Our 1997 annual conference, held in Newport Beach, California on June 22-26, was a success on all levels. Kudos to David Dye, Mike Willihnganz, and the rest of the program committee for putting together a great bunch of sessions...and to Mabel Miramon and the host committee for planning the extracurricular activities.
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| Conference Photos |
We're keeping the program online as our "conference proceedings." Presentations that are available online are highlighted and marked with an icon.
Note: Because IPMAAC members use different operating systems and application software, we're using the Adobe Acrobat "portable document" format for the conference presentations, so that everyone can view and print them. If you don't already have it, you'll need to download the free Acrobat reader software.
Conference Program
Monday, June 23
Welcoming Remarks
8:30 to 9:00
Paul Kaiser, IPMAAC President
Mike Willihnganz and David Dye, Ph.D., Program Committee Co-Chairs
Mabel Miramon, Host Committee Chair
Keynote Address
9:00 to 10:00
The Changing Nature of Work: Implications for Assessment
Ann Howard, Ph.D., Developmental Dimensions International
In the transition from the Bureaucratic Era to the Information Age, work is becoming more difficult, more abstract, and more interconnected. This changing nature of work requires workers with characteristics different from those typically evaluated in the past. It also necessitates more complex ways of organizing and leading others. This session will examine the forces driving change and will envision the future of work, workers, and the experience of working. It will suggest how assessment needs to change to meet the organizational challenges of the 21st century.
Concurrent Sessions
10:30 to 11:30
Paper Session: Advances in Assessment
A New Approach to Measuring Mechanical Aptitude
Joel P. Wiesen, Ph.D., Director, Applied Personnel Research
The content of traditional tests of mechanical aptitude will be reviewed in this session. Additionally, a new approach to measuring mechanical aptitude will be described which promises to minimize adverse impact by gender.
Maintenance Worker Selection: High Validity and Low Adverse Impact (26K)
Donald Sommerfeld, Ph.D., Michigan Municipal League
This paper discusses the development of an innovative selection examination for maintenance worker/laborer which has both high criterion validity and low adverse impact. After a thorough job analysis, this examination was given to 332 incumbent maintenance workers from 36 different local government units. Exam scores correlated .38 with supervisory ratings.
Paper Session: Information Technology in Assessment
Incorporating Changing Technology into Examination Development
John P. Kunzo, Ph.D., United States Postal Service
The necessity for creativity in adapting to technological change will be discussed in the context of revising written and performance examinations. Future-oriented analyses are a starting point, but changes in the nature of work, organizational restructuring and other forces must be addressed to ensure the continued efficacy and utility of newly installed instruments.
Development of a Multiple Choice In-Basket for Administrative Level Secretaries
Laura Martin, Los Angeles Unified School District
In an effort to expedite scoring, a multiple choice in-basket exercise was developed as part of the selection examination for administrative level secretaries. This presentation will cover the design, development, scoring, and feedback pertaining to the exercise. Also discussed in this presentation will be the advantages and limitations of conducting an in-basket exercise using this methodology.
Paper Session -- Quantitative Issues
Obtaining Reliable Job Analysis Information: A Progress Report from the Work Keys System (35K)
Shin-Chin Lee, Ph.D., ACT
Barry Nathan, Ph.D., Advancing Employee Systems
Research from ACT's Work Keys system, first introduced to IPMAAC in 1993, will be reviewed. The Work Keys job profiling system, the job analysis system used to establish content validity of the Work Keys assessments, will be discussed. Over 800 job profiles have been collected, in occupations ranging from police officer, to secretary, to maintenance mechanic.
Calculating SDy and Utility in a Fixed Compensation System
Paul Usala, U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service
A new procedure for calculating utility will be presented and discussed. The utility is stated in terms of the monetary worth that an organization places on work activities. This measure is particularly useful when a dollar value of products and services cannot be readily or sensibly determined, and/or maximum compensation is fixed by the organization.
