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The 15th October Weekly Global Update brings together 25 curated articles from across the assessment world — covering AI in assessment, test security, regulatory action, equity and inclusion, and emerging formats. From Ofqual fines and Turnitin contract reviews to AI glasses used for cheating and the return of oral exams at scale, this week’s collection captures what’s shaping the global assessment landscape right now.

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This collection is curated by the Test Community Network for informational purposes only. The articles linked are published by third-party sources and hosted on external websites. The Test Community Network does not control, endorse, or accept responsibility for the content, accuracy, or availability of any third-party material. Views expressed in linked articles are those of the respective authors and publishers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Test Community Network. External links are provided for convenience and reference; accessing them is at your own discretion and risk.

This week's global update brings together 21 stories from across the assessment world, covering AI-driven exam security threats, new invigilation platforms, international collaborations, and shifts in remote testing policy. From hardware cheating devices bypassing lockdown browsers to South Korea's ambitious IB rollout, and from AI-generated exam leaks to Kenya deploying over 340,000 officials for national exams — it's a packed week for anyone working in assessment, qualifications, and credentialing.

Disclaimer: The links in this collection direct to third-party websites and content not owned or controlled by the Test Community Network. We do not endorse, guarantee, or accept responsibility for the accuracy, reliability, or content of any third-party sites. Views expressed in linked articles are those of their respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Test Community Network.

This week's Global Update brings together 23 articles from across the assessment world — covering AI-powered cheating and detection debates, global-scale digital delivery with PISA 2025, exam security reforms in India, climate-driven scheduling changes in Tanzania, and South Korea's plans for AI-led language testing by 2029. You'll also find insights on formative assessment research, professional credentialing, Estonia's school AI strategy, AQA's upcoming format changes, and cyber resilience guidance from Ofqual. Whether your focus is K-12, higher education, professional certification or language testing, there's something here for you.

The Test Community Network curates links to third-party content for informational purposes only. Inclusion does not imply endorsement, affiliation or approval by TCN. We are not responsible for the accuracy, content or availability of external sites, and all views expressed in linked articles remain those of the original authors and publishers. Links were valid at the time of publication but may change without notice.

In this week's episode, Tim Burnett chats with Professor Ovidiu Bagdasar, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Derby and founder of the Numeracy Without Borders initiative. They discuss:

• How well-designed, randomised e-assessment with instant feedback helped Ovidiu tackle maths anxiety and lift pass rates on his module from 85% to 90%, and to 97% for students who completed the full programme
• Why falling maths performance in PISA may be driven not only by COVID disruption but by teaching to the test and an over-reliance on AI shortcuts
• How Numeracy Without Borders is bringing free, self-study numeracy courses to classrooms from India and Nepal to Ecuador and Ethiopia

Ovidiu shares how a year spent writing 800 questions for his students, and a chance meeting with the late Graham Orpwood, led to Elevate My Maths 2.0, a platform built with equality, diversity and inclusion by design and real-time dashboards for teachers and institutions. He explains why maths anxiety isn't a failure of ability, why the "maths gene" is a myth, and why the value of AI depends entirely on how you use it: ask it to show you another way, not just to give you the answer. Tim and Ovidiu also unpick a times-tables puzzle to show why understanding patterns beats memorisation. Ovidiu will be running a problem-solving workshop at the IAEA 2026 conference in Toronto.

Find out more about the IAEA 2026 conference: https://iaea2026.org/

Connect with Ovidiu Bagdasar on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ovidiu-bagdasar-3541a46b/

Connect with Tim Burnett on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tburnett/

If you would like to join Tim on a future episode or sponsor the Test Community Network then get in touch with Tim to schedule a call: https://calendly.com/educationtech/15min-teams-chat

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Visit the full collection: https://testcommunity.network/collections/23rd-september-weekly-global-update

This week's collection is dominated by one question: how should assessment respond to AI? Maxinity argues that medical exams must shift from recall to clinical reasoning, while Al Jazeera explores evidence that faster, AI-assisted homework may be linked to poorer exam results. In England, two reports led by Sir Anthony Seldon, covered by BBC News and Schools Week, call for a national AI framework, teacher training and a "rapid response unit" to bring order to AI use in schools. Alongside this, the oral exam is making a comeback, with The Chronicle of Higher Education charting its resurgence and Viva Vocina offering AI-led oral assessments that question learners on their submitted work.

