General Circular No. 001361
To: Heads of State Agencies and Human Resource Directors
Subject: Clarification of Examining Policies
Issue Date: August 24, 1999
This circular is a summary of Examining policies reflecting changes made since November, 1994. It supersedes the information contained in General Circular 001173. The major changes presented are summarized below, followed by a list of the overall contents of the circular.
SUMMARY OF MAJOR CHANGES
These changes will be effective September 1, 1999
ELIMINATION OF EXCEPTIONS TO STANDARD TESTING POLICY FOR NONCOMPETITIVE PROMOTIONS.
Our new testing policy for promotions to jobs below GS-15 (noncompetitive promotions) is stated below.
For an employee to be noncompetitively promoted to a job using a test, the testing requirements are as follows:
1. If the employee is being non-competitively promoted from a job which does not use a test to a job which does, he must take and pass the test currently in use for the job to which he is being promoted.
2. If the employee is being noncompetitively promoted from a job in one test series to a job in another test series, he must take and pass the test currently in use for the job to which he is being promoted.
3. If an employee currently occupies a job in a particular test series and is being noncompetitively promoted to another job using the same test series, he does not have to test to be promoted.
4. If an employee has prospective noncompetitive re-employment eligibility to the job to which he is being promoted, he does not have to test. An employee has prospective non-competitive re-employment eligibility to a job when he has not acutally resigned but would have non-competive re-employment eligibility should he resign.
5. In all cases where it is required that the employee pass the test currently in use to be non-competitively promoted, the grade need not be active. It may be expired. But it must have the same series number as the current test and must be verifiable. There must be documentation of the passing grade. This can be a record in our automated files or the appointee can supply an original grade notice or other acceptable documentation. Civil Service purges its automated files periodically and makes no guarantee that an expired grade will still be verifiable by our records.
What has changed:
1. Currently persons occupying jobs in the Typing career series (4002) can non-competitively promote to jobs in the General Clerical series (now 6500) without testing. This will no longer be the case. The new 6500 series involves a biographical inventory and is sufficiently different in content from the 4002 that we can no longer allow non-competitive promotions of persons occupying series 4002 jobs to series 6500 jobs without testing. Also this will standardize our requirements for non-competitive promotions between test series by eliminating one of the exceptions.
2. Currently a person may be non-competitively promoted to a series 4002 job requiring typing skills without testing if they have occupied a job in that series for at least six months during the five years prior to the promotion. This will no longer be the case. We will be eliminating this exception so that persons may only be non-competitively promoted to a job in series 4002 requiring typing skills if they currently occupy a job in that series, have passed the test currently in use (same series), or have prospective non-competitive re-employment eligibility to the job to which they are being promoted. For the persons who have passed the current test, we are eliminating the requirement that they must have passed within the prior five years. This will make our policy consistent for all jobs involving promotion from jobs in one test series or jobs not using tests to jobs in another test series.
STATE EMPLOYEES WITH PERMANENT STATUS MAY MOVE TO JOBS FOR WHICH THEY WOULD HAVE NON-COMPETITIVE RE-EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY UPON RESIGNING WITHOUT ACTUALLY HAVING TO RESIGN. They obtain the advantage of treating the move as a re-employment but without having to resign. This is not really a change. It has been an unwritten policy and practice for years but many agencies are unaware of it. Full details are explained in Part Two, Section V.D. of this circular.
REVISED RULE 8.9 (RULE OF FIVE GRADE GROUPS)
This rule was revised recently. It redefines the grade group as a grade containing at least one available applicant. Prior to this change, grade groups with no available applicant still had to be counted. Agencies could not drop down a grade to replace the exhausted grade group unless there were fewer than five persons available in the original top five. Redefining the grade group expands the pool for single vacancies since grade groups that are exhausted or emptied and contain no available applicants after SF-9's are sent may be replaced so all vacancies have five grade groups to choose from. The rule also allows agencies to add a grade group for each additional vacancy when it has multiple vacancies. For example, they are allowed six grade groups for the second vacancy, seven grade groups for the third vacancy, etc. See Part One: Section VIII of this Circular for full details.
