ATP Board Continues Strategic Planning Initiative

Volunteers Sought for Advocacy Sub-Committee

 

The Board of ATP is currently engaged in revising the strategic plan of ATP in order to ensure that the Association continues to stay relevant and reputable for its members, both now and into the future.

Henrik Skovdahl Hansen, the Board members who is heading up the Subcommittee seeking to refocus on ATP's Advocacy strategy explained, "as part of this strategic work the issue of advocacy is a major component and concern. The initial work of the Advocacy Sub-Committee has been focusing on creating a revised definition of Advocacy. This definition was recently approved by the ATP Executive Board and is now ATP’s official position on Advocacy and as such the cornerstone of the work in the Sub-Committee."

The new definition is as follows: 

The ATP strives to monitor national and global legislative and regulatory bodies that commonly deal with testing issues in order to organize and present industry positions through lobbying or submission of public comments; the ATP also monitors and participates in articulating the assessment/testing industry’s position on legal and policy issues.  These efforts reflect and support the ATP’s mission to inform and educate the public, governmental bodies, and other organizations about the contributions and critical role that professionally developed and administered assessments play in our complex society.    

In furtherance of its mission, the ATP also evaluates and responds to threats or other forms of disruption in the markets of its membership with comprehensive, well-constructed positions and thoughtful communications, whether through formal or informal channels, or by seeking to influence legislators, regulators, the courts, and/or policy- and decision-makers on testing-related issues.  The ATP reacts appropriately to industry concerns, and, when possible, acts proactively to address such concerns.   Monitoring and acting on internal and external forces (e.g., disruptive innovation and legislative initiatives) that may impinge upon members’ capability to conduct normal business activities is central to the ATP role as “the Intelligent Voice for Testing.”

In addition, the ATP’s advocacy work includes collaboration, research, and publications with other trade or professional associations and/or non-governmental organizations related to a variety of testing-related issues.  For example, the ATP has led the conversation on a number of high-profile issues (e.g., copyright protection of test content in all formats, the role of high-stakes testing, operational best practices in the use of testing, and the growing impact of data protection and data privacy).

Hansen notes that, the Sub-Committee within the ATP Executive Board which has been formed to make this new definition actionable is now calling out for volunteers among the ATP membership to move this important work forward. 

The work in the Sub-Committee will involve the following activities:

  • Identify and articulate advocacy issues in a charter document that among other things addresses potential targets of advocacy work, criteria for determining which advocacy work to do, and a process for advocating. 
  • Establish a structure that enables advocacy issues to flow readily from the bottom to the top and vice versa.
  • Establish a repository of advocacy related documents.
  • Make sure that ATP continues to collaborate with other organizations.

ATP members interested in taking part in this important work should contact Lauren Scheib at [email protected]