Foundations Track -- The Basics of Exam Item Writing
1:00 to 5:00
Mike Willihnganz, Sacramento Municipal Utility District
Kristine Smith, San Bernardino County
This workshop is designed to provide participants with an understanding of how to write multiple choice examination questions. Through a combination of lecture, discussion, individual and group exerciser participants will acquire a knowledge of the principles and techniques used to develop good multiple choice selection examinations.
Concurrent Sessions
1:00 to 2:30
Paper Session -- Employee Performance
Autonomy and its Relationship to Performance and Job Satisfaction as Moderated by Growth Need Strength
Celia Chandler, California School of Professional Psychology
Growth need strength as a moderator of the relationship between autonomy and performance, and autonomy and job satisfaction was tested on a sample of 1,000 Federal employees. Using multiple regression analyses, no significant interaction was found to exist between the variables. However, autonomy was found to be a strong predictor of job satisfaction (r = .67). Results may have implications for how control and decision making on the job may produce affective outcomes.
Who Says Past Performance is the Best Predictor of Future Behavior?
Ross Hessler, City of Huntington Beach
Ron Marmalefsky, Los Angeles Unified School District
This presentation will address the practical application of the well-known axiom in personnel assessment that past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. Results of a survey on interview practices of public sector agencies in Southern California will be presented.
It's Not What You Know That Counts, It's What You Don't Know: A Competence Hierarchy Model of Employee Effectiveness
Barry Nathan, Ph.D., Advancing Employee Systems
A hierarchical model of employee competence will be presented. Rather than a list of core competencies, employee competence is defined by a hierarchical set of levels, with each level building on the competence achieved one level below. These levels can be applied to all jobs, regardless of department or level of authority.
Symposium -- The Adverse Impact/Business Necessity Tightrope: Avoiding the Fall
Deonda Scott, City of Orlando
Jeffrey Feuquay, Ph.D., Esq., Attorney and Psychologist
Since the 1971 Griggs vs. Duke Power decision and the introduction of "business necessity" as a burden of proof on employers defending a test or standard, employers and assessment professionals have walked a legal tightrope. Factors which have impacted court decisions are numerous and include the degree of adverse impact created by the use of the standard or test; the quality of the job analysis and content validation process; and the relationship between the standard and job performance. This symposium will review court cases and practical considerations in the creation, selection, and implementation of hiring/promotional standards and tests.
Tutorial -- The Collective Wisdom of the Workforce
James P. Clifford, City of Grand Rapids
For the past two and one-half years an effort has been underway in the City of Grand Rapids to determine if there is a better way to conduct performance evaluations. Employees were asked to share their opinions about performance evaluations. More than 450 employee comments were used in designing a performance evaluation demonstration project. This tutorial will address the collection and analysis of data, the review of professional literature, and consideration of practical issues related to the implementation of a demonstration project.
Forum -- Performance Appraisal: The Other Side of Assessment (22K)
Harry Brull, Personnel Decisions International
We define ourselves as assessment professionals, but in the life of any particular employee we are likely to be a one-night stand. Clearly assessment is not and should not be a one-time event. Organizations have a continuing need to measure the performance of individuals on the job. This session will begin to explore some of the central issues involved with performance appraisal and performance management such as: How does it operate in our organization? On what basis is performance measures? What role do we, can we, and should we play, This session is designed to be discussive in nature. Attendees are encouraged to share their thoughts, experience, and wisdom on the topic.
Concurrent Sessions
3:00 to 4:00
Symposium -- New Frontiers in Assessing Candidates for Entry Professional Jobs: Innovations from the State of Wisconsin (912K)
Linda Kirner and Frank Igou, Wisconsin Division of Merit Recruitment and Selection
The Wisconsin Division of Merit Recruitment and Selection has introduced a modern, flexible, user-friendly assessment system for entry professional positions. The innovative approaches to assessment reflect a number of improvements: Custom-designed background inventories and questionnaires to replace traditional written examinations; "designer" lists of candidates or job orders tailored to job requirements; scannable response sheets; PC based systems using customized off-the-shelf software; and the capability of State agencies to perform their own certification activities on their own PCs, without incurring the difficulty of modifying mainframe certification routines.
