The Juvenile Justice Training Academy has worked diligently over the last year with the Regional Training Officers, other statewide stakeholders, and the Correctional Management Institute of Texas (CMIT) to develop an automated competency exam for applicants seeking certification as a juvenile probation officer. Beginning September 1, 2016, all individuals seeking a new certification as a juvenile probation officer are required to successfully pass the automated JPO Certification Exam prior to being certified by TJJD.
TJJD worked in partnership with CMIT and two urban departments to pilot the exam over a five-month period. A total of 52 people took the test during the pilot, equating to 22% of the total number of new JPO certifications from last fiscal year. The pilot allowed TJJD to gather data to adequately address major issues before the exam went live statewide.
The exam is comprised of 60 total questions. Twenty questions are the same for each exam and were determined to be the most important. An additional 40 questions are randomly generated with at least three questions from each mandatory topic. Probation departments can best prepare staff for the exam by using the most current training material and curriculum from TJJD’s Training Resource webpage.
The exam costs $20 per person/per attempt that is made payable to Sam Houston State University (not TJJD). TJJD left the discretion of payment to the hiring authority on how this fee is paid. Last fiscal year, there were a total of 234 new juvenile probation officers certified statewide.
If an employee takes JPO Basic through CMIT, the exam is proctored by staff at CMIT on the final day of basic training. Departments providing their own training will proctor the exam. When an applicant takes the exam, the score will be sent to the applicant, the department’s designated proctor and TJJD. Applicants will have three attempts to pass the exam. Those needing to register as a proctor should contact TJJD at exam@tjjd.texas.gov.
At this time, TJJD is only implementing the certification exam for juvenile probation officers. The Juvenile Justice Training Academy will pilot an exam for juvenile supervision officers no sooner than January 2017, with an anticipated effective date of September 1, 2017. The JSO exam will be taken by significantly more staff; it is a goal of the Juvenile Justice Training Academy to make the JSO exam available for a reduced or no cost. TJJD will send out additional information as it becomes available.
TJJD has developed a number of resources to assist departments with implementing the JPO Certification Exam. All information may be found on the Training Academy’s website here. As with any new process, this is a work in progress. TJJD will continue to analyze the data as people take the exam to ensure the fidelity and appropriateness of the test questions and the exam meets our intended goals. TJJD looks forward to continued feedback.
For more information, please contact Kristy Almager at 512.490.7125 or Kristy.Almager@tjjd.texas.gov or Chris Ellison at 512.490.7245 or Chris.Ellison@tjjd.texas.gov.