In January 2020, Amy Seeley and Mike Bergin hosted the first Tests and the Rest Winter Conference 2020 in Boca Raton. Test prep professionals came together from coast to coast for a two-day learning, linking, and laughing extravaganza. We enjoyed the experience so much that we committed there and then to host conferences at least twice a year.
Then COVID-19 happened.
Since Mike and Amy couldn’t hold their scheduled summer conference in Cleveland as planned, they followed the test prep playbook and pivoted to an online program. Thus was born the first Tests and the Rest Online Summit! After that first weeklong event in July 2020, the summits delivered powerful, interactive pedagogical, operational, and intellectual professional development on the last Tuesday of every month until December 2021.
A new year marked a new beginning, as Mike and Amy transferred the Online Summits to the National Test Prep Association in January 2022. The NTPA mission and membership makes this organization the ideal home for top-level test prep training and networking. Now, these NTPA Online Summits take their natural place among valued resources like NTPA Tutor Roundtables, Test Deconstructions, and Lunch and Learns.
Learn the full history and future of the Tests and The Rest Summits, as discussed by Amy, Mike, and Dan Ascher circa January 2022.
WHAT IS A SUMMIT?
Why do we call this event a Summit? Conferences that last all day and revolve around lots of lectures have their place, particularly when colleagues can concentrate in one location. Since we’re all online now, we’ve re-imagined the standard conference as a focused summit rich with opportunities for interaction and collaboration:
WHEN: The last Tuesday of every month from 11am-1:30pm EST
WHERE: Online
WHO: Test prep professionals
HOW: Over Zoom, naturally 😉
HOW MUCH: FREE for NTPA members. Just $30 for either live attendance or video access for non-members.
Each day of a Tests and the Rest Online Summit focuses on a primary topic and follows the same standard model:
PRESENTATION (60 min): One presentation by a relevant expert followed by moderated Q&A and discussion.
PANEL (30 min): Three or more experts answering a series of topical questions with moderated Q&A
BREAKOUT (60 min): Everyone is broken into smaller work groups to answer certain questions and contribute to shared expertise and best practices.
SUMMITS
February 2022 on: Check the NTPA Online Summits page.
December 2021: PLANNING FOR SUCCESS IN 2022 // SWOT’s Next: Business Planning for 2022 // One Great Idea for 2022
November 2021: CLIENT COMMUNICATION // Client Communication: Mapping Touchpoints and Maximizing Impact // Implementing Systems for Client Communication
October 2021: HIRING // Hiring: How to Find and Onboard Great Tutors // Crafting the Perfect Test Prep Job Description // Adventures in the Interviewing Process
September 2021: MATH PREP // High Yield Math Topics for the SAT and ACT // Different Ways to Address Math Instruction
August 2021: STUDENT WORK // Leveraging Self Analysis to Promote Student Learning // Innovative Strategies for Student Assignments
July 2021: SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY // Influencer Priorities vs. Educator Instincts // Different Strategies for Different Social Platforms
June 2021: PRACTICE TESTS // Marketing Through Proctored Practice Tests // Different Uses for Practice Tests
May 2021: COLLEGE ADMISSIONS 2021 // Assessing the Current College Admissions Cycle // Admissions Priorities for Today’s High Schoolers
April 2021: DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE // Depth of Knowledge Levels on Standardized Tests // Assigning DOK Levels to Test Items
March 2021: COMPUTER-BASED TESTING // The Current ACT Digital Experience // Lessons Learned From Computer-Based Testing Prep
February 2021: PEAK PERFORMANCE ON TEST DAY // Overcoming Test Anxiety // Building the Ultimate Test Day Checklist
January 2021: COLLEGE ADMISSIONS TESTS AND PREP // 2021 Trends in SAT and ACT Content // SAT/ACT Smackdown: Which Test is Better?
December 2020: PLANNING FOR SUCCESS IN 2021 // SWOT’s Next: Business Planning for the New Year // What Worked in Test Prep in 2020?
November 2020: TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS // What Educators Should Know About Getting Testing Accommodations // Test Prep and Learning Differences
October 2020: REMOTE OPERATIONS // Managing Your Tutoring Business On The Road // How To Maximize Your Remote Tutoring Tools
September 2020: EXPANDING YOUR SERVICE LINES // How to Assess and Integrate a Great Opportunity // Successfully Adding Services
August 2020: SCORE DATA // Score Data–You Trackin? // Different Ways to Track Score Data
July 2020: RELATIONSHIP MARKETING // Realtime Relationship Marketing // Joint Ventures and Partnerships
June 2020: Tests and the Rest Summer Summit 2020
— Career Tutors: Hiring, Training, and Retention
— The Digital Brand: Building your Visual Identity Online