NEW DEFINITION OF PROFESSIONAL LEVEL EXPERIENCE
We expanded the definition of AProfessional Level@ jobs in 1996 to include non-degreed jobs in the classified service with evaluated job factor levels of GS-15 or above. See full details in Part Three, Section I or this Circular.
ADDITION TO EXCEPTIONS TO 30% RULE FOR QUALIFYING EXPERIENCE
Previous Policy: In general, an applicant performing duties in a qualifying area 30% or more of his time is credited with that experience for purposes of meeting the Minimum Qualifications of a job for which he is applying. Applicants performing qualifying duties less than 30% of the time receive no credit. Experience is not pro-rated on the basis of percentage of time spent. There are exceptions to the 30% rule. For some jobs, we judge that an applicant must be performing qualifying duties 100% of the time to qualify. Some examples are jobs in the fields of law enforcement and personnel.
Change: We are adding planing to the fields that have an exception, i.e., they require the applicant to perform duties 100% of the time to qualify.
CHANGE IN THE DEFINITION OF PERSONNEL EXPERIENCE
Previous Policy: Payroll experience was not considered part of personnel.
Change: Payroll is being added to the areas included in our definition of personnel experience. An applicant performing payroll duties 100% or more of his time will be credited with personnel experience regardless of his job title or where his job is located as long as an official SF-3 (position description) supports the duties and percentage of time claimed in payroll duties.
LIST OF CONTENTS
PART ONE: POLICIES ON ANNOUNCEMENTS AND THE ISSUANCE OF CERTIFICATES
I. Determination of announcement schedule
II. Jobs open routinely to public application
III. Jobs open continuously to state employees
IV. Jobs requiring specific announcement
V. Considering both probational and promotional candidates for one vacancy
VI. Delegated promotional posting authority
VII. Inadequate certificates
VIII. Revised Rule 8.9 (ARule of Five@)
PART TWO: OVERVIEW OF WRITTEN TESTING REQUIREMENTS
I. General principles of testing requirements
II. Testing for competitive promotions
III. Testing for non-competitive promotions
IV. Testing for demotions
V. Testing for other types of movements
VI. Movement while on Probation
PART THREE: EVALUATING EXPERIENCE REPORTED ON APPLICATIONS
I. Professional Level Experience
II. Crediting military experience
III. Crediting experience in classified jobs
IV. Crediting college
V. Admitting an applicant before he qualifies
PART FOUR: RESTORATION OF GRADES AND REGRADES
I. Restoration of grades
II. Regrades
PART ONE: ANNOUNCEMENTS AND THE ISSUANCE OF CERTIFICATES
I. DETERMINATION OF ANNOUNCEMENT SCHEDULE CATEGORY
Each job with an established selection procedure has been assigned to an announcement schedule category. The announcement schedule categories either open the jobs to application on a regular basis or require specific announcement of vacancies as they occur.
OPEN System users may see the announcement schedule category for any job by viewing the List of Exams. Personnel offices without access to the OPEN System should consult the Examining Division for this information.
II. JOBS OPEN TO PUBLIC APPLICATION ON A REGULAR BASIS (schedule CTS)
For jobs in this category, when the agency submits an SF-2 ARequest for a Certificate@, we will issue a certificate immediately. Permanent state employees should apply for these jobs at the first opportunity since specific promotional vacancies will not be individually announced by Civil Service.
III. JOBS OPEN CONTINUOUSLY ONLY TO STATE EMPLOYEES (schedule STE)
When we receive an SF-2 to fill one of these jobs by promotion, we will issue a certificate immediately, with no announcement. Therefore, permanent state employees should apply for these jobs at the first opportunity.
When we receive an SF-2 to fill one of these jobs by probational appointment, the job will be placed on a Special Announcement as described in the next section.
IV. JOBS REQUIRING SPECIFIC ANNOUNCEMENT (schedule ANN)
A. PROBATIONAL APPOINTMENTS
When the SF-2 indicates the position will be filled by probational appointment, we will usually announce the job on a Special Announcement. However, if we have an adequate list and the job has been announced recently for the same location, we may issue a certificate immediately without announcement.
