X Table of Contents Facilitator's Guide 1.1 Gospel-Centered Training 1.2 Maintaining a Clear Focus 1.3 Weekly Development Plan Discussion 1.4 Quarterly Development Plan Discussion 1.5 Master Your Role 1.6 The Cadence of Accountability 1.7 Utilizing the Blessings of the Lord's Storehouse 2.1 Accountability and Talent Improvement (ATI) 2.2 Using the Leadership Pattern as a Learning Tool 2.3 Lead Like the Savior 3.1 Disability Awareness 3.2 Substance Abuse: Causes of Addiction 3.3 Substance Abuse: Signs and Symptoms 3.4 Substance Abuse: Recovery 3.5 Managing Stress 3.6 The Hidden Rules of the Economic Classes 4.1 Inspiring Others to Become Converted in the Doctrine of Work and Service 4.2 Using the AWARE Form as a Tool for Development 4.3 Attendance and Punctuality 4.4 Accepting the Work Role 4.5 Preparing for and Responding to Change 4.6 Managing My Work and Work Needs 4.7 Accepting Supervision 4.8 Coaching Associates on How to Work with Their Coworkers 4.9 Increasing Productivity 4.10 How to Use the Life Skills Library 4.11 History, Foundations, and the Spirit of Motivational Interviewing 4.12 The Stages of Change in Motivational Interviewing 4.13 Reflective Listening 4.14 Open-Ended Questions, Affirmations, and Summaries 4.15 Change Talk 4.16 Ambivalence and Rolling with Resistance 4.17 Introduction to Behavior Modification 4.18 The ABCs of Behavior 4.19 Using Positive Reinforcement to Achieve Behavioral Change 4.20 Behavior Modification: Correcting Poor Behavior 4.21 Behavior Modification: Prompting Good Behavior 4.22 How to Use a Positive Attitude to Facilitate Change 4.23 Conflict Management 4.24 Decision-Making Skills 4.25 Problem-Solving Skills 4.26 Improving Performance 5.1 Incorporating Assessment Results in the Development Plan 5.2 Ethics 5.3 Maintaining Confidentiality 5.4 Writing Effective Case Notes 5.5 Business Partnerships 6.1 Honoring Agency While Influencing Behavior 6.2 Teaching Self-Reliance
Lesson 5.1

Incorporating Assessment Results in the Development Plan

Coworkers in a meeting

Lesson Preparation

Before coming to your training, please do the following:

  • Search online for the word “assessment” or “assess.” Read a few entries. With another job coach trainer or a friend, discuss the following questions:
    • What is an assessment?
    • What does it mean to assess?
    • What actions or abilities do you regularly assess?
    • How does assessing help you make better decisions?
 

Lesson Preview

Although the development counselor usually conducts the assessments at Deseret Industries, job coach trainers ought to learn about assessments so they can increase their effectiveness as they work with associates. In this lesson, you will learn and review the different assessments used at DI and discuss ways to implement them effectively as you help associates feel hope and develop self-reliance.

Understanding Assessment Tools

From the following list, choose and complete one or more activities that best apply to your situation.

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Activity 1

Invite a development counselor to address the following questions:

  • How many assessments are used at DE?
  • What are the different types of assessments that a counselor can administer to associates?
  • What do the assessments measure?
  • Which assessments are used most frequently and why?
  • What have you learned about these assessments while working at DE?
  • What is the value of these assessments to DE?
  • What do job coach trainers need to know about these assessments?

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Activity 2

Divide into small groups and discuss two or three assessments. You can use Resource 1 in the “Lesson Resources” section or other sources to find more information about them. Discuss the following questions:

  • What do each of the assessments measure?
  • How do the assessments differ from one another?
  • Why is it important to assess associates?
  • Why is it important for the job coach trainer to know about these assessments?
  • Why is it important for the job coach trainer to know the results from the associates’ assessments?
  • Where is assessment information found in DECM along with its impact on training?

Regroup with everyone in the room. Share with everyone the significant points from your small group discussion. After every group has shared, discuss the following questions:

  • What can you learn about associates from the different types of assessments?
  • Which assessments would be most valuable to you in your role as a job coach trainer?
  • How can you use what you have learned about assessments in your work with associates?

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Activity 3

As a group, review the “Assessment Tools Chart” in Resource 1 of the “Lesson Resources” section. Then discuss the following questions:

  • Why is it important for a job coach trainer to understand an associate’s knowledge, interests, skills, abilities, values, aptitudes, and personality?
  • What assessments can help you understand an associate’s knowledge, interests, skills, abilities, values, aptitudes, and personality?
  • What assessment results have helped you work with a particular associate? Share your experiences.
  • What assessment results do you use most frequently when working with associates? Explain.
  • In your opinion, how valuable are these assessments in your daily interactions with associates?
  • In your opinion, how valuable are these assessments in your weekly development plan discussions?

Using Assessment Tools

From the following list, choose and complete one or more activities that best apply to your situation.

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Activity 1

As a group, discuss the following questions:

  • How can each of the assessments help associates?
  • How do counselors use assessment results to help associates create a development plan?
  • How can job coach trainers use the assessments to help both the development counselor and the associate? Share one or two experiences.
  • How can development counselors support job coach trainers as they administer assessment tools and use the results in their work with associates?

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Activity 2

Divide into small groups and discuss two or three assessments from the “Lesson Resources” section, Resource 1. You can also use other sources to find more information about these assessments. In your small groups discuss the following questions:

  • What can you do to use assessment results with your associates?
  • How can each of the assessments help you in your job?
  • How have you used the assessments to help associates work toward their goals?
  • What other ways can you use assessment results to help associates feel hope and develop self-reliance?

