TESTIMONY
Katrina Porter on Enhancing Equity and Modernizing Civil Service Examinations Process
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10 min
Katrina Porter testifies about efforts to modernize the civil service examination process, emphasizing equity and accessibility.
- Porter outlines DCAS's commitment to modernizing civil service examinations, underlining equity, effectiveness, and sustainability.
- Innovations include online examinations, introducing mobile-friendly application systems, and adjusting minimum qualification requirements.
- DCAS has launched initiatives like the New York City Bridge exam, aiming to streamline the application and examination process.
- The agency works on developing a new, modern computerized testing platform expected to further improve the examination process.
- Porter highlights the role of the civil service system in providing pathways to the middle class and city’s commitment to inclusivity in its workforce.
Katrina Porter
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I do.
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I do.
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I do.
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I do.
UNKNOWN
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Thank you.
Amanda Farías
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Thank you.
Carmen De La Rosa
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And before we begin, I also wanna acknowledge the customer, Maria, has joined us virtually and I know that many of my colleagues are gonna be in and out.
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We have some competition today with them conference as well as other hearings happening.
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So thank you for being here.
Katrina Porter
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Good afternoon.
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Chair Dela Rosa, and member of the committee on civil service and labor.
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My name is Katrina Porter, and I am the chief human capital officer and deputy commissioner at the Department of Citywide Administrative Services or Decast.
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I'm joined today by my colleague, Sanford Cohen, Decast General Counsel.
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At Decast, our commitment to equity effectiveness and sustainability guides our work, providing city agencies with the resources they need to meet their missions, including offering civil service examinations, so that agencies have qualified candidates to fill their vacancies.
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With an emphasis on modernization and evolution, our agency has been laying the foundation to innovate, reimagine, and improve the civil service examinations process.
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This work has been rooted in our core principles about civil service, building community and increasing equity and access.
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Over the years, we've opened testing sensors in the communities, brought civil service applications online, reasamined credits that help level the playing field for job seekers, including our nation's veterans.
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And we have even examined how we can reduce barriers to municipal employment through reassessing minimum qualification requirements for huge number of job title citywide.
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We recognize these exams are more than a means to a job, but provide New Yorkers from all walks of life a chance to build a purpose driven career and earn a good paying salary, all wise while serving their city.
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Within decast, our bureau of examinations manages civil service exams and oversees the certification of lists used by more than 80 city agencies.
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The bureau also ensures compliance with civil service rules and regulations regarding appointments made from those lists.
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I'm happy to share that we are currently on target to open 225 exams for filing in fiscal year 24.
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On average, over the last fiscal years, CCAS has administered 160 exams per year to more than 93,000 candidates.
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We adapt our exam offerings to meet the hiring needs of agencies.
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Much effort is dedicated to provisional reduction and avoidance which includes offering exams and titles with high number of provisionals, as well as titles without provisionals to ensure that there is always a pool of qualified candidates.
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After many years of working with city agencies and labor unions, we ended 2023 in compliance in substantial compliance with the state civil service laws regarding provisional employment.
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Moreover, we are incredibly proud of the work to bring our exams into the 21st century, where we have taken tremendous strides in modernizing the examination process tests.
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Gone are the days with civil service exam takers took tests with paper and pencil sitting in children's desks at public schools.
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Thanks to my monumental work from our DCA's team, candidates can now apply for exams online using the online application system, Oasis, which as of the last year is also accessible on mobile phones and tablet devices.
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Candidates can also apply in person at our computer based testing and application sensors, commonly known as CTACS.
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With locations accessible in all five boroughs, and Decast continues to implement technological advances where possible to streamline the application and exam process to improve the the customer experience.
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With that said, let me tell you a bit more about how Decast is reimagining civil service to support the expanded needs of New Yorkers.
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We have 5 principles that guide our modernization efforts.
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Help city agencies fill their vacancies to ensure continuity of operations and services, embrace modern standardized processes to boost quality and flexibility, and costly inefficient and ineffective processes.
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Encourage data enabled decision making, and out of the box thinking, and promote engagement with city agencies across the city.
