Educational institutions have been forced between a rock and a hard place. For the last several years, the academic industry has contended with a shortage of qualified teaching candidates. This shortage was exacerbated by recent world events that prompted thousands of educators to leave the profession.

In response, many educational institutions were forced to hire subpar candidates. However, this tactic has major consequences for students and the schools which employ ineffective educators. According to a U.S. Department of Labor report, a single bad hire can cost the employer tens of thousands of dollars.

The costs associated with a bad hire can extend beyond simply monetary considerations. Hiring a new employee who is not a good fit for your faculty culture can affect your whole team and may even lead to you losing other staff members.

You have likely encountered this very same dilemma yourself. Fortunately, a third option can allow you to staff your organization with thoroughly vetted educators. By simply deploying a skills test for education jobs, you can resolve many of your hiring woes.

What Is a Skills Test for Education Jobs?

The term “skills test” is a broad phrase that encompasses various assessment exams. Skills tests can measure “soft skills,” such as a candidate’s attention to detail, communication skills, or critical thinking ability. You can also use these assessments to gauge a candidate’s hard skills related to job-specific duties.

When assessing candidates for education jobs, you can deploy multiple skills tests. You can use an assessment to measure skills directly related to the position they are applying for. In addition, you should also assess the candidate’s interpersonal skills and behavioral traits.

Skills testing allows your hiring team to gauge a job applicant’s abilities quickly and efficiently. This approach can streamline your hiring lifecycle by enabling you to eliminate unqualified individuals early in the process. Once skills testing has been conducted, your staff can compose a list of top candidates and begin scheduling interviews.

Core Academic Skills for Educators Test 

There are many different categories of skills tests that can be used to evaluate educator job candidates. Some assessments measure specific abilities, whereas others gauge the applicant’s core academic skills. One such example is known as the General Scholastic Teaching Skills test.

The General Scholastic Teaching Skills assessment includes a total of 40 questions. These questions are in various formats, such as true/false, select all that apply, and multiple choice. The assessment covers several topics, including assisting students with learning, evaluation and data analysis, behavior management, classroom culture, lesson planning and delivery, and student engagement.

Applicants who perform well on this assessment likely possess the skills needed to succeed in a classroom setting. However, candidates who fall short in one or more topics of this primary education skills test may not be the right fit for your organization.

Additional Education Skills Tests 

In addition to core classroom management and teaching skills, educators must also possessother abilities. To assess these skills, you should consider administering additional assessments, such as:

Interpersonal Skills in a School Setting Assessment: This assessment contains 40 questions. It covers building relationships with community members, interacting with coworkers, communicating with parents, identifying and managing student conflicts, and maintaining a positive classroom.

Teacher Assessment: This skills test is designed specifically for teachers and should not evaluate other educational job candidates, such as paraeducators. The Teacher assessment will measure the applicant’s ability to collaborate with others, use technology to support instruction, and much more. It is one of the most comprehensive primary education skills tests available.

Attention to Detail Skills Test: The Attention to Detail skills test is a generalized assessment that can evaluate prospective teachers, paraeducators, or administrative staff. It covers topics like word analysis, word meaning, and finding errors.

While you may not need to administer all of these assessments to evaluate educator job candidates effectively, each skills test will reveal additional insights into their abilities. Therefore, we recommend administering at least two different pre-employment skills tests so that you can gain a complete understanding of the applicant’s abilities.

What Other Assessments Should Be Used to Evaluate Candidates?

The skills assessments outlined above are primarily used to evaluate candidates who have applied for teaching positions. However, there are skills tests available for assessing the skills of other education job applicants as well.

For example, you can deploy skills tests when hiring paraeducators, support staff, maintenance personnel, cafeteria workers, IT technicians, and dieticians. Each of these tests covers job-specific topics so that you can efficiently evaluate candidates and expedite the hiring process.

eSkill: Your Source for Core Academic Skills for Educators Tests

If you want to make primary education skills tests or other assessments a part of your hiring protocols, eSkill can help. Our skills testing solutions are the perfect way to make better hiring decisions.

Request a demo to learn how our user-friendly, affordable skills tests for education jobs can help you recruit top faculty candidates.