Category Archives: Tests and Assessments

cApStAn is the international contractor in charge of linguistic quality assurance in PISA 2025. This includes training participating countries/economies to follow a standardised translation and adaptation approach and using mature translation technology: cApStAn’s presence was prominent in Lisbon for the first PISA 2025 National Project Managers’ meeting from March 12 to 17, 2023. PISA 2025 …

“OECD PISA 2025 National Project Managers’ meeting in Lisbon, 12-17 March 2023“

The ITC (International Test Commission) is committed to advancing and promoting good practice in assessment and measurement (in a testing context). The Association describes itself as an “Association of national psychological associations, test commissions, publishers and other organizations committed to promoting effective testing and assessment policies and to the proper development, evaluation and uses of …

“Steve Dept, cApStAn’s Founding Partner, at the ITC Council meeting, Granada, March 16-17, 2023”

In an opinion piece for Forbes Csaba Toth, Founder of ICQ Global, comments on the recent “buzz” on LinkedIn about personality tests being pointless, biased and bad for diversity, equity and inclusion. Toth says that personality tests should not be used for performance evaluation or recruitment as they measure preferences and not skills. So the …

“Are personality tests “bad” for DEI? An interesting article for Forbes by Csaba Toth, Founder of ICQ Global “

Antonella Sorace, Professor of Developmental Linguistics at the University of Edinburgh, says that while understanding and speaking a language come naturally, learning to read and write is not something that brains develop automatically. Prof. Sorace raises a question that matters a lot in the context of comparative education surveys and assessments: “Are some languages more difficult than others”? (i) …

“Are some languages more difficult to read and write than others? This matters a lot in comparative education assessments“

Testing in diverse contexts requires adapting items into multiple languages with a focus on cross-cultural equivalence. Testing organizations are increasingly motivated to bring their solutions to new audiences, new regions and new cultures. If this is of interest to you and you are attending this conference, please visit us at exhibit booth #203 for a chat with our …

“ATP Innovations in Testing 2023 Conference is almost here and we are excited to meet you in Dallas soon!”

Everyone is confronted with the breakthrough of (and the hype around) ChatGPT, a new AI tool trained by OpenAI launched at the end of last year. ChatGPT works like a written dialogue between the AI system and the person asking it questions. Open AI says the dialogue format “makes it possible for ChatGPT to answer questions, admit its …

“Open AI’s ChatGPT may result in educators having to rethink tests and assessments “

The 2023 Association of Testing Publishers (ATP) Innovations in Testing conference will be held in-person on March 12-15 2023 in Dallas, Texas (USA). The assessment industry is evolving and testing professionals and assessment programs continue to adapt to new ways of learning and testing with the goal of improving outcome. The conference provides a unique …

“A panel of experts at ATP 2023 will discuss key issues related to equity and fairness in tech-based assessments”

In the 21st century, “accessibility” often includes language, but translating a test into the strongest language of all test takers may not be realistic. Nevertheless, passing or failing a test should not depend on reading proficiency. Tests and exams are a gate for life chances and—unless being proficient in the language of the test is …

“How fair is it to deliver your exams only in English?”

With the epic backdrop of geopolitical turmoil and environmental urgency, it may seem awkward to dwell on our minute successes. What with the barbaric invasion of Ukraine? What with the courageous revolt of the Iranian people in general and of Iranian women in particular? What about the denial of the right to education for Afghan …

“Walking at a Brisk Pace, by cApStAn’s co-founder Steve Dept  “

It has been a privilege for cApStAn to work on the test translation and adaptation section of the Guidelines for Technology-Based Assessment of the International Test Commission (ITC) and the Association of Test Publishers (ATP). Quoting cApStAn co-founder Steve Dept “this monumental resource was compiled, reviewed, carefully edited, discussed with some of the most knowledgeable experts in the field, is packed …

“Just out: the new ITC/ATP guidelines on tech-based assessment. Proud to have been a part of this!“

Last week, cApStAn co-founder Steve Dept attended the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE) Exchange, held in Savannah, Georgia (USA), for the first time. The credentialing and accreditation community shows exemplary dedication to advancing and promoting best practices, which constantly evolve, he commented. Some of the hottest topics this year were undoubtedly fairness, diversity, equity and inclusion. Steve had …

“cApStAn LQC joins the international credentialing and accreditation community at the EXG 2022 “

For the 9th consecutive time, cApStAn will guide the translation and adaptation teams of all PISA participants in translating assessment instruments so that they remain comparable internationally. In this cycle, cApStAn will provide training and support to 90+ translation teams and ensure linguistic equivalence across 120+ locales (a locale is language-country combination). PISA 2025 is …

“cApStAn joins forces with ACER and OAT to implement PISA 2025“