B. PROMOTIONS AT OR ABOVE GS-15
Jobs at or above pay grade GS-15 (except those exempted under Rule 7.20) require competition for promotions. When we receive an SF-2 to fill one of these jobs by promotion, we will usually issue a promotional announcement.
However, if a certificate has been issued within the last sixty days for the same location and promotional zone, we will not require a new announcement but will issue a certificate from the existing list even if it is inadequate.
C. ANNOUNCEMENT AT AGENCY REQUEST
If our policy indicates that we would issue a certificate immediately, we will consider announcing a job if the agency specifically requests it.
D. SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS AND STATE EMPLOYEES
Permanent state employees who are interested in jobs that appear on Special Announcements should apply in response to those announcements. Lists established from Special Announcements may be used to fill both probational and promotional vacancies.
V. CONSIDERING PROBATIONAL AND PROMOTIONAL CANDIDATES FOR ONE VACANCY
When an agency wants to consider both probational and promotional candidates for a vacancy, separate SF-2's must be submitted to receive both probational and promotional certificates.
VI. DELEGATED PROMOTIONAL POSTING AUTHORITY
To expedite the competitive promotional announcement process, the Department of Civil Service has signed contractual agreements with several agencies allowing them to post their own competitive promotional vacancies. Any agency interested in entering such an agreement should have their Personnel Officer contact the Chief of Examining.
Employees should check with their Personnel Officer to learn if their agency has a contract. Employees of agencies with contracts should become familiar with the contract requirements since they stipulate steps beyond applying and having a current grade with Civil Service.
VII. INADEQUATE CERTIFICATES
A certificate with five or more available names is considered adequate. Certificates containing fewer than five available names are Ainadequate@.
From an inadequate PROBATIONAL certificate, the appointee may either be someone listed on the certificate or someone appointed provisionally under Rule 8.11. From an inadequate PROMOTIONAL certificate, an employee who does not appear on the certificate may be promoted, provided he meets the qualification requirement, is in the correct promotional zone and has passed any required test.
VIII. REVISED RULE 8.9 (RULE OF FIVE GRADE GROUPS)
At its November 9, 1998 meeting, the Civil Service Commission adopted revised Rule 8.9 regarding appointments from certificates and the rule of five grade groups. The changes are significant, in most cases allowing agencies an expanded pool of applicants for single as well as multiple vacancies. The Revised Rule redefines a grade group as a grade containing at least one or more available candidates. This expands the pool for a single vacancy by allowing replacement of grade groups exhausted by declinations and failures to reply. When there are multiple vacancies, the rule also allows agencies to add a grade group as each successive vacancy is filled.
The major changes are:
For a single vacancy, after availability is reported and you remove the names of persons who decline or fail to reply from your original top five, you may replace every grade group that is exhausted or emptied by declinations or failures to reply by a new grade group with at least one available applicant. This ensures that for a single vacancy, you always have five separate grade groups from which to make your appointment. Under the old rule you could not replace grade groups exhausted by declinations or failures to reply unless you had fewer than five people left to choose from. Even then you could only drop down one additional group or as many as it took to get five people. Thus, under the old rule, you could exhaust four grade groups of the original top five by failures to reply and declinations and if the remaining grade group had five people in it, you were stuck with those five. In this same situation the new rule would allow you to add four new grade groups to replace the exhausted groups and bring the total grade groups to choose from back up to five for the single vacancy. In this case, compared to the old rule, the new rule adds a minimum of four extra persons (one per replacement grade group) to the pool for the single vacancy.
For multiple vacancies, as each successive vacancy is filled, you get to add one more grade group (defined as a grade containing the name of at least one available applicant) for each vacancy in addition to replacing groups exhausted by declinations and failures to reply. Thus for two vacancies, you would have five grade groups to fill the first vacancy and after you fill it and replace any grade group exhausted by the appointment, you would have six grade groups to choose from for the second vacancy. If there were three vacancies, after filling the first from five grade groups and the second from six, you would get seven grade groups as a pool for the third vacancy. The mathematical formula to follow as successive vacancies are filled is 4+ the number of vacancies. Thus for the first vacancy you have 4+1 or 5 grade groups to choose from. For the second vacancy, you have 4+2 or 6 grade groups to choose from. For five vacancies, when filling the fifth vacancy you=d have 4+5 or 9 grade groups to choose from.
