how to use the nacm core competency curriculum guidelines

How To Use The NACM Core Competency Curriculum GuidelinesHow To Use The NACM Core Competency Curriculum Guidelines

National Association for Court Management1

How To Use The NACM Core Competency Curriculum

GuidelinesDate(s)

Educational Program or SponsorFaculty

1.5 Hour Toolbox


National Association for Court Management2

What Defines a Profession?


National Association for Court Management 3

What Defines a Profession

Professionalism in Public Service

“… is not based on academic attainment but rather on developing & meeting standards of practice based on the efficient rendering of public service.”

Nesta Gallas, 1973



What Defines a Profession

• A Profession is Characterized by the Following:– A requirement for special knowledge, skills

and abilities in a widely recognized body of learning, derived from research, education and training at a high level

– A high requirement that practitioners exercise their knowledge, skills and abilities in the interest of others



What Defines a Profession (Continued)

– Standards of competence and conduct that are established and enforced by an association or similar body which represents the profession as a whole

– Adherence by practitioners to a code of conduct which includes requirements that they place the health, safety and welfare of the wider community above personal interests and that they practice only within their area of competence.




• “The ordinary administration of criminal and civil justice … contributes more than any other circumstance, to impressing upon the minds of the peoples affection, esteem, and reverence towards the government.”

Alexander Hamilton, Federalist 17, 1787

• “The common task in which we are all engaged – the great and sacred task – the administration of justice”

Justice Benjamin Cardozo




• We are stewards of something bigger than each of us … something bigger than individual courts and court systems. We are stewards to a powerful ideal of just a free society

• “The essence of professionalism is lifelong learning and continuous self-development”



Core Competency Curriculum Guidelines

What Court Leaders Need to Know and Be Able to Do



Project Context & History• 1990 NACM Strategic Planning Process

– Survey of membership identifies the need for increased opportunities for professional development that was reflective of court manager responsibilities

– Delphi Survey identifies 14 core competencies

• 1992-1996 State Justice institute Grant– Formation of NACM’s Professional Development Advisory

Committee (PDAC)– Partnership with the National Center for State Courts and the

Justice Management Institute– Follow-up Delphi survey and focus groups– Refinement of the core competencies from 14 to 10– Identification of corresponding knowledge, skills, and abilities



Project Context & History(Continued)

• 1996-Present Building the Core Competency Curriculum Guidelines– Continued SJI support and acquisition of BJA funding– Development of each core competency– Establishment of a review process for each competency– Development of learning needs assessment tools– Completion of the Core Competency Curriculum

Guidelines



Definitive Body of Requisite Core CompetenciesAnd

Corresponding SetsOf

Knowledge, Skill and Ability Sets Essential to the Profession



The Core Competencies seek to define court manager learning needs across a court’s mission, functions, and responsibilities.



What Court Leaders Need To Know And Be Able To Do



Intended Audience

• Elected & Appointed Court Managers• Senior Staff• Aspiring Staff with Technical & Administrative

Responsibilities• Judges in Leadership Positions



Guidelines Redundancy & Overlap

• Centrality of purposes and responsibilities of courts

• Interrelatedness of the ten core competencies

• Each competency drafted to stand alone



Structure of Each Core Competency Curriculum Guideline

• Core Competency– Introduction: What this Competency Is and

Why It’s Important• Curriculum Guidelines

– Five to Eight Broad Curriculum Areas for Each Core Competency

• Knowledge, Skills & Abilities– Specific KSA’s related Directly to Each

Curriculum Guideline Within Each Core Competency



• The Core Competency Curriculum Guidelines ARE NOT a Final Statement but Must Evolve as the Field’s Issues and Challenges Change

• The Core Competency Curriculum Guidelines ARE NOT Curricula or Lesson Plans

Structure of Each Core Competency Curriculum Guideline



The Guidelines Are Not Self-Executing

“… as with most reforms in life, self-directed change is the most meaningful and long-lasting.”



The Guidelines at Work

• Individual Professional Development– Self-assessment of strengths and

weaknesses– Basis for selecting appropriate educational

programs– Foundation for improvement of individual

performance– Enhancement of employment opportunities



• Group Professional Development– Identification of group learning needs– Establishing priorities for educational

programming– Basis for development of in-house programs

and attendance at regional or national programs

– Short and long range professional development planning

– Development of specific program deliverables for court consultants and program presenters




• Resource Acquisition & Allocation– Basis for requesting and justifying funding for

professional development– Criteria for cost/benefit analysis of

professional development opportunities




• Formulation of Job Descriptions, Employment Interview Questions & Performance Appraisal Criteria

• Practical Illustration of the Nature of Courts & How They Work

• Personal Reflection on the Court Management Profession




Education Development Cycle

• Add Graphic From NACM Mini Guide here



Learning Needs Assessment Process

• Add Graphic From NACM Mini Guide here



Implementing the Core Competencies Current and Next Steps

• Identification of existing curricula gaps and development of curricula “toolboxes” for varying length programs– How to Use the Core Competency Curriculum

Guidelines– Advanced Budget, Resources and Finance– Information Technology Fundamentals– Purposes and Responsibilities of Courts




• Fundamentals for four (4) additional Core Competencies– Caseflow Management– Leadership– Resources, Budget and Finance– Human Resources Management

• Web-Enabled Automated Learning needs Assessment Tools

• NACM Mini-Guide on How to Use the Core Competency Curriculum Guidelines




• Web-Enabled Automated Learning Needs Assessment Tool




• NACM Mini-Guide on How to Use the Core Competency Curriculum Guidelines

how to use the nacm core competency curriculum guidelines

Documents