School-Based Assessment (Option 3)
Trainer Development for Standard Group
Assessment
This Assessment option takes the previous option to the next level, preparing schools to do their own training of Assessment teams. It is designed for large-scale Assessment applications, usually at the district level, with school cooperatives, or when all students in a large school will be assessed. The Trainer Candidate must be an experienced Observer and must complete the necessary additional training. Once certified, this individual can train an unlimited number of Observers within your region, on our behalf. This option is especially useful if there is a large amount of turnover in your area.
A Trainer Candidate must have participated as an Observer in at least 30 official (not practice) DISCOVER Assessments. They also need a referral from their district or agency, recommending training. They need to own, or have access to, a reasonably current portable computer, capable of running the latest software, and a digital projector—all trainers use the same digital presentation materials for training, to assure uniformity. Likewise, Trainer Candidates should have reasonably good computer skills, enjoy working with people, and have experience speaking in public. A basic knowledge of PowerPoint, prior to training, is also required. As with Observers, Trainers undergo a certification process that is renewed annually.
On-site Trainers are considered “extended DISCOVER staff”, meaning that even though their primary responsibility is to the local school or district (from which comes their paycheck) they also communicate regularly with other DISCOVER staff members and have a voice in relevant decision making. They also are kept up-to-date with the latest training and presentation materials.
Becoming a Trainer is a two-part process—Part I (preparation) and Part II (mentored training). Part I and Part II often are separated by a period of time (usually several weeks or more) to allow for practice.
Part I—The first training segment lasts three consecutive days and normally is conducted in Tucson as a training seminar (often with Trainer Candidates from various locations in attendance). Trainees learn all the current techniques used in training new Observers, along with updates on current research results and details of DISCOVER’s ongoing and proposed future projects. Then they learn the computer-related components.
DISCOVER Trainers use a very flexible, state-of-the-art computer training presentation called “DISCOVER Presents” for all components of Assessment training. DISCOVER Presents contains literally thousands of slides, accented by video and audio illustrations from actual Assessments. It is a powerful tool that can be customized to the local area, with visual illustrations to address a wide variety of questions that arise during a typical Assessment training. Trainer Candidates, during Part I, receive a copy of the latest DISCOVER Presents version, so they can practice its use before Part II. Obviously the Part I training cannot cover all of the presentation components in detail. So DISCOVER Presents comes with an extensive set of help files that explain how each of the slides might be used, and when. The training does give an intensive overview of the presentation’s contents and guides Trainer Candidates through a detailed tutorial of PowerPoint’s advanced operations, to provide understanding of how it works. Later, the Trainer Candidates will add in useful information from their own school(s). Trainer Candidates must agree, as part of their contractual arrangement with DISCOVER, not to reveal the unique and proprietary design structure of DISCOVER Presents. To test that trainees come prepared with a least a rudimentary knowledge of PowerPoint, they are asked to make in advance, and bring, a ten-minute presentation explaining the basics of DISCOVER’s role in their school, along with any other programs or initiatives of interest. The presentation should contain numerous pictures. They will deliver the presentation on the first day of Part I training.
In some cases, Trainer Candidates might need (or elect) supplemental preparatory training, in addition to the three days specified above, for the following reasons: 1) enhancement of general computer skills and/or basic PowerPoint operations—the Trainer will assume, otherwise, that the basic computer skills are up-to-date; 2) DISCOVER Update—we generally assume that Trainer Candidates are familiar with recent revisions to the DISCOVER Assessment. If the Trainer Candidate has been inactive as a DISCOVER Observer for more than two years or the school is using a version of the Assessment that is more than two years old, the Trainee will need a more thorough update than is available in the Part I training; 3) supplemental skills development—if the Trainee needs additional practice or training (for whatever reason) in preparation for certification.
Part II—The second training segment is conducted one-on-one, DISCOVER Trainer to Trainer Candidate, and lasts five (usually consecutive) days. In Part II, the Trainer Candidate conducts a full five-day Assessment training, while being observed and mentored by the DISCOVER Trainer. Normally the Trainer Candidate is mentored later also, in the Assessment follow-up training. We recommend that the mentored Assessment training occur in the Trainee’s home school or district although it is possible to arrange a mentored training at a different location, where we already have an Assessment training scheduled. Throughout the Assessment training, the DISCOVER Trainer will provide feedback on areas done well or needing improvement. The Trainee, to qualify for certification, must demonstrate an adequate mastery of the training process, including a proficiency with DISCOVER Presents.
The pricing structure below represents a typical scenario when one Trainer Candidate is mentored. If more than one Trainer Candidate is to be mentored at the same time, additional costs may apply. The DISCOVER Trainer will review parameters in advance and work with school officials to design a cost-effective plan.
PART I
The cost presented
here assumes the training occurs as part of
a Trainer Seminar in Tucson. It is possible
for DISCOVER trainers to come to your school
or region as well, although such a plan usually
is more expensive unless your school will be
training four or more Trainer Candidates.
On-site training costs are negotiated on a per-situation
basis.
The Trainer Candidate is responsible for paying all associated expenses such as lodging, transportation and food, although we generally shuttle participants around during the training itself). Supplemental Training, immediately before or after, is charged at the same daily rate and half-day rates are available also.
$600 (Standard for Part I) $200 per day, per person, minimum of three days
PART
II
The mentored
component is five days, corresponding to the
five days required for an Assessment training.
*
$1000 (Standard for Part II) $200 per day, per person, minimum of five days
$1,600 Standard Total Cost per Trainer Candidate—Parts I & II
* The mentoring component usually occurs in your school or district, in conjunction with a scheduled Assessment training. Standard Assessment training fees apply in this case and are added to the above figure (see School-Based Assessment—Option 2). However, if your school does not plan to conduct an Assessment training in the near future, we can in some cases arrange for the mentoring to occur at another school, where an Assessment training is scheduled. When this arrangement is possible, the other school pays the Assessment Training fees and your school pays the Trainer Candidate fees specified above. We encourage the Trainer Candidate’s school also to offset a portion of the other school’s Assessment Training fees, as an incentive to their acceptance of an apprentice trainer.
International: Fees at locations outside of the continental U.S. will vary, depending on the distance and circumstances. Please contact the DISCOVER office for a customized rate plan.