PART TWO: OVERVIEW OF WRITTEN TESTING REQUIREMENTS
I. GENERAL PRINCIPLES USED TO SET TESTING REQUIREMENTS
In establishing testing requirements, the Department of Civil Service follows a number of guiding principles intended to ensure that the state maintains a competent workforce by hiring and promoting the best qualified applicants. At the same time, we wish to minimize the administrative burden on agencies in filling vacancies by avoiding unnecessary testing and other delays. All Civil Service testing policies are intended to adhere to these principles.
Whenever the Department of Civil Service makes a decision, interpretation, or exception to a policy that seems to contradict its literal wording, it does so to remain faithful to these principles. Any individual hiring or promotional decision may involve special conditions or factors not anticipated or explicitly covered by a written policy statement. For this reason, these policy statements on determining testing requirements are intended as general guides, not absolute rules. The Department of Civil Service always reserves the right to make an individual determination of testing requirements in each case.
The general principles the Department follows to establish testing requirements are outlined below.
A. PURPOSE OF TESTING
To rank applicants: In competitive situations, candidates are ranked in numerical order by test grade.
As a pass/fail criterion: In some cases, employees are required to pass tests rather than to compete. In general, this is done as a substitute for competitive testing for promotion to jobs below GS-15.
B. PROFESSIONAL LEVEL JOBS
Professional level jobs are defined in Part Three, Section II of this circular. The Department of Civil Service intends to limit movement into these professional level jobs to candidates who have at least demonstrated a minimally acceptable level of cognitive ability by passing the Professional Entry Test (PET) or other appropriate professional level test. For this reason, a requirement to pass an appropriate test is sometimes imposed even for personnel actions which normally do not require testing.
C. JOBS REQUIRING TYPING SKILLS
Candidates who are moving into jobs which include typing skills as part of the minimum qualification requirements must demonstrate that they possess these skills. This is to: 1) ensure that employees being non-competitively promoted to jobs requiring typing skills do indeed possess those skills, and 2) prevent the displacement by bumping of employees in layoff situations by others who have not proven that they possess those skills.
Acceptable evidence consists of either of the following:
1) having passed the typing careers test currently in use. There is no time limitation on how long ago it was passed as long as it is the test currently in use (Series 4002). It does not need to be an active grade. However, the grade must be verifiable by documentation either in our automated records or by the applicant supplying an original grade notice or other acceptable documentation. Civil Service purges files periodically and makes no guarantee that an expired grade will be verifiable in our records.
2) currently occupying with permanent status job which requires typing skills of 40 words per minute in the Minimum Qualifications.
II. TESTING REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPETITIVE PROMOTIONS
Competition is required for promotion to all jobs at pay grade GS-15 or above, except those jobs covered under Rule 7.20. Jobs at or above GS-15 must be announced in accordance with Civil Service announcement policies. The announcements must be available to all agency employees.
Normally, employees must take and pass all selection procedures used for jobs in this category. Promotions normally must be made from a Civil Service certificate from within the top five grade groups. (Agencies which have signed a contract delegating promotional posting authority must abide by their contract=s specific provisions.)
When a promotional certificate has been issued but is inadequate, the agency may choose to noncompetitively promote someone not on the certificate. The noncompetitively promoted employee must be in the promotional zone, meet the minimum qualification requirements and pass the test. A non-competitive promotion can be made only when all available candidates have been certified and four or fewer candidates are available for the position. If five or more candidates are available, a non-competitive promotion cannot be made.
III. TESTING REQUIREMENTS FOR NONCOMPETITIVE PROMOTIONS
Noncompetitive promotions are allowed to any job that is below pay grade GS-15. When an employee is to be noncompetitively promoted to a job below GS-15 for which a written test is used, the employee is usually required to at least pass a Civil Service test although he need not compete. The specific testing requirements are outlined below.
