Regulations on The Employee Selection Process - Essay Example

? How the Current New York Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) Regulations changed the Employee (Teacher) Selection Process Jeffrey P. Cervoni University at Buffalo Abstract A new annual professional performance review (APPR) law was adopted by the New York state in 2010. The primary purpose of the new NYS Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) Regulations is to provide support and professional growth for teachers and other employees in our education system. For example, a successful review system is expected not only to provide a timely feedback but also an opportunity to acknowledge the strengths as well as the weaknesses of the educators. This paper critically analyzes the impacts of the new NYS Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) Regulations on employee selection process. How the new NYS APPR Regulations Have Changed the Employee (Teacher) Selection Process Introduction In the year 2010, New York State approved the adoption of a new teacher evaluation law that requires the performance review of the teachers to be based on evidence of teacher effectiveness, student growth, student achievement as well as a number of other locally selected measures. Generally the primary objective of the new annual professional performance review (APPR) has been to provide a timely feedback on the effectiveness of the teachers as well an opportunity to acknowledge the strengths and the weaknesses of the educators in their capacity as employees. Previously the recruitment and selection process has been found not to focus much on quality since it led to poor selection by not factoring in other aspects of teaching which may not be inherent during the normal selection process (Odden, 2011). Consequently the new APPR regulation were introduced to help improve the quality of learning in New York State particularly through enhanced decision making during the teacher selection process. In this regard, the regulation has created a movement for the recruitment of teachers to be based on quality ratings, which are categorized as follows: high effective, effective, developing and ineffective. Several researches have been conducted over the last few decades in relation to student achievement and performance. Many of these studies indicate that student achievement is highly dependent on the quality of education they receive from their teachers (Daley and Kim, 2010). This implies that the education system needs highly qualified teachers capable of instilling what is required to enable students to be successful for college and/or post-secondary careers. The need for more quality teachers is currently putting many states under intense pressure to conform to the NCLB act which aims at ensuring that only quality teachers are hired, those who can provide quality education to students(Freeport Public Schools, 2012). New York State is one of the states in America that have successfully made bold steps aimed at improving the quality and value of teachers. With its acceptance for the Race to the top incentive program, hiring effective teachers is now paramount. (www2.ed.gov, 2012).This paper critically examines how the New York State’s (NYS) APPR regulations have changed the employee selection process since its introduction. The relationship between the New NYS APPR Regulations on human resource activities For many years, organizations have always used referrals to help them carry out their human resource activities particularly during the employee selection process when hiring or promoting their employees (Hays and Kearney, 2001). Studies have confirmed that the use of performance reviews in employee selection processes is one of not only a reliable option but is also an easy and cost effective approach that ensures satisfaction both to the organization and to the employees. On the other hand, with the current high number of lawsuits those organizations are increasingly facing as a result of their decisions to hire, promote or terminate an employee, there has been an urgent need to develop new regulations governing employee evaluation and performance review such as the new NYS Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) Regulations. For example, the new APPR regulations requires that the past performance of employee evaluations should be documented in writing and this is an important tool not only for enhancing employee morale and motivation but can also help organization avoid the legal risks associated with employee selection processes (Measures of Effective Teaching Project, 2010). Importance of the new NYS APPR Regulations in teacher selection processes Balter and Duncombe (2005) reveal that many states in the U.S experienced high teacher shortage in 1990s following a change in demographics and reduction in class. This was preceded by several years of declining demand for teachers in several states. However, the demand for new teachers is projected to increase to about 2 million in the next decade according to the National Center for Education Statistics (CCSSO, 2011). The federal recruitment process for teachers has for a long time been based on a search for candidates, most of which are advertised through print media and the internet. After receiving applications from potential candidates, they (the candidates) undergo screening to establish their suitability for the jobs that they have applied for . Currently both the federal and the New York state government require the state education department to comply with the new Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR). APPR also provides guidelines on how teachers are to be appraised to determine if they satisfy the pre-set quality standards so as to improve performance among students. With regard to the current federal requirements, the selection process of teachers should be subjected to a selection criterion to determine their teaching quality. According to Odden (2011), most districts start the teacher selection process by subjecting the applicants to a vigorous screening