New York State of Opportunity

Interpretive Programs Assistant

Written Test To Be Held
November 06, 2021
Applications Must Be Submitted or Postmarked By
September 24, 2021

 

Exams Included on This Announcement
Exam Number Exam Title Salary Salary Grade Non−Refundable Processing Fee (Waivers available)
26-790 Interpretive Programs Assistant $53,568 SG-17 $35
The Department of Civil Service may administer tests either online or with paper booklets and answer sheets. Online tests will be administered using Remote Proctoring. You may access information on remote proctoring by visiting our website at www.cs.ny.gov/testing/remote-proctoring.cfm. Your admission notice will tell you whether your test will be administered online or in a test location. You may be assigned to either Saturday or Sunday to take your test. You cannot request a day in advance or change your scheduled day.

Due to current testing space limitations, candidates may need to travel to one of the following test sites to take this examination: Rensselaer, Buffalo, Nyack, Kingston, Poughkeepsie, Syracuse, or Yonkers. Candidates will be notified of their test site location on their admission notice.

If you previously applied for this examination scheduled for March 14, 2020, which was postponed, you do NOT need to reapply. Your application will be reviewed to determine if you meet the qualifications to take the examination. Additional information will be sent to previous applicants via email.

Appointees who work in the five boroughs of New York City or in Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland, or Westchester Counties will receive an additional $3,026 annual downstate adjustment. Appointees who work in Dutchess, Orange, or Putnam Counties will receive an additional $1,513 annual mid-Hudson adjustment.

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Minimum Qualifications

On or before November 6, 2021*, you must have:

Either 1: five years of experience developing and conducting a professional program of interpretation in either a historic house; historic site; historic park; the history section of a museum; or in the interpretation section of a governmental agency having responsibility for historic house museums, historic sites, or a cultural center providing professional-level cultural or historic exhibits.

Or 2: a bachelor's degree or higher in historic preservation, museum studies, education, history, American studies, anthropology, or architectural history AND one year of experience developing and conducting a professional program of interpretation in either a historic house; historic site; historic park; the history section of a museum; or in the interpretation section of a governmental agency having responsibility for historic house museums, historic sites, or a cultural center providing professional-level cultural or historic exhibits.

If you expect to meet the educational requirements by June 30, 2022*, you can be admitted to the written test, but you cannot be considered for appointment until you submit proof of successful completion of the educational requirement to the Appointing Authority at the time of the employment interview. Failure to meet the educational requirements by June 30, 2022* may result in your removal from the eligible list.

Notes

  1. Your degree must have been awarded by a college or university accredited by a regional, national, or specialized agency recognized as an accrediting agency by the U.S. Department of Education/U.S. Secretary of Education. If your degree was awarded by an educational institution outside the United States and its territories, you must provide independent verification of equivalency. You can write to the Examination Information Desk of the NYS Department of Civil Service for a list of acceptable companies who provide this service. This information can also be found on the Internet athttp://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/degrees.cfm. You must pay the required evaluation fee. If you are applying on the Internet, you must mail the independent verification of equivalency to the New York State Department of Civil Service, Albany, New York 12239. Attention: S2-KXM.
  2. A transition examination is also being held for these positions.
  3. Although a transition examination is being held, it is expected that appointments will be made as the result of these examinations open to the public.
  4. The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has the option of making appointments from either the list resulting from this examination open to the public or the list resulting from the transition examination. If you meet the requirements for both examinations, you may wish to file for both. The processing fee must be paid for this examination unless you are eligible for a fee waiver.
  5. If you meet the Minimum Qualifications you may also be interested in competing in No. 26-749 Historic Site Assistant, No. 26-750 Historic Site Manager C, No. 26-751 Historic Site Manager B, or No. 26-752 Historic Site Manager A for which written tests are also being held on November 6, 2021. You may file for any combination of these examinations by completing one application form listing the number(s) and title(s) of the examination(s) in which you are interested. The appropriate processing fee must be filed for each examination.
  6. Qualifying part-time and volunteer experience, which can be verified, will be accepted on a prorated basis.
  7. New York State residence is not required.

The Positions

These positions exist in the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. There is one position in the Office of General Services in Albany.

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Duties

As an Interpretive Programs Assistant, you would develop and administer comprehensive interpretive programs and supervise subordinate staff and volunteers associated with a state historic site or a state historic park within New York State. You would conduct research and develop and implement seminars, workshops, guided tours, audio visual and written materials, live craft demonstrations, school programs, exhibits, and special events to interpret the historic site or historic park to the general public as well as special interest groups. You would be responsible for scheduling staff, visitor statistics and conducting audience research. You would assist in all other site responsibilities as required. During the absence of the historic site manager, you would be required to assume the duties, responsibilities, and authority of that position. You would be required to perform basic computer functions.