A. If the employee is being noncompetitively promoted from a job which does not use a test to a job which does, he must take and pass the test currently in use for the job to which he is being promoted.
B. If the employee is being noncompetitively promoted form a job in one test series to a job in another test series, he must take and pass the test currently in use for the job to which he being promoted.
C. If an employee currently occupies a job in a particular test series and is being noncompetitively promoted to another job using the same test series, he does not have to test to be promoted.
D. If an employee has prospective non-competitive re-employment rights to the job to which he is being promoted, he does not have to test. An employee has prospective non-competitive re-employment rights to a job when he would have non-competitive re-employment eligibility should he resign.
E. In all cases where it is required that the employee pass the test currently in use to be non-competitively promoted, the grade need not be active. It may be expired. But it must have the same series number as the current test and must be verifiable. There must be documentation of the passing grade. This can be a record in our automated files or the appointee can supply an original grade notice or other acceptable documentation. Civil Service purges its automated files periodically and makes no guarantee that an expired grade will still be verifiable by our records.
IV. TESTING REQUIREMENTS FOR DEMOTIONS
The only case in which testing is required on demotion is when an employee is being demoted to a job with a specified words per minute typing skill in the minimum qualification from a job which does not require such skill. The employee must pass the current typing careers exam. However, the grade need not be active or current. It can be expired as long as it is series 4002.
V. TESTING REQUIREMENTS FOR LATERAL TRANSFERS, RE-ASSIGNMENTS, NON-COMPETITIVE RE-EMPLOYMENTS, PREFERRED RE-EMPLOYMENTS AND REALLOCATIONS
No testing will be required with the following exceptions:
A. MOVEMENT INTO JOBS REQUIRING TYPING SKILL
If the employee is moving into a job which requires typing from a job which does not require typing, he will be required to demonstrate his typing skill by passing the current 4002 exam. The grade need not be active or current. It may be expired.
B. NON-PROFESSIONAL TO PROFESSIONAL
To move from a nonprofessional job to a professional level job, an employee must pass the test currently used for the job to which he is being moved. (See definition of professional level jobs in Part Three, Section II of this circular)
C. TEST EFFECTIVE DATE FOR REALLOCATIONS
In the past, our policy on reallocations was to require a test score to be effective prior to the effective date of the reallocation. Reallocations will now be approved as long as the incumbent has taken and passed the appropriate test when testing is required. The test grade does not have to be effective prior to the reallocation.
D. MOVEMENTS OF PERMANENT STATE EMPLOYEES BASED ON RE-EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY
It sometimes occurs that permanent status state employees want to be promoted to a job for which they would have non-competitive re-employment eligibility if they resigned. In such cases, Civil Service allows the employee to be noncompetitively promoted to the job even if it is GS-15 or above and competition would normally be required. The testing requirements are those applicable to noncompetitive re-employments.
It also sometimes occurs that permanent state employees may want to move to a job for which they no longer qualify because the qualifications have changed or they moved out of it in the past and lost Agrandfather@ privileges. As long as they have prospective re-employment eligibility to the job (i.e., they have not actually resigned but would have re-employment eligibility to it if they were to resign) we allow them to move into it by whatever action is appropriate (noncompetitive promotion, demotion, reassignment, lateral transfer) without actually having to resign and start a probationary period over. They thus have a five year window after leaving a job to move back into it even if they may no longer meet Minimum Qualifications.
VI. MOVEMENT WHILE ON PROBATION
An employee cannot be moved while on probation unless he is within reach on a probational certificate or has a certifiable score for the position and location to which he is moving.
PART THREE: EVALUATING EXPERIENCE REPORTED ON APPLICATION
I. PROFESSIONAL LEVEL EXPERIENCE
For the purposes of qualifying for jobs in the classified service, professional level experience is defined as experience gained in a job in the classified system which has an Education factor rating of at least 5, i.e., in a job requiring a baccalaureate degree or substitutions as the minimum education requirement OR experience gained in any classified job that has a current evaluation level of GS-15 or higher.