Symposium -- Introducing Performance America: An Inter-Agency Consortium to Improve Agency Performance in the Public Sector
David Dye, Ph.D., Booz-Allen & Hamilton, Inc. (135K)
Leslie Pollack, Ph.D., U.S. Office of Personnel Management
Recent initiatives such as the National Performance Review, the Government Performance and Results Act, and the Chief Financial Officer Act have prompted agencies to place a new emphasis on how they can become high-performing, customer-driven organizations. This presentation will introduce Performance America which is designed to bring Federal, State, and local agencies together in a consortium effort to assess and track Government performance. Members of Performance America use the Organizational Assessment Survey (OAS), a survey designed to measure dimensions of high performance in organizations, to obtain an organizational profile that allows agencies to benchmark against comparable organizations. This presentation will also discuss the results of an agency-specific project that demonstrates the relationship between an all-employee survey and key indicators of performance.
Paper Session -- Information Technology in Assessment
Computer Skills for a Changing Workforce
Dell Alston, Northern Assessment Research and Development Center
More and more positions require computer skills today, and more employers are asking for the assessment of these skills. Employers now want job seekers with a knowledge of products such as WordPerfect, Lotus 1-2-3, and MS Word. Assessment professionals need to keep abreast of this trend and develop programs to assist both job seekers and employers in filling positions in the job market.
Cruisin' Down the Information Superhighway (31K)
Kirk Smith, Louisiana Department of State Civil Service
Jean Tozer, Louisiana Department of State Civil Service
Stephen Hebert, Louisiana Department of State Civil Service
This presentation will address the travails and successes of the Louisiana Department of Civil Service in its quest to establish a Web site. Particular attention will be given to the innovative and unique solutions that were developed in response to the problems encountered.
Tuesday, June 24
General Session, WRIPAC Invited Speaker
8:30 to 9:30
Revising the Standards for Educational and Psychological Tests: Implications for Personnel Testing and Assessment
Paul Sackett, Ph.D., University of Minnesota
A multi-year process is underway to revise the Standards, which were last revised in 1985. First drafts of five technical chapters, dealing with issues of reliability and validity, were released for public comment early in 1996. A draft of the entire 15-chapter document is expected to be released for public comment in 1997. Paul Sackett, co-chair of the committee charged with revising the Standards, will present the key issues in the draft revision, with a specific focus on implications for personnel selection. Dr. Sackett will also respond to questions and comments about the revision.
Concurrent Sessions
10:00 to 11:00
Forum -- Revisions to Standards for Educational and Psychological Tests
Chair: Nancy Abrams, Ph.D., The Partnering Group
Paper Session -- Law Enforcement Selection
Selecting Corrections Officers (119K)
Stephen Berkley, Pennsylvania State Civil Service Commission
Results of a Corrections Officer Trainee validation study will be discussed in this presentation. The examination consists of a video-based written test and writing exercise, and a structured oral examination. Additional test components which assess fitness for employment will also be discussed.
Assessing Job-Related Skills for Law Enforcement Jobs
Magda Colberg, Ph.D., U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service
Mary Anne Nester, Ph.D., U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service
Susan Reilly, Ph.D., U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service
The U.S. Immigration and naturalization Service has developed a taxonomy of job-related thinking skills containing deductive and inductive reasoning. The expansion of the taxonomy to include induction represents an innovation in measurement for selection purposes. Inductive skill is used to make decisions without complete evidence. This presentation will describe the inductive portion of the taxonomy.
Paper Session -- Research and Development
Reliability of Situational Written Tests Revisited
Rosemary Harmon, State of Alabama Personnel Department
Nyree Jackson, State of Alabama Personnel Department
Bernard Nickels, Ph.D., State of Alabama Personnel Department
Jone Papinchock, Ph.D., State of Alabama Personnel Department
Last year, a modified approach to written test item formatting which resulted in less adverse impact than more traditional formats was explained and demonstrated. This presentation will discuss the three choice situational test and will describe the procedures which have been used to investigate its low reliability. The application of the three choice situational test format in law enforcement examinations will also be discussed.
