstrating that the test at issue was a copyrighted product used commercially and that the attempted sale was neither licensed nor authorized and therefore was infringement.

Based on this successful "proof of concept" ATP is working with SIIA on how to best move forward in promoting a robust enforcement effort for the handling of piracy involving tests and related materials on the Internet.

"Although the success of the trial run proved promising, rolling out a full-blown, 24/7 enforcement program is going to be a significant undertaking," Thiemann cautioned. He added that as part of efforts so far, a standard email response template has been created which can be used to explain to sellers the legal arguments (copyright/trademark infringement, license agreement violations, etc.) that form the basis of enforcement actions against their auctions.

If any ATP member has an interest in this type of program and the potential savings for your company of joining an Association-lead effort to deal with Internet piracy, ATP would like to hear from you. Please contact ATP CEO Dr. William G. Harris at wgh.atp@att.net.

Read more!

Summer Reading

Blogging has become an popular means of communication for both groups as well as individuals. A couple of other blogs which focus on issues related to I-O psychology and personnel selection are HR Matters and Selection Matters. Enjoy!
Read more!

5th Annual Survey on Online Screening and Assessment

Charles Handler of Rocket-Hire recently published his 5th Annual Survey on usage of online screening and assessment tools. Some of the highlights include the finding that there is continued growth in the use of a variety of screening and pre-employment assessments and that the implemention of applicant tracking systems is now quite common.
Read more!

Input Needed on "Model Guidelines" Revision

The Model Guidelines for Pre-employment Integrity Testing are in the process of revision. Initial ATP member input is needed by June 15, 2008. The following is from Jack Jones:

To: ATP’s Industrial-Organizational Division Members
From: Jack Jones, Ph.D., Vangent, Inc.
Date: May 13, 2008
RE: “Model Guidelines” Update

I have been appointed by William G Harris, ATP’s Chief Executive Officer, to serve as the Chair of the Model Guidelines Revision Committee. I am being assisted by Dr. David W. Arnold who will serve as the Committee’s Chief Legal Advisor. Dave and I will be selecting a core Task Force to oversee this project, but we intend to provide all ATP Industrial-Organizational Division members the opportunity to participate in this revision process.

As you might know, the “Model Guidelines for Pre-employment Integrity Testing” were last updated in 1996. They were originally published in 1991. My ambitious goal is to have a copy of the revised guidelines ready for release at ATP’s Annual Conference in 2009, if not sooner. The key steps to this project include:

1. Phase 1: Needs Analysis - Surveying ATP members and special external contributors to assess their perspectives on what new sections and topics need to be addressed in the 2009 version of the Model Guidelines based on new types of integrity tests, technologies, market trends, laws, etc. that have evolved over the past decade. (In fact your first assignment, if interested, is to review the attached Model Guidelines and either send me a fax or email that provides your perspective on those topics/areas that need to be addressed in the updated version of the Model Guidelines. Please try to get me this information by June 15th at the latest and then Dave Arnold and I will compile a summary report for your review.)
2. Phase 2: Strategic Focus - The Task Force will focus on the most important topics that need to be addressed in the revised edition of the Model Guidelines. “Importance” will be defined as those business, professional, and legal topics that need to be effectively addressed to ensure the ongoing viability of pre-employment integrity testing as both a science and a practice. The results from the Phase 1 survey will be used to assist in this determination, as will consultations with leading experts in the field of pre-employment integrity testing.
3. Phase 3: Task Force Specialization – The Task Force members will be assigned a key section of the Model Guidelines and will be responsible for updating and revising the targeted section. Dave Arnold and I will then review and compile their work to establish a first draft of the revised guidelines. This draft will then be sent out to all key contributors for their feedback and then a 2nd draft will be quickly prepared.
4. Phase 4: Broader External Review – Special interest groups and associations will then be invited to provide feedback on the revised guidelines and will hopefully provide us with an endorsement along with approval to use their organization’s name in the document.
5. Phase 5: ATP Board Approval – The revised Model Guidelines will be submitted to ATP’s Board for final approval. Any final edits will be made at this time.
6. Phase 6: Marketing and Public Relations – Lauren Scheib will work with the Task Force to prepare press releases announcing both the purpose and the availability of these new guidelines.