process in order to identify applicants who meet the perquisite qualifications and quality threshold. This is followed by the first interview which may cover issues to do with proper classroom management, experience, curriculum, discipline, learning style and subject matter. The law basically requires that before hiring or promotion teachers, they are to be evaluated based on the 40% student achievement level. In this case, only those teachers that meet the evaluation threshold for effectiveness are hired for teaching. How can teachers who have never taught be selected on the bases of student achievement data? This is because they shall have met all the quality requirements expected of teachers in the state. It is projected that hiring based on evaluation as prescribed by the APPR will improve the quality of education in the state once fully implemented. Freeport Public Schools (2012) reports that the regulation requires that the 60% of teacher evaluations should always be subjected to several measures of principal, teacher effectiveness in line with the rules set by the commissioner. In this type of evaluation, a teacher can berated either as developing or ineffective or to other ratings as well. Generally, the improvement involves taking the teachers or principals through rigorous training programs to improve their teaching competencies before being recommended for promotion or employment. Those who cannot improve even after been subjected to TIP or PIP are considered incompetent as far as provision of quality education is concerned and are not to be considered for employment or promotion. As earlier stated, after evaluation a teacher or principal may be rated ineffective. Consequently if a teacher were rated ‘ineffective’ with regard to his or her teaching quality, then the teacher or principal would be considered incompetent for teaching. Consequently this means that no such teachers would be selected for promotion and subsequent hiring within the state since they would not be able to provide the quality teaching needed of every teacher. In addition, in case an already employed teacher or principal happens to be rates ‘ineffective’ then the regulation requires such teachers and principal’s services are terminated after subjecting them through a hearing process. Before hiring or promotion is done, teachers and principals are required to undergo rigorous vetting procedure to determine their content knowledge in line with their area of specialization. Content knowledge is evaluated under the new APPR to establish whether the teachers are competent enough to deliver quality teaching expected of them as per the regulation. In this regard, only teachers who meet the “effective” rated are recommended for hiring in the state. Those who fail to meet the threshold regarding content knowledge are neither hired nor considered for promotion (CCSSO, 2011). Numerous researches have indicated that the success of students depends on the capacity of their teachers to manage classrooms well. As such, during the selection and recruitment of teachers in NYS, the teachers are required to undergo thorough evaluation process to determine their capacity to manage the classroom well. In this regard, only those candidates who meet the criterion by being rated effective are the ones normally hired for a teaching job. Those who are rated“ ineffective” with regard to classroom management are not supposed to be considered for promotion or future hiring since they will not be able to organize the classrooms in a manner that promotes quality education, which is needed for effective teaching. Other areas required by the new APPR regulations for evaluation during the hiring process for teachers include the teachers’ knowledge of student development, their instructive practices, effectiveness, collaborative relationships, and their reflective teaching practices. This regulation would truly result in quality education, in schools throughout NYS since the hiring and promotion of teachers is purely based on the how effective the teachers are as far as quality teaching and management of schools is concerned (Freeport Public Schools, 2012). The new APPR regulations differ widely from the previous processes considering that whereas the latter did not involve subjecting teachers to evaluation based on predetermined factors to determine their effectiveness, the new regulation does so but some districts ignored them. For instance, the old regulation mainly required teachers to meet the prerequisite requirements such as college transcripts, letters of recommendations and proof of accreditation to get approval for promotion after the initial hiring. Best practice in terms of employee selection Employee selection is a very sensitive issue that requires adequate planning so as to be able to select the right employees capable of doing the job. This is particularly important with regard to hiring of teachers because failure to follow the best selection practices may lead to hiring of teachers who are not able to deliver quality teaching to students (Secord, 2003). It is also a common practice to use subjective judgments in evaluating an applicant’s suitability for a particular job. Nevertheless, research indicates that this kind of practice does not conform to the best practice in the selection of employees for a given job. The appraisal of teachers using the new APPR regulations provides an effective rating scale that can be used by evaluators to gauge the performance of teachers in terms of job relate traits. For example, the general traits such as their resourcefulness, effectiveness and weaknesses can be rated and this can be used to provide an acute measure during their subsequent hiring and promotion. The best practice in employee selection recommends the use of a grading scale or rubric (for example 0-10) for rating the protocols after which the entire assessment is combined for each candidate during the entire selection process to provide credible ground for decision making. It is reported that the method is effective mainly where the selection process involves more