Assessment of Bilingual Fluency Skills Made Easy
Heidi H. Hrowal, Los Angeles Unified School District
The Los Angeles Unified School District has been testing employees for bilingual fluency skills in more than a dozen languages since the early 1960s. These testing services have recently been made available to other organizations. Several employers, both within and outside of the Los Angeles area are utilizing these services. Continued growth of the testing program is anticipated. Therefore, research is being conducted to further improve the test and provide additional options for customers. This presentation will describe the bilingual testing program and the research currently being conducted.
General Session
11:15 to Noon
Stephen E. Bemis Award
Student Paper Award
Chair: Thung-Rung (TR) Lin, Ph.D., Los Angeles Unified School District
Foundations Track -- Passing Point Methodology: A Workshop
1:15 to 5:00
Nancy Abrams, Ph.D., The Partnering Group
Susan Christopher, Ph.D., Personnel Consultant
This workshop will present a variety of passing point methodologies for objective tests (i.e., multiple-choice, true-false) with emphasis on competency-based methods in general, and the Angoff procedure in particular. Participants will complete exercises which focus on the technical as well as the practical facets of setting passing points. The information and the exercises will be presented at the level of the entry-level practitioner. This workshop will also be beneficial for practitioners who are unfamiliar with this passing point methodology.
Managerial Track -- Developing a Philosophy of Management
1:15 to 4:30
Ed Cole, Cooperative Personnel Services
Pamela Stewart, Cooperative Personnel Services
This participative workshop focuses on the management of the assessment function. Everyone has a philosophy of management, but it seems few practitioners have clearly thought it through and articulated it in practical terms--relying more on the "I know it when I see it/do it" approach. Using an appropriate technology of group participation, this workshop will explore visions, values, goals, and processes associated with excellent management. The workshop will model a tool used to clarify and solidify the thoughts of a group with a common interest.
Concurrent Sessions
1:15 to 2:45
Symposium -- Assessing Writing Ability: Issues and Practices
Chair: Thung-Rung (TR) Lin, Ph.D., Los Angeles Unified School District
Presenters:
Stephen Magel, Ed.D., Los Angeles Unified School District
This symposium will begin with a review of definitions of writing ability and its assessment from both performance-based assessment within the educational domain and business employment perspectives. The review will cover both the recent "authentic testing" movement and direct and indirect assessment approaches. The discussion will be followed by a number of real business world case studies covering areas such as evaluation of company writing assessment programs, content and criterion validation approaches, comparing direct writing assessment with other predictors such as biodata and cognitive tests, and evaluation of analytical and holistic scoring approaches on simple and complicated professional writing samples. Both research suggestions and practical directions for the selection specialist will be addressed.
Paper Session -- Innovations in Selection
Reengineering for Today and Tomorrow: Designing a New Hiring Process for the State of Iowa
David Lundquist, Iowa Department of Personnel
The Iowa Department of Personnel is reengineering its entire approach to hiring. A five-year plan for modifying the employee selection system has been developed. It is intended to improve customer service and reduce or control employment costs. This presentation will describe the reengineering approach adopted by the State of Iowa.
Designing and Adjusting a Comprehensive Selection Program for Customer Service Representatives
Edward Z. Hane, Ph.D., Director, Personnel Consulting Group
A comprehensive selection program was designed for a Customer Service Representative job, including a basic skills test, a structured behavioral interview, and an interactive assessment exercise. The program was implemented with training sessions for interviewers and assessors. Later, it was found that the effectiveness of the selection program had diminished over time. Investigation showed that the problem was due partly to changes in the job, and partly to changes in the performance of interviewers and assessors. This presentation will discuss practical points for the implementation of selection programs, and for making adjustments to compensate for subsequent changes.