Regroup with everyone in the room and share what you discussed. After every group has shared, discuss the following together:

  • In summary, how can the different types of assessments help you work with associates more effectively?
  • What can you do to incorporate assessments in your job and use them effectively?
  • How can you use what you have learned about assessments in your work with associates?

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Activity 3

Read Resource 2 in the “Lesson Resources” section. As a group, discuss the following questions:

  • Consider the experiences shared in this resource. Have you had a similar experience with an associate? Share your thoughts with the rest of the group.
  • What assessment tools are used less frequently? How can you benefit from knowing about these tools?

Think about an associate who is struggling either to understand or to perform duties at DI. Ponder the following questions individually:

  • What assessments has this associate taken?
  • What were the assessment results?
  • Do the assessment results help explain the associate’s deficiency in performance?
  • Have you spoken to a development counselor about these assessment results and the associate’s struggle to perform?
  • Would it be helpful for the associate to take different assessments? Explain.

Without identifying your associate, turn to a partner and share what you have pondered.

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Activity 4

Vocational and career assessments are the most common. The purposes of these assessments are to provide associates with the information they need to make better career decisions; measure an associate’s interests, personality, and aptitude; increase an associate’s happiness, self-confidence, and productivity; and allow associates to take greater ownership for their career development.

Divide into small groups and discuss the following questions:

  • How can career assessments help associates make better career decisions?
  • How can measuring an associate’s interests, personality, and aptitude help that associate feel hope?
  • How can you help the associate feel happier, develop self-confidence, and be more productive through the assessment results?
  • How can career assessments help associates take greater ownership for their career development?
  • What are some effective ways to use career assessments to help associates make decisions?
  • What are some effective ways to use career assessments to help associates develop self-reliance?

Ponder and Plan

“What Lack I Yet?”

Seek to identify a personal or business gap or need.

Spend a few minutes silently pondering what you've discussed during this lesson. Listen as the Holy Ghost helps you identify areas where you can improve. Record your impressions in your learner's journal under the question “What Lack I Yet?”

“What Must I Do?”

Seek ways to close the gap or develop the required talent(s) to meet the need.

With the guidance of the Spirit, create your plan of how you will improve and close the gap(s) you have identified. You may use one or more of the exercises below, your own strategy, or a combination of both. Record this plan in your learner's journal under “What Must I Do?”

  • Review the assessment results for at least two associates. Discuss with the development counselor how to use the results to plan action steps with these associates in a development plan discussion.
  • Think of an associate who may be struggling. Ponder whether the associate needs a different type of assessment. Ask the counselor about the assessments this associate has taken and whether he or she might need a different assessment to increase his or her productivity.

After a few minutes, those who are comfortable doing so can share their impressions with the group.

“Therefore, What?”

Seek understanding, and then share what you learned.

During the week, focus on implementing the plan you created. Record your impressions or lessons learned in your learner's journal under “Therefore, What?” You will be given time at the beginning of next week's lesson to share your experience with the group.

Elder Quentin L. Cook

“Even worthwhile endeavors need evaluation in order to determine if they have become distractions from the best goals.”

Quentin L. Cook, “Choose Wisely,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 48

Lesson Resources

Resource 1

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Resource 2

An Insubordinate Associate?
    Sofia has been enrolled in the training program for four months. The enrollment paperwork was filled out, which included information on her background and work history. Sofia graduated with a high school equivalency in her nation of origin, a country that predominately speaks Spanish. Her English is poor. She uses single word answers, which are typically “yes” or “no” with the shaking of her head. Her work history includes two years in a restaurant and two years in housekeeping. She is a single mother with one child, who is attending elementary school.

    Sofia was initially assigned to sort shoes in the production area. She came to work on time but took twice as long to sort her carts as is standard. Sofia and her job coach trainer had several conversations about her work pace and the number of carts required to meet production standards. In the last meeting, both Sofia and the job coach trainer became frustrated. The job coach trainer stated afterward, “She just isn’t making it.” The next day a translator was called in and translated all of the job coach trainer’s instructions to Sofia with the hope that it would address any language communication issue. Although Sofia seemed to understand the instructions, no change occurred in her production. According to the job coach trainer, “She won’t listen to me—she’s insubordinate.”

  • What would you do? (Discuss possibilities at this point; then continue on.)


    • Sofia was moved to clothing processing. She continued to show up for her shifts on time, but was consistently slow with sorting. The job coach trainer over clothing processing knew her history and was struggling to increase Sofia’s production. The job coach trainer was concerned that if the situation didn’t change, Sofia would leave the program without success.

  • What would you do? (Discuss possibilities at this point; then continue on.)

    • The job coach trainer requested additional assessments for Sofia. These assessments showed that Sofia functioned in the first percentile of the general population for problem solving. Language, it seemed, was perhaps not the primary barrier; it was her inability to cognitively process and order a list of tasks. In other words, Sofia couldn’t figure out what to do next.

    Based on this information, the development counselor recommended an associate be assigned to help Sofia learn the specific steps of her job. Another recommendation was to have the job tasks written in a simple format with photos and pictures for Sofia’s reference.

    Armed with this new information, the job coach trainer temporarily assigned another associate to help Sofia work through the list of tasks required for her job. Her job coach trainer also helped her write those tasks in a simplified format that she could understand. This provided a job aid she could refer to when needed. Her production increased, and her job coach trainer was delighted with her improved attitude and work behaviors.