- Talent & Leadership
Bridget Herd, ATP 2025 Innovations in Testing Conference Chair, and Senior Vice President of Program Management and Project Management Office, Pearson VUE
I’ve been attending the Association of Test Publishers conference, or ATP as it is widely known, for many years. Over this time, I have seen it grow into a truly remarkable event. Conference attendees often comment that it provides them with an immersive industry experience; with access to global thought leaders, while learning about and discussing major and emerging trends. However, there is more to ATP than great conferences and webinars.
It’s about advocacy for the testing, assessment, and edtech sector, providing members with the latest white papers, legal bulletins, guidelines, and publications. Being a member of ATP is the best way to stay current and ensure you’re doing right by your program by adopting proven best practices.
Bridget Herd
Senior Vice President of Program Management and Project Management Office
The organization’s true power is its ability to bring the best minds in the industry together, be it the many volunteers from across the industry, or the members who interact with the association daily, or the thought leaders who provide perspectives on current and future trends. This gathering of minds and sharing of information is what makes ATP so important to our future development and growth.
From “what if” to “here’s what”
The ATP 2025 Innovations in Testing Conference theme is “Testing the Limits.” In recent years, program content has seen huge growth in sessions involving artificial intelligence (AI). Two years ago, the sessions were “what if” in nature. Now, they are more likely to feature “here’s what we’ve done, here’s what the data tells us, etc.”
Generative AI presents an unprecedented influence across almost every aspect of testing, and it will require the industry’s sharpest minds to ensure that both opportunities and risks are equally evaluated and cared for. Simply put, the advent of new technologies will continue to test our limits — but we all benefit when we tackle it together.
Finding learning opportunities at the conference
Featured topics at ATP span a variety of interest areas. This year we’ll have sessions on AI, of course, but also on accommodations, security, psychometrics, and item writing, to name just a few. Attendees can easily review the program guide and identify the best sessions for their organization’s needs. If you have more than one attendee, we recommend taking part in different sessions, so your company gets the biggest bang from your attendance.
Anyone with a direct or indirect interest in the assessment industry, even those who aren’t ATP members, can attend the conference. For organizations or individuals seeking to expand their industry knowledge, attending conference sessions will allow them to learn what the major trends are, who are the leaders in their field, and, perhaps most importantly, how these trends will translate into policies or regulation after the conference.
Benefits beyond the conference
Ultimately, ATP is for the benefit of test owners and test-takers, with most conference topics dealing with the impact of trends on these groups — for example, how new technologies, regulations, and trends will affect the ease and security of exam delivery, and how all these factors will impact the candidate taking the test.
In a world of ever-changing technology and regulations, conferences like ATP provide the platform for industry-wide discussion and collaboration to facilitate a lifetime of continual learning. Without this future-looking forum, the experience of test owners and test-takers cannot be continually improved.
The far-reaching benefits of volunteering
Volunteering is key to achieving this collaboration. ATP volunteers become part of a conference and association that exists to advance the industry. For anyone passionate about education, assessments, or professional qualifications, it’s a unique opportunity to give back and learn at the same time.
I’ve been in this industry for nearly 30 years, and I feel it’s my duty to share the knowledge I’ve obtained to help others. I firmly believe that giving back to your community, no matter how you define it, is incredibly important, not only for your personal development, but also for the benefit of the company you work for, and the sector you operate in.
And of course, any organization benefits from more educated employees. When you volunteer, you get exposure to so many more people, and each new person you meet provides an opportunity to learn more and grow your network — so you have a built-in resource when you have questions.
Conclusion
The Innovations in Testing 2025 conference will be the culmination of my volunteer commitment. Throughout my time volunteering with ATP, I have made it a point to be objective and fair. This is incredibly important when you are in this role as well as when you’re a vendor. I have also taken it a step further — I’m continually pushing our conference leadership team to rethink everything and revisit how we’re doing things. Being complacent is dangerous when you work in an industry that is constantly evolving.
The evolution of the ATP conference is vital to the continued growth and success of the testing industry. Without the important work of the volunteers, we simply would not have the opportunity to learn from each other and collaborate toward becoming a better industry and providing better testing experiences for test owners and test-takers.
The ATP 2025 Innovations in Testing Conference takes place March 23-26, 2025, in Orlando, Florida. Visit the website to register, and take advantage of the early bird registration (with a reduced fee of $125) through December 13.