Evaluations Must Go On: ATP Advocates and Promotes Assessment Telepractice

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, November 5, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Washington D.C. -- “We are definitely onboard with the position that evaluations must go on,” remarked ATP Board Member Hazel Wheldon, CEO of Canada-based, MHS Assessments. Wheldon, who Chairs the Clinical Practice Division of the Association of Test Publishers (ATP), along with leaders of the Learning Disabilities Association (LDA), is pushing back on what they see as a tide of anti-testing that has arisen in the wake of COVID pandemic, and which is disproportionately impacting children with learning disabilities.

Wheldon observed that, “Many special education evaluations can, and should, take place virtually and that most publishers have tools in support of that outcome.” Members of the ATP Clinical Division, which include MHS, Pearson and Western Psychological Services (WPS) offered up resources for LDA advocates, which include Digital Tool Kits, guidance documents and best practices:

• https://info.mhs.com/ce-comm-hub;
• https://www.pearsonassessments.com/professional-assessments/digital-solutions/telepractice/about.html;
• https://pages.wpspublish.com/telepractice-101

The ATP Board of Directors took the additional measure of passing a Resolution advocating for access to identification, and fair treatment, of those with learning disabilities, especially during times when access to in-person assessments and interventions may be challenged necessitating support and use of remote and/or technology assisted evaluations and interventions.

In addition to promoting Telepractice, the Resolution goes on to affirm the ATP recognizes that:

(1) many people go through life with learning disabilities unidentified and/or unsupported;
(2) the negative impact of learning disabilities can be reduced with an effective, comprehensive, and early, identification, evaluation, intervention and/or prevention plan;
(3) it is highly desirable to use appropriate best practices related to assessment, evaluations, and interventions for individuals with learning disabilities; and
(4) it is worthwhile to encourage the use of existing and ongoing research efforts into recognition, assessment, and intervention strategies of learning disabilities.

In a further show of support for the LDA community, ATP has signed on as a Graduate Student Scholarship Sponsor for LDA’s inaugural Science to Practice (S2P) Virtual conference, scheduled for January 21 - 24, 2021, which both organizations hope will be able to further highlight and connect the many resources that are available. [More information on the conference can be found by visiting https://ldaamerica.org/s2p-virtual-conference]

About ATP

Established in 1992, The Association of Test Publishers (ATP) is an international, non-profit, trade organization representing providers of tests and assessment tools and/or services related to assessment for clinical, occupational, certification, licensing, educational or other similar uses. For more information on ATP visit www.testpublishers.org

Lauren Scheib
Association of Test Publishers
+ +1 717-755-9747
Lauren@testpublishers.org