ECOS Assessment Retreat Report

March 2-3, 2000 Menucha Conference Center, Corbett Oregon

Participants began the retreat answering the following three questions: (The responses represent a compilation of answers)

1. List an assessment problem you want to solve:

· How to assess for specific populations, like offenders

· What work ready assessments are people using

· How to determine a new career path for those who have had a life/career change due to circumstances out of their control

· Where do we get the TIME to do a good job? Use of self-assessment and other tools that take less one-on-one time.

· Short, quick and accurate, concise and free assessment tools. What’s out there?

· How to make assessments short, simple and fun.

· Bureaucratic cultures that work at cross purposes to serving the customer and doing a good job.

· Incorporation of tools to identify employment goals/short and long term.

· Overcoming resistance to moving forward: Clients lack of motivation, tendency to procrastinate, self-esteem, fear of success, etc.

· Evaluation of assessment tools: which, when, and how good are they?

· Where to find the resources to do good assessments: Time, talent, funding, enough tools to get a good profile

· Ability to design flexible tests that can transfer to other uses

· Ambiguous choices on tests – no clear answers

2. Why are you here?

· Acquire knowledge

· Learn about new tools

· Share with partners

· Learn Job Development Strategies

· Learn about the One Stop

· Understand how to make better referrals using partners

· Food…Location….Rest…get out of the office!!

3. List any frustrations or challenges you experience when doing assessments:

· Illegal immigrants - don’t qualify for services

· Political issues: Work First, Unrelated rules, etc.

· Barriers to understanding the test: ESL, etc.

· Communication break-downs between partners: not hearing back a result after referring a client to a partner agency - no feed back loop

· So many agencies and processes – can be overwhelming

These issues combined and assigned to six work groups. The broad categories for discussion and problem solving are listed below. Participants were asked to identify the core issue (problem statement) for each category and at least three actions that could be initiated by the One Stop System that could address/solve the problem.

Responses from the six teams follow:

1. The unique needs of different populations - ESL, offender, disability, low skills

Problem Statement: The system lacks the flexibility and resources to provide ready solutions for people with unique and individual needs.

These needs include: Learning disabilities, felonies on record, lack of work experience and career knowledge, no job skills, A & D issues, mental health issues, low income (housing, rent, etc), lack of work incentives, on disability but mandated to work full time, a need to change careers due to out-of-control circumstances - (accident, lost license, etc.), juggling multiple tasks (child care, bus, etc.), limited English proficiency, transportation issues, bad credit, poor social skills, anger management problems.

Solutions:

1. Build Better partnerships. (STS, VRD, housing, Metro Child Care, Employment Department for job openings). Develop more short term training and refer to partners for short term training, know partners personally, do more retreats like Menucha. Broadcast email to all partners, create a distribution list for specific issues: ESL, offenders, youth, mature workers, etc.. Work with the One Stop Web Master to get web sites for all partners.

2. Focus on the Customer: (client) and fill their individual need. Build relationships to get to the real issues with each person. Take more one-on-one time. Better assessment, put ourselves in their shoes, relate to their issues, know our resources (expungements, homeless etc.)

3. Develop Direct Links to Employers: Job board with current openings on the web site that all partners can access and can narrow down to specific needs: felons, entry level, etc.)

2. Flexibility and ability to design individual testing instruments to meet individual need - this is the problem statement…

Issues: Is the assessment still valid if given differently to accommodate the individual? Mixed populations - educational, cultural, What is “reasonable accommodation” in regards to testing? Doesn’t take into account different learning styles. Cost and time involved, emotional state of client, no magic bullet - client relies on results as the end all, limited, does not deal with creative people, use non- standardized testing, sharing of knowledge/resources, consistency on assessing clients, consider different learning styles - when determining which type of instrument to use.

Solutions: Just do it!!

1. Sharing of Knowledge and Resources with Partners. (Information, process, resources, etc.)

2. Being consistent on assessing client needs with intake - staff to be on the same page, know how to refer and when.

3. Creative problem solving with partners, thinking outside the box, recognize that formal assessments are not appropriate for all populations.