I hope you embrace this project and contribute to the Phase 1 effort immediately. Remember we are looking for broader themes and macro-level topics in the Phase 1 survey. We will drill down to specific bullet points once we clearly understand what needs to be added/updated. Both my fax number and my e-mail are listed below. Please include all contact information when send a fax or email. Thanks in advance for your contributions!

Regards -

John W. “Jack” Jones, Ph.D.
Vice President & Chief Scientist
Human Capital Division
Vangent, Inc.
One North Dearborn St., Suite 1600
Chicago, IL 60602
O: 312-242-4422
M: 312-636-6912
F: 312-242-4210

http://www.vangent-hcm.com/
Jack.Jones@Vangent.com

If you are an ATP member and need a copy of the Guidelines, please contact the I-O Division blog.


Read more!

On the International Front...

Those interested in global issues related to testing may want to take a look at the International Testing Commission website. Information about the organization and its goals are outlined as well as is information about ITC 2008 International Conference to be held July 14-16, 2008 in Liverpool, UK.

Also, Eric Shepherd, immediate Past Chair of the European Division of ATP (E-ATP) has created a wiki with information about the division and its goals. (For those not familiar, a wiki is a collaborative workspace that enables members to both comment and update a web site's content.)
Read more!

I-O Division Input on Revised Testing Standards

As all are likely aware, the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing are currently being revised. The ATP I-O Division has created a Task Force of volunteer members to provide input from both a publisher and professional perspective. The Task Force, chaired by Joseph Orban, will present on its findings at the upcoming ATP Conference during a session scheduled for Tuesday, March 4 @ 1:30 to 2:30 PM in the Ft. Worth 5 Room) Additionally, SIOP has posted the comments of its Task Force.
Read more!

Pearson Acquisition of Harcourt Assessment to be Approved

It appears that the Department of Justice will approve Pearson's acquisition of Harcourt Assessment contingent upon the divestiture of parts of its combined test catalog. Specifically, Harcourt's Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, Harcourt's Emotional Assessment System (currently in development) and either Pearson’s Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language and the Oral and Written Language Scales or Harcourt’s Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals must be sold to a buyer approved by DOJ.
Read more!

eBay and Sales of Restricted Test Materials

The sale of restricted test materials on eBay has become the focus of increasing concern in the testing community for both publishers as well as clinicians. This is particularly acute in the case of clinically-oriented assessments because they often use printed materials (such as Rorschach plates and TAT cards) and physical stimuli (in the case of IQ kits) which can be sold easily. eBay has expressed recent resistance to prohibiting the sale of restricted test materials and will now only remove them from auction if it can be shown that their sale is harmful to the public. Aurelio Prifitera, Ph.D., President of The Psychological Corporation, posts his concerns and reactions to this.
Read more!

Outlook on Assessments for 2008

Charles Handler, an I-O psychologist and student of the employee selection arena, has posted his annual observations of industry trends. Amongst his observations are continued interest in the use of assessments and the integration of testing into the hiring process. A review of the comments which follow the article provide an interesting perspective on the objections that are often heard from individuals who reject the use of pre-employment assessments as well as some thoughtful observations and suggestions from David Arnold, ATP General Counsel.
Read more!

Previsor Acquires British Test Publisher

It was announced today that Previsor has acquired ASE, leading UK-based business test publisher.
Read more!

EEOC Announces Settlement with Ford

Ford Motor Co., along with two related companies and a national union, will pay $1.6 million and provide other remedial relief to a class of nearly 700 African Americans to settle a race discrimination lawsuit brought by the EEOC. The EEOC had charged that the written test used by Ford, Visteon and Automotive Components Holdings (ACH) to select employees an apprenticeship program had a disproportionately negative impact on African Americans.
Read more!

EEOC Posts Fact Sheet on Assessment and Selection

The EEOC recently posted a handy fact sheet that covers some of the common issues related to the federal anti-discrimination laws and the use of tests and other selection procedures in the employment process.
Read more!