AI is also reshaping how assessments are built. Cirrus Assessment has partnered with Examplary to bring EU-hosted, AI-assisted exam authoring into its platform, and Examplary itself is positioning its toolset as a way to reduce teacher workload. Data rights are becoming a sharper concern too, with the University of Southampton announcing it will phase out Turnitin by 2027 over licence terms permitting the use of student submissions for AI training.

Test security remains firmly in the headlines. ATI and Elsevier have secured a preliminary injunction against Naxlex over nursing assessment piracy, Finland plans to check candidates' ears for hidden earpieces, Tanzania is introducing bans and prosecution for procurement exam cheats, and exam cheating tops university disciplinary cases in Kenya. Education Times adds a thoughtful counterpoint, arguing that remote proctoring needs context rather than simply more cameras, and the Philippines' Professional Regulation Commission reminds candidates of its strict rules on allowable calculators.

On the market side, Pearson has acquired Baltimore-based assessment technology provider ITS, and RM sets out the core requirements for scaling digital assessment. Rounding off the collection, Scanning Pens highlights how assistive technology can improve exam equity, MDPI publishes new research on computer vision, and the Tried and Tested Podcast speaks to NBCOT's Angela Macauley about workforce demand and the value of credentialing.

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In this week's episode, Tim Burnett chats with Dr Shafiza Mohamed, Exams Officer and Head of Assessment Innovations at the Malaysian Examinations Council (MEC). They discuss:

• Why Malaysia is shifting from high-stakes summative examinations towards more formative, teacher-led assessment — and how parents and society are responding to that change
• How AI and digital literacy skills need to be woven into assessment itself, and whether chatbots could one day feature in high-stakes exams
• The challenges of moving school-level exams from paper to digital across Malaysia's urban and rural communities — and why human proctors still matter even as AI enters the picture

Dr Shafiza shares her passion for assessment innovation and explains how Malaysia is navigating the tension between a culture that values high-stakes examinations and a global shift towards formative assessment. She draws an analogy between AI and the calculator — a tool that cannot be avoided and must instead be used meaningfully and ethically. The conversation also explores assessment security, data privacy, the importance of fair access to technology, and what delegates can look forward to at the Asia ATP Annual Conference 2026 in Kuala Lumpur.

Asia ATP Annual Conference 2026 (1–3 November, Kuala Lumpur): https://a-atp.eventlinx.hk/2026/

IAEA 2026 Conference: https://iaea2026.org/

Connect with Dr Shafiza Mohamed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shafiza-mohamed-70084738/

Connect with Tim Burnett on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tburnett/

If you would like to join Tim on a future episode or sponsor the Test Community Network then get in touch with Tim to schedule a call: https://calendly.com/educationtech/15min-teams-chat

Events: https://www.testcommunity.network/upcoming-events

Podcasts: https://www.testcommunity.network/podcasts

Marketplace: https://www.testcommunity.network/marketplace

Subscribe to the Test Community Network here: https://www.testcommunity.network

Full collection details here: https://testcommunity.network/collections/17th-september-weekly-global-news-update

This week's collection brings together 21 articles from across the global assessment landscape, covering AI's growing impact on education and examinations, test security challenges posed by smart glasses, digital assessment innovation, and the evolving conversation around equity and fairness in testing. From GPT-6 acing Korea's college entrance exam to UNESCO's global consultation on AI governance in education, and from FINRA barring a rep for smart glasses cheating to the OECD's PISA 2025 digital learning report, these stories reflect the pace of change shaping how we assess, certify, and credential learners and professionals worldwide.

Disclaimer: The Test Community Network curates and shares links to third-party news, research, and content for informational purposes only. Inclusion in this collection does not imply endorsement, affiliation, or agreement with the views, opinions, or accuracy of the content provided by external sources. The Test Community Network is not responsible for the content, accuracy, or availability of linked articles. All intellectual property and copyright remain with the original authors and publishers. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently and consult original sources before making decisions based on any content referenced here.