Panel Discussion -- Using the Probationary Period as an Employment Test
Chair: Donna Denning, Ph.D., City of Los Angeles
Presenters:
Samuel M. Sperling, Academy for Supervisory Development
Bob Cutler, Academy for Supervisory Development
Les Hamasaki, Sun Utility Network, Inc.
Irene Tovar, Academy for Supervisory Development
Floyd S. Yancey, Academy for Supervisory Development
Used properly, the probationary period is the most clearly job-related test in the selection process. It is also the most reliable, most useful, and least vulnerable to legal challenge. Unfortunately, probation is not always used as it should be. The Academy for Supervisory Development has designed a Tasks & Standards rating system which validates both the working test and the annual performance appraisal.
Concurrent Sessions
3:00 to 5:00
Panel Discussion -- The Impact of ADA, FMLA and Workers' Compensation Requirements on Employee Selection and Return to Work
Presenters:
Richard Sampson, Esq., Semmes, Bowen & Semmes
Michael Wyatt, Esq., Semmes, Bowen & Semmes
Mark Laponsky, Esq., Semmes, Bowen & Semmes
The ADA, FMLA, and recent developments in state Workers' Compensation law interact in complex and often confusing ways in the context of employee selection and return to work issues. This session will provide a primer on the ADA, FMLA, and Workers' Compensation. A question and answer session will invite the session participants to ask questions and to share insights into their particular worksite settings.
Tutorial -- Managerial Track: Creative Problem Solving and Project Management for Effective Organizational Leadership
Presenters:
William Hogan, Applied Measurement Professionals, Inc.
Dede Gish Panjada, Applied Measurement Professionals, Inc.
This tutorial session will give participants an opportunity to learn what issues and problems leaders must deal with, and will identify underlying themes which impact relationships between leaders and those being led. Leadership characteristics which have been shown to be essential criteria for outstanding leaders will be discussed. Additionally, key leadership roles will be examined and discussed.
Symposium -- Responding to Competitive Pressures With Integrated H.R. Systems (43K)
Calvin Hoffman, Ph.D., Southern California Gas Company
This presentation will focus on workplace changes, what these changes mean to HR professionals and how we can constructively respond to change. Approaches utilized by the Southern California Gas Company including assessment centers, 360 degree feedback and single validation studies for multiple jobs will be discussed.
Wednesday, June 25
General Session, MAPAC Invited Speaker
8:30 to 9:30
The Flight From g in Employment Testing (53K)
Linda Gottfredson, Ph.D., University of Delaware
The disparate impact standard in employment testing is evolving into a de facto ban on cognitive tests. A recent step in that direction is the Department of Justice's effort to promote nationwide the non-cognitive police entrance exam which it helped to develop in Nassau County, New York. This example is used to illustrate the folly of failing to select for intelligence when jobs require judgment and problem solving, as most do. Efforts to eliminate cognitive tests represent nothing less than the repudiation of a modern society's most important resource -- its intellectual capital.
General Session
10:00 to 11:30
Presidential Forum--Revitalizing Civil Service: Improving the System, Increasing Our Value
Chair: Paul D. Kaiser, IPMAAC President. Presenters: Charles Blockett Jr., President-Elect, IPMA-US and Personnel Consultant; George Sinnott, President, New York State Civil Service Commission
Over the last several years, a number of Personnel Departments and Civil Service organizations have been criticized, downsized and marginalized. This session will not focus on our dire straits but rather on the paths to success. Mr. Blockett will suggest methods that we, as practitioners, can employ to increase the value of our contributions to the workplace and ways of making these contributions known and appreciated. Since Commissioner Sinnott's appointment two years ago, he has implemented a number of initiatives for improving New York State's civil service system. These efforts have resulted in improvements in the standards and delivery of merit system services. This is a civil service "success story" that reinforces our profession's commitment to merit system principles.
