The PFSS Conference will be held October 5-7, 2016.
Location: Hot Springs Convention
Early Bird Registration: $150 (Until September 14, 2016)
We hope to see you there!!
Accuplacer 101 (Workshop)
Chantel Reynolds with College Board will be conducting an Accuplacer 101 workshop for Arkansas State Testing Center Reps. Please see the information below:
October 11, 2016, 1:00 – 4:00
National Park College
101 College Drive
Frederick Dierks Building, Room 119
Hot Springs, AR 71913
Link to NPC campus map:
http://www.np.edu/about/campus-map.aspx
Please share this with your testing staff and forward to your colleagues at other Arkansas institutions.
Thank you for helping me get the word out.
See you in October!
Save the Date
The Partners for Student Success joint conference will be held October 5-7, 2016 at the Hot Springs Convention Center. ACTA will partner with student affairs professionals from the offices of health and wellness, academic advising, disability services, housing, and campus life to discuss current issues affecting our students. Please plan to represent you institutions and the testing profession at this unique professional development opportunity.
Spring Meeting on May 19, 2016
The general assembly will meet on Thursday, May 19th from 10a-3p at National Park College. The agenda includes elections for the upcoming term and guest speaker Chantel Reynolds from The College Board. Click on “Meetings and Conferences” to register
From the Desk of the President
As the end of your winter approaches I’m sure that everyone is eager to know what the future holds for their favorite professional organization; the Arkansas College Testing Association! There has been a lot of “behind the scenes” organization taking place in order to make the state organization here in Arkansas shine as brightly as some of the other state testing associations.
With the recent enactment of our bylaws and mission in October, the executive board has tried to think of ways to remain at the forefront of the issues facing our state regarding test administration and procedures. The biggest highlights since our last meeting include the certification of two additional testing centers in our state by the National College Testing Association. Additionally, our expertise in the realm of testing has been solicited for one of the most important changes soon to affect Arkansas higher education; the termination of COMPASS test administrations and the search for its comparable replacement.
So what’s next? A new listserv!! Traditionally, the ACTA Listserv has been tied to the college or university at which the president/vice president is employed. This has been difficult to switch over with the change of officers or a change in employment. The listserv will now by managed through this website. Please subscribe using the button to the right. Feel free to follow this page for updates as well!
Second, I hope that you will “Save the Date” for the ACTA Spring Drive-In which will be held Thursday, May 19, 2016 at National Park University. Although there will be no registration fees for this event, a link to the registration form will be sent out to the listserv in the next few weeks to get an accurate count for refreshments. The registration form will also be available on this page under the tab “Meetings/Conferences.”
What will we do at the Spring Drive-In? Typically the Spring Drive in is used to discuss hot topics in testing, showcase best practices from our respective centers, host guest speakers from companies, government, and associations that directly affect our roles as testing administrators. Additionally, this meeting serves as the annual business meeting for our organization where we voting on action items impacting the organization and fill executive leadership roles for the upcoming year. We currently have vacancies for the following seats: President Elect (or Vice President), Treasurer, and Chair of Committees. For those who believe they may have the time to devote to assisting ACTA in providing professional development opportunities to their fellow coworkers throughout the state (or even nationally), it really is fun and worth the effort, and I would strongly encourage each of you to reach out for one of these positions.
Remember that “iron sharpens iron.” By meeting together we have the opportunity to strengthen one another, hone our skills, and learn new/improved ways to provide quality student centered services on our campuses. When that happens, everyone wins.
I look forward to seeing you all in May!
Arrayon L. Farlough, M.A.Ed
President
Arkansas College Testing Association
Upcoming Events
Good Afternoon All,
It has been awhile since I had posted and I wanted to announce a few things in this arena to make sure that everyone was “up to date.”
1. The Partners for Student Success Conference will act as our state conference and house the Fall Meeting for ACTA. This event will be held September 30-October 2, 2015 at the Hot Springs Convention Center. We will come together with higher education professionals from Arkansas College Health Association (ArCHA), Arkansas Association on Higher Education and Disability (Ark-AHEAD), Arkansas Student Affairs Association (ArSAA), and Arkansas Academic Advising Network (ArkAAN) to network and discuss issues concerning our colleges and universities. I encourage you to Submit a Proposal in order to have sessions that are specific to our testing needs. Additionally, ACTA is in charge of Volunteerism and Local Arrangements this year. There are plenty of opportunities to volunteer in helping this conference run smoothly. Please click on the links to register, submit proposals, and volunteer. I look forward to seeing you all there!
2. The National College Testing Association Conference will be held September 9-12, 2015 at the Tradewinds Resort in St. Pete’s Beach, Florida. If you cannot attend but would still like to hear the conference proceedings, you can sign your entire office up for the Virtual Conference and listen in real time! ACTA will have a booth at this conference so if you are interested in volunteering to work the booth to provide information about our organization, feel free to contact me at alfarlough@ualr.edu. Every session at this conference will be geared toward those of us in the testing world. I always return with fresh ideas and solutions to issues. I would encourage everyone who had a budget to attend.
3. During the Partners for Student Success conference there will be a one day workshop on September 30, 2015 for persons who have spent less than 5 years working in Higher Education. The New Professionals Institute provides opportunities to connect with colleagues and engage in group discussion that will allow them to explore:
* career paths and trends in thestudentaffairs/services profession
* how to manage our peers, our superiors, and ourselves
* mentor/mentee relationships
* ethics
* professional and personal life balance
If you know of anyone who meets this criteria, please invite them to participate. The fee for this workshop is $60 and can be purchased separately from the conference.
Please like and follow this blog for the most up to date information about ACTA. I’m working on the Twitter Account and Facebook Page to get us more into the now! LOL!
Until we meet again,
Happy Testing!
Resources
Please follow the links for information regarding national, regional, or state specific exams:
National and Regional Testing Organizations
National College Testing Association
DelMarVa Testing Association (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia)
Intermountain Regional Testing Association (Still Forming-Southern Idaho, Utah)
Pacific Region Testing Association (Still Forming-Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon and Washington)
Rocky Mountain College Testing Association (Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico and Wyoming)
Use the Consortium of College Testing Centers to find a testing center in a different state.
ACTA Participating Institutions
Arkansas College Testing Association 