5th Annual Police & Fire Testing Summit
in Arlington, Texas ~ October 29, 2010
Agenda
Introduction (9:00 - 9:30am)
The purpose of the Summit is to promote best practices in testing and assessment for public safety agencies. We will provide background on I/O Solutions, including new areas of research and new products and services.
Legal Analysis: Adverse Impact and Cognitive Ability Testing (9:30 - 10:30am)
A section of the Texas Code will be highlighted that deals with rules governing civil service testing (Chapter 143). This law requires that municipalities use cognitive ability tests as the primary screening tool for police officer and firefighter selection. A prominent attorney from Littler Mendelson, the premier employment litigation firm in the nation, will discuss potential legal exposures created by Chapter 143 and steps that cities can take to achieve legally defensible practices.
Considering Generation Y and Millennial Applicants (10:30 - 10:45am)
We will discuss challenges related to the current applicant population and offer suggestions for designing recruitment and screening processes that consider the prevalent attitudes and attributes of modern candidates.
Break (10:45 - 11:00am)
Applicant Trends (11:00 - 11:45am)
There are numerous variables that differentiate hiring processes nationwide: minimum eligibility requirements, salary, length of advertising period, etc. Many of these variables can predict important outcomes related to recruitment goals, attrition and candidate success rates. Based on years of experience designing application and testing processes, we will discuss what the data tell us about police officer and firefighter job applicants.
Lunch (11:45 - 12:45pm)
Enjoy a complimentary lunch while socializing with fire, police and HR professionals from the state of Texas and nationwide.
Integrity Testing (12:45 - 1:30pm)
Integrity tests are an ideal tool for screening out applicants, at the earliest phase of selection, who are likely to fail background checks, polygraph exams and other similar hurdles.We will review integrity testing research and discuss case studies to demonstrate how these tools work in public safety agencies to increase efficiency and promote significant cost-savings.
Designing Better Oral Interviews (1:30 - 2:15pm)
I/O Solutions will present information about designing state-of-the-art structured oral assessments (entry-level and promotional).
Break (2:15 - 2:30pm)
Ricci v. DeStefano: Implications for Designing Better Promotional Testing Processes (2:30 - 3:30pm)
I/O Solutions developed fire promotional assessments that were the focus of a Supreme Court decision in June 2009. We will discuss some of the nuances of this case and discuss its implications for designing sound promotional testing processes. We will also discuss related strategies that apply to entry-level testing processes.
Closing Remarks (3:30 - 3:40)
Reception (After Conclusion of Testing Summit)
Please stay after the Testing Summit to mingle with fire and police professionals, HR staff, and commissioners while enjoying complimentary hors d'oeuvres and beverages.