Introduction

Managers working in school board LBS programs are committed to serving the needs of their learners in the best way possible. Their commitment to learners is best demonstrated in their efforts to provide learners with the best possible instruction and training. That begins not with instructor training but with the interview and hiring process. Managers follow a hiring process they hope will help them find the best instructors to work with learners day-to-day. They also work to provide adequate initial and ongoing training for practitioners, and use informal and formal means to keep aware of the initial and ongoing professional training needs of their practitioners. A good strategy is needed to ensure successful practitioner hiring, training and performance reviews, and one that includes the following:

•    policies and procedures for the interview and hiring process,
•    a strategy for delivering initial and ongoing professional training,
•    approaches and methods for evaluating the effectiveness of program development and day-to-day training of learners.

The interrelatedness of effective tools and approaches for hiring, training and performance reviews is key in the pursuit of quality program delivery.

The LBS Managers’ Resource Guide to Staff Hiring and Performance Reviews is a synthesis of best practice presently followed in school board LBS programs, and it forms a body of knowledge with respect to criteria, approaches, and tools for conducting interviews for hiring and performance reviews. The material in this document is intended to stimulate thinking and provide resources for LBS Managers who are reviewing their current practice or developing new ones.

It should be acknowledged that the reality in the school board sector is that many LBS programs follow practices and procedures that are established by their individual school boards; they neither need nor want a unique approach just for LBS.

QUESTION:  How was this guide developed?

During the initial research phase of this project, LBS managers were asked to share any materials that were used by their programs or school boards to assist in selecting the best candidates when hiring LBS instructors and for conducting performance reviews with practitioners. Not all managers were at liberty to share these materials; however, some excellent resources were submitted from over 40% of the programs.  These documents show that school boards across the province have a variety of approaches and techniques for hiring new instructors and conducting performance reviews.  

Many factors contribute to this variety of approaches. A few external factors include
•    program setting – on its own or within another institution or agency,
•    the operational relationship between LBS and board
•    a unionized or non-unionized setting
•    available resources
•    the geographic location of the program.
Internal factors may include:
•    resources that are made available to the manager, what
•    assigned role the manager has in making these kinds of decisions,
•    skills and training the manager has in assessing and meeting training needs of their instructors.
LBS programs are obliged to work within the framework of their unique settings.

QUESTION: Why develop such a resource when several programs must work within constraints that are set by their boards?

To be clear, this resource is not provided as a recommended or prescribed tool to be adopted as a standardized process for hiring instructors, delivering training or conducting performance reviews. The developers of this project fully appreciate the diversities and realities that exist for programs in various settings.

At the same time, sharing tools that some school boards use to assist with hiring may be appropriate for the following purposes::

• to provide support to managers who are responsible for the selection and hiring of new instructors.
• to share information specific to school boards with the broader literacy community.
• to act as a reference of good practice when school board managers have opportunities for input in the hiring processes within their particular boards.
• to demonstrate program commitment on behalf of the school board sector to Core Quality Standards.

QUESTION: What do you mean by  “demonstrating program commitment to Core Quality Standards”?

In the 1994 document, Framework and Quality Standards for Adult Education in Ontario, the Ministry laid out a plan for literacy reform:

“to establish a well-coordinated, effective, comprehensive, seamless literacy education system which shares resources, identifies and responds to gaps and avoids duplication.”

The framework identified eighteen Core Quality Standards that direct and shape literacy programs and services in Ontario.  Descriptions of core quality standards that relate to the learning environment and day-to-day work with learners specifically identify quality criteria that can be met only through the work and expertise of the LBS practitioner. For this reason, school boards are intentional about finding the right instructors for their programs. They also work to develop a practitioner training strategy that will ensure adequate initial training and ongoing professional development training so their practitioners and programs continue to meet the requirements of the Core Quality Standards.

PLEASE NOTE: In light of the new Ontario Adult Literacy Curriculum Framework, this resource is under review. Completion date is set for December 2011.