PRAD’s work began with a bang in 1998 with the kick off of Customs Quality Recruitment (QR) program when they developed the tests to identify high-quality candidates to fill entry-level frontline officer positions. An astonishing 46,000 applicants from across the nation applied for the very first QR announcement. After extensive screening and testing, the first several thousand “hires” from QR have become part of the backbone of today’s experienced CBP Officer ranks.

The International Personnel Management Association’s Assessment Council Conference (IPMAAC) serves as an annual focal point and barometer of progress for assessment developers, researchers, and users in federal, state, municipal, and commercial organizations across the country, as well as internationally. Standouts at the recent Seattle conference included many of our PRAD employees who received accolades for CBP’s progress in the human resources management arena.

CBP assessment programs showcased

In one symposium, PRAD’s Director, Patricia Harris Thomas, described her staff’s work over the past year in supporting the design of the new CBP Officer position, which blended legacy Customs, Agriculture, and Immigration inspection functions. PRAD staff worked with the CBP Transition Management Office (TMO) and conducted research to confirm the results of the job analyses performed by the TMO. This work included an analysis of functional overlap, skills, competencies, and training requirements of the various inspection positions that were being considered for merger into a new CBP Officer position. After the new job was created, PRAD researchers conducted analyses to ensure that appropriate assessment procedures were available for entry-level selection and promotion. A crucial part of PRAD’s entry-level work in this effort included a comprehensive analysis of the Spanish language proficiency requirements of the new CBP job.

Also during the conference, Julia Leaman, David Hamill, and Greg Beatty explained the issues that the PRAD staff tackled in developing fair and efficient promotional assessments for the DHS blended workforces. DeLisa Walker and Rebecca Goldenberg aroused interest with their presentation on CBP’s new Video-Based Testing (VBT) assessment for hiring entry-level CBP Officers (see sidebar).

So, when you see merit promotion “assessments” advertised for management, supervisory, or operational positions along with VBT for entry-level positions, it’s the PRAD staff who have developed the assessment instruments from the conceptual stage through validation and the administration of the test. And, you can remember that PRAD is regarded as one of the best in the assessment field.

PRAD’s Mary Anne Nester recognized

Mary Anne Nester was selected as the recipient of the IPMAAC 2004 Stephen Bemis Lifetime Achievement Award (see sidebar), and David Hamill, also a member of PRAD, was elected as the IPMAAC President to take over in January 2005 from PRAD’s Ilene Gast, the current President. Julia McElreath served as the 2004 conference co-chair.

Mary Anne Nester receives Bemis Award The Bemis Award is conferred every year on an individual who exemplifies a commitment to merit and fairness and who puts that commitment to practical use. Ms. Nester’s 30-year career has been devoted to developing valid and fair assessments for federal agencies. She began at the Civil Service Commission (later the Office of Personnel Management) in 1974, continued at the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and recently joined CBP’s PRAD as the Chief of the Entry-Level Assessment Branch. Ms. Nester is known for her innovative contributions to the use of a logic-based approach to testing critical thinking skills and her development of techniques for fairly testing the skills of people with disabilities. Photo Credit: Gerald Nino Mary Anne Nester Video-Based testing (VBT) Video-Based testing is a new method for assessing interpersonal skills, emotional maturity, and other skills that are not easily assessed through a written test. The applicant watches a video of several realistic job scenarios such as the questioning of a very hostile individual by a CBP officer. After each viewing, the applicant has 45 seconds to respond as if he or she were part of the scenario. The responses are videotaped and later evaluated by trained assessors. The VBT has been implemented in seven locations for the selection of CBP officers and is scheduled for nationwide implementation in 2005.