New York State Department of Civil Service Announces Open-Competitive Examination Open to the Public

Assistant and Associate in Continuing Education

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Minimum Qualifications

On or before September 10, 2011, you must have:

For Number 25-486:

1. a master's degree; AND
2. three years of professional experience in Continuing Education;* two years of this experience must have been in an oversight or administrative capacity including the provision of professional development and technical assistance or in the development and implementation of a continuing education program.

For Number 25-487:

1. a master's degree; AND
2. five years of professional experience in Continuing Education;* three years of this experience must have been in an oversight or administrative capacity including the provision of professional development and technical assistance or in the development and implementation of a continuing education program.

* Continuing Education is the instruction of out-of-school youth and adults in such areas as: employment preparation, adult basic education, life skills, GED preparation, post-secondary transition, workplace literacy, adult literacy, and specialized instruction for English Language Learners (ELL).

Non-Qualifying Experience

Experience as a K-12 classroom teacher or as a college professor will NOT be considered as meeting the experience requirements.

Anticipated Eligibility

You can be admitted to this examination if you expect to meet the educational requirements by December 31, 2011. Indicate expected completion dates on your application. By February 15, 2012, you must provide the Department of Civil Service with verification of successful degree completion or you will not be eligible for appointment from the eligible list.

Notes

1. Appropriate part-time and volunteer experience, which can be verified, will be accepted on a prorated basis.
2. New York State residence is not required.
3. Your degree must have been awarded by a regionally accredited college or university or one recognized by the NYS Education Department as following acceptable educational practices. If your degree was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to the Examination Information Desk of the NYS Department of Civil Service for a list of acceptable companies who provide this service. You must pay the required evaluation fee. If you are applying on the Internet, you must mail the independent verification of equivalency to the NYS Department of Civil Service, Alfred E. Smith State Office Building, Albany, New York 12239. Attention: S4LSS.
4. A promotion examination is also being held for Associate in Continuing Education, see examination announcement 36-604. If you are eligible for appointment from a promotion list, you may not be appointed in your own agency from the list resulting from this examination open to the public.
5. Travel Requirements: Appointment to certain positions requires extensive travel within a designated area of assignment. Appointees to these positions may be required to operate a motor vehicle or otherwise demonstrate their capacity to meet the transportation needs of the job. If the position requires that you operate a motor vehicle, you must possess a driver's license valid in New York State at the time of appointment and continuously thereafter. Field work and travel expenses are reimbursed on a fixed schedule.
6. If you do not receive a confirmation number after submitting your online application, your application was NOT processed.

The Positions

These positions exist in the New York State Education Department in Albany only.

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Duties

As an Assistant in Continuing Education, you would provide assistance to higher-level professional staff in the areas described for Associate in Continuing Education.

As an Associate in Continuing Education, you would be responsible for providing technical assistance to continuing education programs serving out-of-school youth and adults. Program areas include: limited English proficient/English Language Learner (LEP/ELL); adult education programs that lead to a New York State High School Equivalency diploma; and instruction in career and technical education areas operated and/or provided by school districts, BOCES, post-secondary institutions, or community based organizations. In addition, you might have lead responsibility for certain program areas such as family literacy, adult education, GED test preparation, English Language Learning (ELL), workplace literacy, or post-secondary transition.

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Subject of Examination

There will be a written test which you must pass in order to be considered for appointment. The written test is designed to test for knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in such areas as:

1. Ensuring effective inter/intra agency communications - These questions will test candidates' understanding of techniques for interacting effectively with individuals and agencies, to educate and inform them about topics of concern, to clarify agency programs or policies, to negotiate conflicts or resolve complaints, and to represent one's agency or program in a manner in keeping with good public relations practices. Questions may also cover interacting with the staff of one's own agency and/or that of other agencies in cooperative efforts of public outreach or service.
2. Professional report writing - These questions test for the skills required to compose professional reports and studies. Some questions will ask you to distinguish between correct and incorrect presentations of English grammar, usage, punctuation, and sentence structure. Others will ask you to determine the most clear, accurate, and complete restatement of information; the most judicious editing of a portion of a report; and the best organization of sentences to form well-constructed paragraphs.
3. Program planning and evaluation - These questions test for knowledge of basic concepts and techniques essential to the planning/evaluation function. Questions cover such areas as common strategies for identifying and articulating goals/objectives and establishing priorities; basic quantitative methodologies for establishing standards, analyzing data and making projections/forecasts; and basic concepts involved in the systems approach to administrative analysis. The questions do not require any substantial manipulation of data, nor do they require formal preparation in planning/evaluation or quantitative methods.
4. Understanding and interpreting tabular material - These questions test your ability to understand, analyze, and use the internal logic of data presented in tabular form. You may be asked to perform tasks such as completing tables, drawing conclusions from them, analyzing data trends or interrelationships, and revising or combining data sets. The concepts of rate, ratio, and proportion are tested. Mathematical operations are simple, and computational speed is not a major factor in the test.
5. Understanding and interpreting written material - These questions test how well you comprehend written material. You will be provided with brief reading selections and will be asked questions about the selections. All the information required to answer the questions will be presented in the selections; you will not be required to have any special knowledge relating to the subject areas of the selections.

Your final score must be 70 or higher in order to pass. Rank on the eligible list will be determined after adding any wartime veterans' and Civil Service Law Section 85-a credits to your final passing score.

Test Guide

A Guide to the Written Test for the Higher Education Assistant/Associate Series is available at http://www.cs.state.ny.us/testing/statetestguides.cfm.

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How To Apply

If you do not receive a confirmation number after submitting your online application, your application was NOT processed.

Additional Information

New York State is an Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of the State of New York to provide for and promote equal opportunity in employment, compensation and other terms and conditions of employment without discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, disability, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or arrest and/or criminal conviction record unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification or other exception.

Appointment to many positions in State government require candidates to undergo an investigative screening. This may include a thorough character investigation, a Federal Bureau of Investigation Criminal Record History Check, a Child Abuse Registry clearance, or other similar procedures. Candidates may be fingerprinted and may be required to pay any necessary fees for that procedure. Depending on the nature of the job, the criminal convictions discovered, or any falsified or omitted information revealed, the investigative findings may bar appointment or result in removal after appointment.

Eligibility for Employment

You must be legally eligible to work in the United States at the time of appointment and throughout your employment with New York State. If appointed, you must produce documents that establish your identity and eligibility to work in the United States, as required by the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, and the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Religious Accommodation

Most written tests are held on Saturdays. If you cannot take the test on the announced test date, due to a conflict with a religious observance or practice, check the box under “Religious Accommodation.” We will make arrangements for you to take the test on a different date (usually the following day).

Reasonable Accommodations in Testing

In addition, it is the policy of the Department of Civil Service, in accordance with the New York State Human Rights Law and the Americans with Disabilities Act, to provide qualified persons with disabilities equal employment opportunity and equal opportunity to participate in and receive the benefits, services, programs, and activities of the Department. It is the policy of the Department to provide such persons reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications as are necessary to enjoy equal opportunity. Persons with disabilities who require an accommodation to participate in an examination must note this on their applications. Further information is available from the Special Arrangements Unit of the Department of Civil Service at 518-457-2487 [press 2, then press 2] in the Albany area, toll free at 1-877-697-5627 [press 2, then press 2], or via TDD (telecommunications device for the deaf) at 518-457-8480.

Admission to Examination

Notice to appear for the test may be conditional as review of applications may not be made until after the test. If you have not received your notice to appear for the written test three days before the date of the test, call 518-474-6470 in the Albany area or toll free at 1-877-697-5627 [press 2, then press 1].

Multiple Examinations Scheduled for the Same Day

With the exception of written tests announced by New York City, if you have applied to take a written test announced by a local jurisdiction (county, town, city) scheduled to be held on the same test date as this written test, you must call 518-474-6470 in the Albany area or toll free at 1-877-697-5627 [press 2, then press 1], no later than two weeks before the test date, to make arrangements for taking all tests at one test site. All tests will be held at the state examination center.

Cell Phones or Electronic/Communication Devices at the Test Site

Do not bring cell phones, beepers, headphones, or any electronic or other communication devices to the test site. The use of such devices at the test site in the test room, hallways, restrooms, building, grounds, or other areas could result in your disqualification.

S4/TB1 LSS-tmc
Issued: 6/24/2011

This announcement is subject to amendment or cancellation without notice. Do not copy it, or post it to any other site, but link to it instead.

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