It is important to note that the determining factor for jobs not requiring a degree is the EVALUATION level. Jobs with a GS-level at 15 or above that have a market adjustment which brings them to that level but which are evaluated below GS-15 will not be considered professional level. Medical Pay Plan jobs will be judged on their evaluated GS-level not their actual M-level. Experience gained prior to January 1, 1987 when we used a different pay plan will use GS-19 as the beginning point, i.e., experience in a job requiring a baccalaureate degree or substitutions or experience in any job GS-19 or above gained prior to January 1, 1987 will be considered professional level.
In determining the LEVEL of professional experience at which a particular job will be evaluated, no job at GS-15 which does not have an Education factor rating of A5" or higher will be considered higher than Entry-Professional Level regardless of the level of work appearing on the class specification. For example, Corrections Captain which is a GS-15 job will be considered Entry-Professional Level even though the level of work on the class specification indicates the job is a supervisor. We cannot use the levels of work on the class specifications because they rank jobs in the same job series only in relation to each other and not in relation to the whole pay plan. For jobs higher than GS-15 that do not require a degree, we will determine on a case by case basis what level of professional experience will be granted based on how each job relates to other professional level jobs in the same job series or the pay plan as a whole.
For jobs outside of state service we make a judgment by comparing duties to find the closest match to a similar classified job. We also look at educational requirements if available, the education level of the applicant when performing the duties, salary when performing duties, and ratings of similar jobs in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles.
II. CREDITING MILITARY EXPERIENCE
It is our policy to credit any experience gained in senior Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) ranks, i.e., E-7, E-8, and E-9 enlisted grades as professional level experience. All experience in Warrant Officer or Commissioned Officer grades is also considered professional level. Our general policy is to evaluate as professional level only those jobs requiring a baccalaureate degree.
III. CREDITING EXPERIENCE IN CLASSIFIED STATE JOBS
When crediting experience gained in classified state jobs for the purposes of qualifying for other classified jobs, the following principles are followed:
A. DUTIES WITHIN THE JOB SPECIFICATION
The employee is routinely credited with the duties contained in the job specifications of the jobs he has occupied. In the absence of other information, he is assumed to have performed only these duties. However, if he is in a supervisory job and needs direct-line supervision to qualify for the job for which he is applying, he must also claim subordinates on his application to be credited.
B. DUTIES ON THE SF-3 POSITION DESCRIPTION
When duties are claimed that are not contained within the scope of the class specification, they must normally be substantiated by an official SF-3 (position description) contemporary to the time the duties are claimed. The SF-3 must be an official document filed as an update or reallocation appeal and signed by our Classification Division. THE DUTIES ARE CREDITED FROM THE DATE THE UPDATED SF-3 IS STAMPED ARECEIVED@ BY CIVIL SERVICE. There is no retroactive credit given for time the duties may have been performed prior to receipt of the SF-3.
C. PERCENTAGE OF TIME NEEDED TO RECEIVE CREDIT
In general, an applicant performing duties in a qualifying area 30% or more of his time is credited with that experience for purposes of meeting the Minimum Qualifications of a job for which he is applying. Applicants performing qualifying duties less than 30% of the time receive no credit. Experience is not pro-rated on the basis of percentage of time spent. There are exceptions to the 30% rule. For some jobs, we judge that an applicant must be performing qualifying duties 100% of the time to qualify. Some examples are jobs in the fields of law enforcement, planning, and personnel.
D. CREDITING EXPERIENCE IN THE ABSENCE OF AN SF-3
In the absence of an SF-3 other evidence will be weighed and considered. When evidence is contradictory, greater weight will generally be given to official documents over unofficial ones and to detailed and specific information over more general information. Although there is no definitive list of the types of evidence that may be accepted from an applicant to credit experience outside the job specification, the evidence must normally satisfy these criteria.
1. Document must be contemporary to the time duties are claimed. Testimonials written today claiming duties were performed in the past are not acceptable.
2. The dates that the duties were performed must be clear from the documents presented. Credit will only be given for dates identifiable from the documents or which can reasonably be inferred from them. Thus, a person could be credited for one year of supervisory experience for each performance appraisal he signed on an employee. But if he claims five years of supervisory experience and can only produce two years= appraisals, he would normally be given only two years of experience.