3. Overcoming Client Resistance: Self sabotage, fear of success, procrastination, empowerment, lack of motivation

Problem Statement: Is our vision of “empowerment” the same as the consumer”. We need to get on the same page.

Solutions: Know thy client!!

1. “I just want a job”. Separate these customers and facilitate their ability to move quickly into employment

2. Qualify solutions of pre-vocational issues

3. Tiered Intake

4. Fast track choices

5. True partnering to serve consumers in a more timely manner. Stop Duplication!!

4. The system trying to force its values on an unwilling client

Problem Statement: Political and agency values and result measures dictate service, not client need.

Issues: There is not a “one size fits all” solution to moving people into self-sufficiency and employment. The Work First and mandatory full time employment are not always best for all people. Political solutions tend to be unrealistic for most of the people served by One Stop partners. Staff want to do what’s right for the client, and when this is counter to the rules, people sacrifice their values or jeopardize their employment. The system want to tell people what they should want even when it is not consistent with their cultural or family values.

Solutions:

1. Strategy to move agencies from high rigidity to high flexibility

2. Information to increase partnering between agencies to meet client need

3. Strategy to meet need of client, not program – become client driven “ask them” don’t “tell them” what they need

4. Advocacy to political systems on behalf of client need and reality

5. Reliability of test Results

Problem Statement: How can we ensure that we are measuring/assessing accurately and with consistency over time?

Core issues: Consistency over time, choose tests that ensure reliability (normed), id the needs of the client, make sure the assessment needs those needs - validity, reliability of the test administrator/evaluator, knowledge about the client - age appropriate, language, education, culture, mental/emotional state (physical), informal/fun assessments: may relax the client, use in the interview process.

Solutions:

1. Pre-Assessment - do a comprehensive review of: language, age, education, client state/ AM vs. PM - peak performance, disability issues, preparing the client in advance.

2. Create a matrix of the characteristics of each assessment tool and which client populations would be most suitable/appropriate for each.

3. Let the client know the strengths and limitations of each assessment tool.

4. Partnering: How can we partner effectively, funding to partner, coordination of services, sharing resources

5. Do group testing: one site for each specific test, shared by all partners.

6. Next retreat: Compile the matrix, work on partnering, time, referral process, trainings for assessments.

6. Resource Issues: Time, talent, money, tools

Problem Statement: Need to communicate/knowledge of where resources exist: (Gots and Wants report - what does each agency have and what do they need?)

1. Solutions:

2. Pathways/1stop: data base to allow us to search for resources on key item: re: computer classes

3. Each agency needs its own website

4. Coordination of services

5. Are we over serving some clients?

6. Cross purposes: Do we get them a “job” or keep them in training?

Retreat Closure: Next Steps: Where do we go from here?

Data/research needed:

· Matrix of assessment tools and appropriateness for specific client groups: Joan will convene a meeting of those who worked on the assessment mapping survey to begin work on this project.

· Gots and wants report: What does each agency have and what does it need?

· Job opening database: training on OLMIS and current sites may get to this problem

Training Needs:

· Pathways, 1stop.org, eastcounty.org and OLMIS collectively provide most of the on-line employment/job search data that the group is requesting. Training and orientation on existing tools is needed, not necessarily new tools.

· Training on what partner agencies do and do not do

· Assessment scenarios - role playing

· ½ day workshop on diagnostic issues: mental health, Personality disorders, learning disabilities, A & D issues etc.

Use of Partners:

· common intake form - Oracle/wsi database may address this need.

· ICQ type on-line chat room: we could do this through the 1stop web page

· expand use of Internet for on-line/virtual meetings

Tools Needed:

· email list serve: Joan will add all participants to the ECOS list serve and create topic specific areas for notification.

· Web sites: Joan will have the 1stop.org webmaster work with agencies to create their own web sites.