Annual Business Meeting:
Paul Kaiser's report to the membership (32K)
Harry Brull's member survey results graphics (31K)
Foundations Track -- Developing Structured Oral Examinations
1:00 to 5:00
Ted Darany, Darany and Associates
Jennifer French, M.T.A.
The known prerequisites for reliable oral examinations will be presented in this workshop. A model will be provided that takes advantage of these research findings. Additionally, an example of the model and its components will be illustrated. This workshop will focus on topics such as: the prevalence of interviews and oral examinations; differences between hiring interviews and oral examinations; ancient and recent history of interviews; determining when to use an oral examination; developing the oral examination; selecting a rating technique to achieve maximum validity; and selecting and training the rating panel.
Managerial Track -- Managing the Selection Function: Challenges of the Late 1990s
1:00 to 3:00
Leroy B. Sheibley, Pennsylvania State Civil Service Commission
This is a two part symposium. Part one involves a discussion of the results of a survey of public personnel selection managers on current and upcoming challenges. The survey addresses questions such as: "To what extent is personnel selection being decentralized?" Is computer-based testing finally a reality in public employment?" What role do selection managers envision for IPMAAC and the selection consortia over the next few years?"
In part two of this session, managers with experience facing some of the challenges identified by the survey will provide advice on how to prepare for the emerging changes. Successful and unsuccessful implementation strategies will also be discussed. This session will conclude with an open discussion of the challenges facing selection managers in the late 1990s.
Concurrent Sessions
1:00 to 2:30
Panel Discussion -- The Executive Development Center
Presenters:
Matthew Gruver, Cooperative Personnel Services
Jack Clancy, Jack Clancy and Associates
Kay Evleth, City of Los Angeles
This presentation will describe the design and administration of an executive development assessment center as part of an ongoing city-wide leadership enhancement program in the City of Los Angeles. The center was fashioned for the approximately 600 senior level managers currently employed in the City, and included all Department Heads and their management staff through the Division Head level. The goal of this project was to ensure that each member of the City's leadership team had a valid, reliable, and objective evaluation of critical executive dimensions to help them achieve their desired level of performance. A summary of the results of the assessments will be presented, and practical considerations for initiating such an assessment program will be discussed.
Paper Session -- Psychometric Issues
Test Score Banding: The Good, the Bad, and the . . . (30K)
Lawrence F. Lipson, Northern Assessment Research and Development Center
Is banding a legitimate scoring mechanism to combat adverse impact, or is banding "fatally flawed"? There are various strategies and approaches to score banding. The permissibility of these approaches under the Civil Rights Act of 1991 has not been resolved. This presentation will address various issues pertaining to the use of banding.
Supportive Data and Guidelines for Using the Angoff, Ebel, and Nedelsky Cutoff Score Methods (23K)
Roy Amato, Ph.D., Orange County Superior Court
Bill Donnoe, Ed.D., Donnoe & Associates
This presentation will examine and discuss the Angoff, Ebel, and Nedelsky cutoff score methods as well as a customized approach to the Angoff method. Empirical data from two occupational licensing examinations suggests that the Angoff method is preferable to the Ebel and Nedelsky methods; there is no significant difference between the pass point estimate obtained using the traditional and a customized approach to the Angoff method; the statistical similarity between the traditional and customized approach to the Angoff method is significant; and, the observed reliability of the customized approach to the Angoff method is encouraging. Implications and limitations of these findings will be discussed.
Research/Marketing Strategies for Data Collection
Cleveland Norris, Jr., Michigan Department of Labor
The Northern Assessment Research and Development Center of the Department of Labor has developed an eight-step process for effective data collection research. This presentation will describe a strategy that practitioners can follow to ensure success of a research project.
1:00 to 3:00
Symposium -- Personality Assessment in the Public Sector: Applications and Issues
Chair: Ronald Page, Ph.D., Saville & Holdsworth Ltd.
Presenters:
Gary Schmidt, Ph.D., Saville & Holdsworth Ltd.