3. The document must clearly identify the applicant as the one who performed the duties and where relevant, the percent of time spent on specific duties claimed.
Some examples of documents that have been accepted in lieu of an SF-3 are:
Performance appraisals written on the applicant contemporary to the time duties are claimed and describing the duties in sufficient detail for credit to be given.
Performance appraisals signed by the applicant as evidence of performing supervisory duties.
Work orders describing duties.
Internal memoranda contemporary to the time duties are claimed indicating assignment of duties.
IV. CREDITING COLLEGE
A. ACCREDITATION
Earned college hours used to qualify for a job must have been earned from a college or university accredited by one of the following regional accrediting bodies: the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools; the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Incorporated; the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools; the Northwest Association of Secondary and Higher Schools; the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools; the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. To ascertain the accreditation of a particular college or university, you may contact the Examining Division of Civil Service.
B. VERIFICATION OF TRANSCRIPTS
The Examining Division will accept only original, official transcripts or legible copies of official transcripts. By Aofficial@, we mean transcripts issued by the institution and marked AOFFICIAL@ or with the institution=s seal. The Registrar=s signature should be written across the seal and should be legible on a copy even if the seal itself does not show up. Copies will be accepted only if they are legible and contain all necessary identifying information - at a minimum: the name of the institution, the name of the student, and the Registrar=s signature. Transcripts marked Aissued to student@ but otherwise official as defined here, will be accepted. Other helpful (but not absolutely required) identifying information may include the student=s date of birth and social security number.
Some documents which will NOT be accepted as verification of educational qualifications include grade notices, Student Records, diplomas, teaching certificates or any transcripts marked AUNOFFICIAL@. If the information on the transcripts is questionable for any reason (e.g. handwritten changes have been made to the transcript), the Examining Division reserves the right to request an original transcript or a better copy whichever seems necessary to us.
C. CLAIMS THAT TRANSCRIPTS CANNOT BE OBTAINED
Sometimes when transcripts are required to verify college, applicants will claim they are unable to obtain a transcript. When dealing with such claims it is our policy to determine the reason why the applicant cannot obtain a transcript by contacting the institution granting the degree or hours.
If the reason the applicant cannot obtain his transcript is that he has defaulted on student loans, failed to pay fees or parking tickets, or to meet other financial obligations due to the University, we will not accept any other document as proof of obtaining required degrees or hours.
D. ADMITTING PRIOR TO GRADUATION
In cases where college graduates have completed all requirements for the degree but will not have the actual degree conferred until a later date, we will credit the person as having the degree if he can provide a transcript or letter from the registrar=s office or other documentation verifying that all requirements have been met. We will admit the person or approve an appointment based on a consideration that he is qualified as of the date he completed all requirements as verified by the letter or transcript.
This does not mean that we will credit persons who have completed all but the thesis requirement on a master=s degree. If the thesis is part of the degree requirement, a person will not be credited with the degree until the thesis is completed.
V. ADMITTING AN APPLICANT BEFORE HE QUALIFIES
Our policy is to admit an applicant two weeks before the date he would actually be qualified based on continuing work experience or obtaining required education. When a special or promotional announcement is involved, we will admit some one who qualifies within two weeks of the closing date.
PART FOUR: RESTORATION OF GRADES AND REGRADES
I. RESTORATION OF GRADES
Restoration refers to placing a name back on a register after it has been removed for some reason such as a failure to reply to an inquiry of eligibility. A person=s name may only be restored if a current active register exists and the grade has not expired. To be restored to a register, the candidate must either send a written request to Civil Service or return the C.S.168 (notification of removal) originally sent to him. Restorations may be requested at any time; the register does not have to be open to application.
II. REGRADES
When a test series is used for several jobs and an applicant has received a grade for one job in that series, he may be regraded for other jobs in the series without retesting. To be regraded, an applicant must submit a new application, meet the minimum qualifications for the job requested, and have an unexpired grade for at least one active register in the test series. Regrades will be based on the most recent test administration.
Sincerely,
Allen H. Reynolds
Director