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Subject of Examination

There will be a written test which you must pass in order to be considered for appointment. The written test is designed to test for knowledge, skills, and/or abilities in such areas as:

  1. Educating and interacting with the public - These questions test for knowledge of techniques used to interact effectively with individuals and/or community groups, to educate or inform them about topics of concern, to publicize or clarify agency programs or policies, to negotiate conflicts or resolve complaints, and to represent one's agency or program in a manner in keeping with good public relations practices. Questions may also cover interacting with others in cooperative efforts of public outreach or service.
  2. Preparing written material - These questions test for the ability to present information clearly and accurately, and to organize paragraphs logically and comprehensibly. For some questions, you will be given information in two or three sentences followed by four restatements of the information. You must then choose the best version. For other questions, you will be given paragraphs with their sentences out of order. You must then choose, from four suggestions, the best order for the sentences.
  3. Developing interpretive programs -These questions test for knowledge of principles and practices of historic interpretation and for the ability to apply them effectively in planning and presenting interesting and educational interpretive programs to a variety of audiences at historic sites.
  4. Supervision - These questions test for knowledge of the principles and practices employed in planning, organizing, and controlling the activities of a work unit toward predetermined objectives. The concepts covered, usually in a situational question format, include such topics as assigning and reviewing work; evaluating performance; maintaining work standards; motivating and developing subordinates; implementing procedural change; increasing efficiency; and dealing with problems of absenteeism, morale, and discipline.

Your final score must be 70 or higher in order to pass. Your final score on the eligible list will be determined after adding any wartime Veterans' and Civil Service Law Section 85-a credits.

Applicants are required to have a Personal NY.gov account and keep their email address up to date. The Department of Civil Service and other state agencies will communicate with you through email correspondence. This may include the notification of your test arrangements, examination results, and canvassing you for interest in appointment. It will be important for you to keep your email address, phone number, and mailing address current by logging into https://www.cs.ny.gov/home/myaccount.

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How To Apply

This announcement is for viewing purposes only.

Important: Unless waived, you must pay the non-refundable processing fee. For information on fee waivers, visit https://www.cs.ny.gov/examannouncements/types/oc/appinfo.cfm##Fee. Any past due application processing fees must be paid in full prior to submitting an application. Please email FeeUnitMail@cs.ny.gov regarding inquiries about any past due fee. It is important that you verify that you entered the correct examination number and title on your online or paper application prior to submitting. If you apply online, you should immediately review your email confirmation notice to verify that you applied for the correct examination.

Additional Information

New York State is an Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of the State of New York to provide for and promote equal opportunity employment, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment without unlawful discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, disability, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, veteran or military service member status, marital status, domestic violence victim status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, arrest and/or criminal conviction record, or any other category protected by law, unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification or other exception.

Appointment to many positions in State government require candidates to undergo an investigative screening. This may include a thorough character investigation, a Federal Bureau of Investigation Criminal Record History Check, a Child Abuse Registry clearance, or other similar procedures. Candidates may be fingerprinted and may be required to pay any necessary fees for that procedure. Depending on the nature of the job, the criminal convictions discovered, or any falsified or omitted information revealed, the investigative findings may bar appointment or result in removal after appointment.

Eligibility for Employment

You must be legally eligible to work in the United States at the time of appointment and throughout your employment with New York State. If appointed, you must produce documents that establish your identity and eligibility to work in the United States, as required by the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, and the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Religious Accommodation

Most written tests are held on Saturdays. If you cannot take the test on the announced test date, due to a conflict with a religious observance or practice, check the box under “Religious Accommodation.” We will make arrangements for you to take the test on a different date (usually the following day).

Reasonable Accommodations in Testing

It is the policy of the Department of Civil Service, in accordance with the New York State Human Rights Law and the Americans with Disabilities Act, to provide qualified persons with disabilities equal employment opportunity and equal opportunity to participate in and receive the benefits, services, programs, and activities of the Department. It is the policy of the Department to provide such persons reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications as are necessary to provide equal opportunity. Persons with disabilities who require an accommodation to participate in an examination must note this on their application. Further information is available from the Test Administration Unit of the Department of Civil Service. In the Albany area, call 518-457-2487. Outside of the Albany area, call toll free at 1-877-697-5627. For TDD services, call NY Relay at 711 (requires a fee) or 1-800-662-1220.

Admission to Examination

Notice to appear for the test may be conditional as review of applications may not be made until after the test. If you have not received your notice to appear for the written test three days before the date of the test, email us at AdmissionNotices@cs.ny.gov. Please provide your first and last name, address, and the last four digits of your social security number, and we will provide you with the information you need to attend your written test. If you have an issue other than not receiving your admission notice, please contact our office at (518) 474-6470 in the Albany area or toll free at 1-877-697-5627. Please leave a clear concise message and provide your first and last name, last four digits of your social security number and a daytime phone number.

Taking State and Local Examinations Scheduled for the Same Day

If you have applied to take a written test announced by either one or several local jurisdictions (county, town, city) scheduled to be held on the same test date as this written test, you must notify each of the local jurisdictions no later than two weeks before the test date to make arrangements for taking all tests at one test site. All tests will be held at the state examination center. For your convenience, contact information for all local civil service agencies is available on our website at: https://www.cs.ny.gov/jobseeker/local.cfm.

Cell Phones or Electronic/Communication Devices at the Test Site

The use of cell phones, beepers, headphones, or any electronic or other communication devices at your personal testing site or in the test room, hallways, restrooms, building, grounds, or other areas, except as expressly authorized by the Department of Civil Service, could result in your disqualification.

S2/TB2 KXM-klr
Reissued: 9/10/21
*Revised Material: 9/10/21

This announcement is subject to amendment or cancellation without notice. Do not copy it, or post it to any other site, but link to it instead.

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