Nancy Abrams, Ph.D., The Partnering Group, Judy Trabert & Thomas Johnson, City of Rochester
Sidney Teske, Hennepin County Personnel (26K)
Selection systems in the public sector are undergoing change. In an era of controlling the growth of government and of increased responsiveness to the public, selection systems are addressing a wider range of attributes. Traditionally, selection has focused on job knowledge and abilities, or "hard skills." Currently, there is a trend to address broader issues of the job-person fit and address "soft skills." These "soft skills," which may relate to such things as customer service and teamwork, are frequently assessed by personality instruments.
This symposium will provide an overview of applications and issues pertaining to one personality instrument: the Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ). A description of the OPQ and how it has been applied in various public sector settings will be discussed. Issues such as implementing personality instruments in the public sector, faking, job-relatedness, and validity will also be discussed.
Concurrent Sessions
3:00 to 4:30
Paper Session -- The Human Element
The Use of Student Interns in the Louisiana department of Civil Service (17K)
Anne Soileau, Louisiana Department of Civil Service
The use of student interns provides a cost-effective, mutually-beneficial way to add staff on a limited basis. Similar to other types of temporary employees, student interns are relatively inexpensive because they do not require health benefits or other expenses associated with permanent employees. Unlike many temporary employees however, interns may be highly educated and skilled in a specialized field. This presentation will describe how student interns are being used in the Louisiana Department of Civil Service to create a statewide performance appraisal system.
Job Applicants: Our Most Renewable Resource
Joyce R. McLarty, Ph.D., ACT
This presentation will describe actual Work Keys generic skill levels found to be required for competent performance in various occupations. By providing educators with accurate information regarding the skill levels required for success in various occupations, Work Keys supports improved instruction of workplace skills leading to better qualified job applicants. A description of how generic skill levels may be used with profiles for specific jobs within an organization will be provided.
A Review and Summary of Recent Research in Industrial Gerontology as it Relates to Personnel Assessment (44K)
Kenneth Shultz, Ph.D., California State University, San Bernardino
Recent research and theorizing on a variety of industrial gerontological topics related to personnel assessment will be reviewed and discussed in this presentation. Examples of topics to be covered include recent legal cases and issues related to age discrimination under ADEA. provision of reasonable accommodations under ADA, assessment and psychometric issues, as well as career development, retirement, and bridge employment trends in the aging workforce.
Symposium -- Partnership Between Federal, State, and Local Governments: Linking into National Databases
Chair: Donna Rodriguez, Ph.D., Office of Personnel Management
Presenters:
Donna Gregory, Office of Personnel management
Leslie Pollack, Ph.D., Office of Personnel Management
Lora L. Levosky, State of New Jersey Department of Personnel (151K)
Karen Coffee, California State Personnel Board
During the last five years, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has been conducting a series of large-scale occupational studies for Federal managerial, clerical/technical, and professional/administrative occupations. This symposium will 1) review the methodology of the competency-based job analysis system used by the Federal government to conduct these studies; 2) provide information on how this information has been used to link State and Federal occupations; and, 3) discuss how it has been used for a variety of human resource management initiatives, including broadbanding and series consolidation.
3:00 to 5:00
Panel Discussion -- A Statement on Test Taker Rights and Responsibilities: Challenges and Perspectives
Chair: Heather Roberts, Ph.D., American Psychological Association
Although there are numerous documents for test developers and test users regarding the development and use of tests in industry, there is little guidance for test takers on what they should expect to encounter in the testing process. The purpose of this panel discussion is to generate discussion among participants over the potential use of a statement of test taker rights and responsibilities by practitioners in industry. Panel participants and audience members will receive a copy of the Joint Committee on Testing Practices (JCTP) draft statement on test taker rights and responsibilities. Panel participants will discuss the merits of this type of document, and present their views on practical and legal challenges that personnel specialists may encounter when informing applicants of their testing rights and responsibilities. In addition, participants and audience members will be encouraged to provide feedback for the JCTP as they seek to finalize work on the statement.