than a single technique. This helps in eliminating any form of bias during the recruitment process. On the other hand, research also indicates that employee best practice must consider an employee’s interpersonal and communication skills. This is because these attributes are vital for an employee to execute his or her job effectively. Teachers for instance need strong communication and interpersonal skills that are important when it comes to relating with students (Secord, 2003). Research also indicates that the best selection practice must consider a candidate’s competency level for a particular job. This including assessing an applicant’s skills and experience required to be fit into the job as required. In fact, most job postings clearly highlight the skills and experiences needed for a particular job based on the APPR regulations and evaluation rubric used by the district. This ensures that only those who meet the prerequisite qualifications are subjected to an interview process. With regard to the teaching profession, teachers are always required to possess certain qualifications to be able to offer quality education. For instance, best selection practice would require a mathematics teacher to have certain qualifications and skills to be able to be hired as a mathematics teacher (Secord, 2003). Employee selection best practices also require that the selection process to be conducted in a nondiscriminatory manner. This ensures that every applicant is given equal opportunity for the job irrespective of race, ethnicity, gender, nationality, or religion. The problem of discrimination is one that is still challenging many human resource organizations worldwide. Research indicates that most states in the U.S.,NYS in particular, still experience some level of discrimination in employment, which to some extent are racial, or gender based. This denies even the most competent potential employees a chance to contribute to the development of businesses and the nation. Limitations of the previous performance review regulations in the Selection Process Before the implementation of the new NYS APPR Regulations, the old regulations were found to be relatively ineffective. In particular, it did not provide proper guidelines that ensure that highly qualified teachers are hired to improve the quality of education in the state. In addition, some stakeholders were opposed to the regulation arguing that it was impractical in some cases. Yet again, others felt that it could lead to discriminatory hiring, which does not conform to the best practices for employee selection (Keeping and Levy, 2011). The fact that the regulations are in place does not imply that they will be implemented to the letter by leadership at the district level. Instead, it calls for the commitment of every stakeholder to ensure that the regulations are applied in line with the best selection processes. As such, the New York State Education department (SED) should ensure that there are enough resources and increase the awareness of their availability and good practices. This is achievable by increasing the number of employees within (SED) so as to help in providing technical assistance to schools on recruitment and selection process involved in hiring of teachers. The new principle can best be applied by the New York State Education department to ensure that only qualified teachers are selected for the job. As earlier stated, employment selection best practices require all selection process to be impartial and nondiscriminatory. Consequently, the new APPR will help in identifying qualified teachers and avoid hiring those who are rated ineffective. Doing this will also be in line with the best practices of employee hiring, which suggests that quality and skills should guide the selection process. The district can also apply the new APPR to identify the right teachers and principals who need to be promoted to higher levels for their effectiveness as far as the provision of quality teaching services are concerned. This is because the new APPR regulation acts as a useful evaluation tool for competency, which is one of the best selection practices. In addition, the new APPR can be applied by the district to identify those teachers whose services need to be terminated or should be subjected to improvement training because of their “developmental” or “ineffective” ratings (Freeport Public Schools, 2012). However, to improve understanding of new APPR for effective application and implementation, the district should endeavor to organize regular training sessions aimed at teaching about teacher selection practices. The session should bring experts drawn from all education sectors within the school and other relevant stakeholders to present innovation practices and issues pertain to the teacher selection (Learning Point Associates, 2010). This will help those obligated to hire teachers to be more conversant with the new APPR regulations. Conclusion In conclusion, the new annual professional performance review (APPR) has successfully been used in the promotion and subsequent hiring of teachers. This is particularly attributed to the fact that the new regulations provide a timely feedback on the effectiveness of the teachers as well an opportunity to acknowledge the strengths and the weaknesses of the educators in their capacity as employees. As a result, the new APPR regulations are widely considered to be a positive move in providing guidelines that school districts in New York can use in its recruitment and selection of teachers. The continued use of the new APPR regulation will help in ensuring that only quality teachers are hired and promoted to help raise the quality of education at the state level. References Balter, D. (2005). Teacher hiring practices in New York state school districts. Condition Reports. William Duncombe Syracuse University. Council of Chief State School Officers (2011). Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC) model core teaching standards. Washington, DC: CCSSO. Daley, G., Kim, L. (2010). 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