DEVELOPMENT
Development Tools for Assessor Development
Basic Premise
You want to be the best assessor you can be. You are willing to spend time and effort to get better.
Scoping Your Goals
Be as specific as possible. Be realistic considering your background, available time and finances, age, and the effort you are willing to expend.
Developing Your Plan
Set your goals to a master time line.
Determine the prerequisites needed to attain your goals.
- Set the prerequisites on the master time line.
- Every time changes are made to the master time line, review all tasks/activities to make sure everything can be accomplished according to the new master time line.
Picking Your Tools to Work With
There are many aids to becoming a better assessor, some tools are better suited for different personalities. Try as many as you can and pick those that work the best for you.
Tools to Improve Your Assessing
- Know the assessment forms and requirements inside and out
Read the CSA provided material (cover to cover) the day before you assess. - Quantify and document all valuable information you gather at clinics/discussions and file in an orderly manner for future review (and review regularly);
- Attend Assessor Development Clinics, Seminars, etc;
- If you must be selective about the clinics and seminars you attend, match the level of the
- seminar to your level of development to obtain maximum benefit.
Assess Often
- You must instruct often to perfect and maintain your skills
- Get feedback!!! Assessing without feedback provides limited benefit to your development. Feedback can be comments from mentors/assessors you trust. Ask to be included in the mentorship program.
Review of your assessments
Ask a higher level assessor to review your assements: are they worded correctly? Are the scores correct? Could you improve anywhere?
Critique yourself – ask a mentor to watch you present your post game assessment, posture, voice level etc. as well as review of how you answered participant questions
Mentoring
- Work with someone of greater expertise who will provide you guidance, critique and encouragement as well as serving as a role model for you.
- To be effective, mentoring requires the dedication of both individuals, teacher and student alike.
The mentor should:
- develop with the assessor a plan and schedule for the skill improvement
- Review in detail the progress being made by the student and compare it to the plan
The assessor should:
- Utilize as many of the above mentioned tools for improvement as possible
- Accept all critiques in a positive manner and document them for later review
Study Groups
- Defined as groups of assessors (of approximately the same certification and experience level) who band together providing many of the same benefits as the mentor program without having the teacher/student relationship.
- Open discussion in great detail is encouraged.
- Intense critiques are possible with resulting discussion leading to enhanced understanding of common thought processes.
- The group should continually seek guidance from other higher level assessors to gage their activities and assure they do not go off on a tangent.
Continuous Improvement
- Continually strive to improve your assessing performance.
- Do not become complacent when you reach any of your goals, but instead set new goals and if age or some other obstacle blocks higher certification levels; there are still personal performance goals you can set for yourself outside of certification and the like.
- The better assessor you become, the harder it will be to see improvement in your performance
- Guard against Backsliding
