Looking closer at the weights, some groupings become apparent. Notice that seven tasks comprise nearly 50% of the responsibilities of a registered level instructor. Not surprisingly, these are tasks performed during a therapeutic riding lesson and reflect key elements of conducting a safe and effective lesson.
The next five tasks comprise just over 30% of the responsibilities of a registered-level instructor and are tasks performed in and outside of a therapeutic riding lesson to further support a safe and effective lesson.
The remaining six tasks comprise less than 20% of the responsibilities of a registered-level instructor and include tasks in and outside of the arena, as well as demonstration of grooming and riding skills. Generally, a weight of less than five indicates a task that may not be important enough to be a standalone task and therefore should be omitted or combined with another existing task.
Now let's look even closer at the weights of the individual tasks. Not surprisingly, based on the frequency with which they are performed and the criticality that they are performed correctly, equipment safety checks have the greatest weight. This means that ensuring registered-level certification candidates know the steps for conducting a thorough tack check is imperative for them to meet the requirements of the job. The weights also show that
implementing effective teaching techniques holds more weight than creating a lesson plan and adjusting it throughout the lesson
, but lesson planning adjustment ranks higher than either grooming or performing
a walk, trot/jog, and canter/lope in each direction. This data indicates registered-level candidates should have more competence in teaching techniques and lesson planning than
performing grooming or riding skills.
As the credentialing council moves forward with developing a certification exam that meets NCCA accreditation standards, these JTA results will remain at the core of every decision-from prerequisites to exam delivery and recertification procedures. As a result, members will be hearing frequent references to the JTA as we describe the PATH Intl. Credentialing Council's work. Please direct any comments or questions to Bret Maceyak.
Want to learn more about how JTAs can support the reputation of a profession? Read on!
JTAs are important to a profession because they provide:
A b
asis for legally defensible certification examinations
The most fundamental consideration in developing an examination is the validity. V
alidating an examination involves gathering evidence to provide a sound scientific basis for the evaluation of a candidate's proficiency and interpretation of the scores assigned to levels of performance.
Content for valid, practice-based examinations
By gathering information about the tasks, knowledge and skills required of individuals already performing the job in question, a certification examination can be developed reflecting the actual and current performance requirements in the field.
Direction for curriculum review
JTAs tell us the
important
job tasks
linked to competent practice in a role or job and furthermore
the
knowledge and/or skills
necessary for profi
cient performance of those tasks.
With knowledge of the skills required to perform a job, optional trainings and study guides can be developed to help candidates master proficiency of the necessary skills.
Data for asse
ssing trends in practices within a profession
Capturing and analyzing the information collected from a JTA can help in tracking evolution of practices within a profession.
A foundation for accreditation and professional testing standards
JTAs provide a solid basis for developing proficiency examinations in compliance with respected accreditation and professional testing standards in support of public protection.