Thursday, June 26
Concurrent Sessions
8:00 to 9:30
Panel Discussion -- Are You Qualified to Use Personality Tests?
Chair: Diane Brown, Ph.D., American Psychological Association
Harry Brull, Personnel Decisions, Inc.
Jeffrey Feuquay, Ph.D., Esq., Attorney and Psychologist
The issue of who is qualified to use tests is complicated. test developers and users often establish their own policies, resulting in a variety of practices. The purpose of this panel discussion is to examine this issue for different applications of personality tests in industrial and organizational settings. This session will also include an overview of the progress of APA's Test User Qualifications Task Force.
Concurrent Sessions
8:30 to 9:30
Paper Session -- Firefighter Selection
Firefighter Selection with Low Adverse Impact: A Replication
Joel P. Wiesen, Ph.D., Director, Applied Personnel Research
The second implementation of an innovative selection procedure for firefighter again showed low adverse impact on minority candidates, indicating that the low adverse impact seen in the first administration is replicable. The content of the selection system will be described, and unanticipated reactions to it reported.
A Practical, Streamlined Approach to Testing Firefighting Skills Through Video Testing (316K)
Edie Goldberg, Ph.D., CORE Corporation
Sharon Rose, Ph.D., CORE Corporation
This presentation will address how FIREPRO, a promotional examination or readiness assessment tool that utilizes computer animation and video testing, has been developed and validated. Also addressed in this session will be issues of validity generalization and transportability, as well as how the instrument has been implemented in practice through job analysis, test administration, and scoring.
Paper Session -- Assessment-Related Research
Predicting Occupational Performance: Not Much More Than g (259K)
Malcolm Ree, Ph.D., Armstrong Laboratory Human Resources Directorate
The measurement and role of general cognitive ability, g, began in controversy and continues in controversy. Through large sample empirical studies it is demonstrated that g is the source of validity in cognitive ability tests and many other personnel selection devices. This presentation will address research and issues related to general cognitive ability.
Effects of Practice on Alternative Forms of the GATB
Mary K. Hurren, Northern Assessment Research and Development Center
The U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) developed the GATB for use in Employment Service offices for employment counseling and job referrals. Previous studies on the GATB have showed the presence of a practice effect with repeated administrations. Because retested examinees will gain a substantial advantage, USDOL conducted additional research to determine whether a practice effect could be remedied with a correction. Research findings will be explained and discussed in this session.
Paper Session -- Valuing and Measuring Sound Assessment Practices
Inspire Managers to Value Selection Principles in Hiring Staff
Chuck Schultz, Ph.D.
Selection specialists frequently find themselves on different wavelengths from the line staff they serve. Perhaps selection specialists and appointing authorities have the same goals but they do not approach them in the same way. Selection professionals and appointing authorities should recognize the legitimacy of one anther's perspective, and work concertedly toward building an effective workforce. This presentation will address the need for communication, education, and understanding so that selection specialists and appointing authorities can reach their common goals.
Beyond Validity: Measuring the Return on INS' Investment in a New Promotional Assessment System (178K)
Ilene Gast, Ph.D., Immigration and Naturalization Service
The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) has developed a "Return for Investment Model" to evaluate monetary and non-monetary benefits resulting from personnel assessment. The Model specifies broad categories of development and implementation costs and delineates outcome variables which permit comparison to preexisting systems. This presentation describes how INS will use the model in evaluating its new Promotional Assessment System.
General Session
10:00 to 11:30
Issues in Public Sector Testing: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!
Sheldon Zedeck, Ph.D., University of California at Berkeley
The focus of this presentation will be reflections on 25 years of developing and validating tests in the public sector. Dr. Zedeck will describe successful and not so successful experiences on topics such as test development, performance assessment, implementation of validation strategies, recommendations for test use, service on "test expert advisory groups," and working under court imposed consent decrees with court monitors. The technical, legal, an professional issues pertaining to these topics will be emphasized. Contrasts with private sector testing will also be offered.