In this week's episode, Tim Burnett chats with Jim Henderson, owner of Validify Consulting and a Seattle-based specialist who helps IT companies build high-stakes certification programmes. With around twenty years in assessment — and a career in IT before that — Jim makes the case for assessing competence in the flow of work. They discuss:

• Why a knowledge test can only tell you so much about an IT professional, and how reading the telemetry people generate as they work proves they can actually do the job — not just recall it
• What certification can borrow from the video game industry, including an 11-tier progression system with 15–20 objectives per rank and a seasonal "recertify" reset that keeps skills current
• How to design telemetry-based assessment that resists gaming — spreading objectives across months rather than a single scripted task — and whether it's really more secure than proctoring (Jim's answer: "it depends")

From the Novell practicum of the mid-2000s to a working prototype he's built today, Jim traces how cloud software and event-driven telemetry have finally made real-time, performance-based assessment feasible. The conversation gets into the practical hurdles too: short data-retention windows, chain-of-custody and auditability, the relentless pace of SaaS change, and why assessment telemetry may need to become a first-class feature protected by unit tests. It's a genuinely forward-looking listen for anyone rethinking how we validate skills in an AI-shaped world — with a nod to the parallel work of Microsoft's Liberty Munson.

Watch Jim's prototype demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbQzvBz--KQ&feature=youtu.be

Referenced in this episode: Validify Consulting at the ITCC 2026 Vendor Showcase

Connect with Jim Henderson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jhenderson/

Connect with Tim Burnett on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tburnett/

If you would like to join Tim on a future episode or sponsor the Test Community Network then get in touch with Tim to schedule a call: https://calendly.com/educationtech/15min-teams-chat

Events: https://www.testcommunity.network/upcoming-events

Podcasts: https://www.testcommunity.network/podcasts

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This week's global assessment news spans AI regulation in schools, exam security crackdowns, and the future of digital credentialing. From New York City's ban on AI use through middle school to NSW's new limits on take-home assessments, education systems worldwide are grappling with how to respond to generative AI. Meanwhile, mass cheating arrests and a deepening crisis of trust at India's NTA highlight the ongoing battle for exam integrity. On the innovation front, ETS outlines its multi-year AI transformation, Second Mesh secures funding for AI-powered ESOL assessment, and new research examines whether digital assessments genuinely improve learning outcomes. The OECD's PISA 2025 results land alongside fresh debate on GCSE and A-level grade reliability, and the global conversation around micro-credentials, workforce readiness, and hybrid exam models continues to gain momentum.

See the collection in full: https://testcommunity.network/collections/10th-september-weekly-global-news-update

Disclaimer

The Test Community Network curates and summarises publicly available news, research, and content from third-party sources for informational purposes only. Inclusion in this collection does not imply endorsement, affiliation, or verification of accuracy by the Test Community Network. All intellectual property rights remain with the original authors and publishers. Readers are encouraged to consult the original sources for full context. The Test Community Network accepts no liability for any actions taken based on the content summarised herein.

In this week's episode, Tim Burnett chats with Rick Jones, President of RMJ Assessment and independent assessment consultant with forty years of experience across Canadian provinces and international settings. They discuss:

• How the assessment conversation has shifted from digitising paper-based exams to exploring AI for item generation and constructed response scoring
• Whether candidates should be given access to AI tools during assessments, and what that means for test design
• What Rick is looking forward to at the IAEA 2026 conference in Toronto this September, from exhibition hall discoveries to conversations about early literacy and maths screening

Rick shares insights from a career spanning roles in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Ontario, including his work evaluating assessment programmes, organising the Pan-Canadian Forum, and profiling assessment experts from Canada and beyond. He reflects on the lessons learned from both successes and failures in large-scale assessment, and why the human role in AI-supported assessment remains essential. With the IAEA conference just weeks away, Rick talks about what he hopes to bring to the conversation and what he's keen to learn from the global assessment community.

Explore Rick's Expert Profiles in Educational Assessment: https://rmjassessment.com/profiles-in-educational-assessment/

Register for the IAEA 2026 conference: https://iaea2026.org/

Connect with Rick Jones on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-jones-65b43330/

Connect with Tim Burnett on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tburnett/

If you would like to join Tim on a future episode or sponsor the Test Community Network then get in touch with Tim to schedule a call: https://calendly.com/educationtech/15min-teams-chat

Events: https://www.testcommunity.network/upcoming-events

Podcasts: https://www.testcommunity.network/podcasts

Marketplace: https://www.testcommunity.network/marketplace

Subscribe to the Test Community Network here: https://www.testcommunity.network