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We have implemented multiple initiatives and continued to work at opportunities to build upon these accomplishments.
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Decast has increasingly moved to paperless processes for exams.
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Multiple choice tests are offered at C Tax, 6 days a week using a computerized testing system.
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Education and experience exams are completed in the OASIS system.
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Both multiple choice and education and experience exams provide instant tentative results on screen and by email.
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Appeals and protests are now submitted in tracked in Oasis, invitations to exam events, communications, payments, waiver submissions, and notification of results have all been moved to digital access.
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In addition to these public facing components, We have also automated much of the work necessary to develop exams, including job analyses and the process to create and approve notice of examinations.
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In addition to these techno technology enhancements, decast is also looking at creative ways to streamline exam offerings.
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With the development of the New York City Bridge, first piloted in fiscal year 22, candidates can apply for 1 exam, pay one application fee, and take in a single test that can be used for multiple titles.
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We have continued to use the New York City Bridge exam each fiscal year since the pilot.
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And the next bridge exam application period is scheduled for June 2024.
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Now let me give you an overview of the civil service exam process.
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The city civil service system is based on state constitutional mandates which require merit and fitness be ascertained by competitive examination.
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Meriden Fitness based civil service exams have been the gold standard for good government practices for more than a century.
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The city of New York has career opportunities in many civil service titles.
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Over 80% of our positions require an examination to be appointed on a permanent basis.
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These include titles in law enforcement, social services, administration, and technology among others.
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Excuse me.
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Exam's are used to identify candidates who demonstrate the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform entitled work.
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The 2 type of examinations are open competitive exams, which are available to anyone and include minimum qualification requirements listed on the notice of examination and promotion exams, which are available only to permanent employees and titles listed as eligible in the notice of examination.
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The result of an examination is the establishment of a civil service This list provides qualified pool provides a qualified pool of candidates for city agencies to utilize and select from to fill jobs.
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We are proud to administer New York City civil service system and the role it plays in delivering services and providing a pathway to the middle class.
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Today, the city's workforce of more than 300,000 is 58% female, 64% of color, and receives a median salary of just over 80,000 annually.
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We are a sought after employer receiving nearly 120,000 applications for exams in fiscal year 23 and moving from exam administration to results in 219 days, well below the 290 day target and the mayor's management report, and the lowest turnaround time in the most recent 5 fiscal years.
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At decast, we are continuously look for ways to improve exam related processes, I'd like to highlight highlight 2 areas currently under review.
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First, revising minimum qualification requirements or MQRs.
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These are a minimum amounts of education or experience that must be met for a candidate to be considered for a position.
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Beginning in the spring of 2023, we have reviewed 90 entry level titles to determine which have qualifications that can be revised in order to expand the pool of eligible candidates and reduce barriers to employment.
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Within city government without sacrificing quality.
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In many instances, we are using relevant work experience to substitute for educational requirements.
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To date, revised MQRs for 17 titles have been implemented, and we continue to work with agencies and union partners on others.
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2nd, increasing the use of education and experience tests.
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This format makes sense when knowledge skills and abilities are demonstrated best through experience, education, or other other credentials.
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This test format is currently available online and can be completed with desktop, laptops, as well as mobile phones and tablet devices.
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In 2022, decast kicked off the computerized testing flat platform project, which will allow us to build a modern test authoring and examination system to replace our current one, which dates back to 22,006.
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The new system will give DECAS staff more control over the exam development process, a more easily navigated system and the ability to complete tasks faster.
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The new system will also provide our candidates with a more efficient and intuitive experience.
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Once completed, the new system will allow us to begin exploring a completely online testing platform.
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However, online testing requires sophisticated software to author and assemble the exam, security features and live practice to augment artificial intelligence scans.
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Cost for online testing fluctuates depending on the exam.
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Its duration and the security components needed.
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On the plus side, consultant, staff, and space space spending to offer these tests would be alleviated by having such a platform.
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I hope this overview has provided you with an understanding the city's civil service examination process and our ongoing efforts to think outside of the box and use technology to create a more effective and modern system.
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Thank you again to the committee and to the council for this opportunity to speak today.
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And I will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
