Abstract: The major focus of this presentation will be NYC’s selection procedures for firefighters, especially the exams held in 2002 and 2004, both of which were the subject of an employment discrimination lawsuit. The topics discussed will include: some historical perspective with respect to the NYC firefighter exams, the design of the exams, the positions of the experts, a critical deposition taken by a DOJ attorney with a graduate degree in psychological testing, the court’s decision and reasoning, some descriptions of the exams NYC developed and used subsequent to this decision, the recent final settlement of this matter, and a possible approach to the dilemma of adverse impact.
Speaker Bio: For over 15 years Joel Wiesen worked for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts where he directed the test development and validation of the civil service exams for all state agencies and over three hundred municipal police and fire departments. He has served as an expert witness in many employment discrimination court cases, including: Teal v. Connecticut (1982), Bradley v. City of Lynn (2006), Lopez v. Lawrence (no decision yet), and U.S. and Vulcan Society v City of New York (2009). He earned a doctoral degree in psychology with a minor in psychometrics/statistics from Lehigh University.
About 20 years ago Dr. Wiesen began full-time involvement in his own consulting firm, now located in Scarsdale, New York. He specializes in developing innovative tests. His most well known test is the WTMA, a test of mechanical aptitude which is more gender fair than similar previous tests.
PTC/MW thanks GMU's Industrial-Organizational Psychology Student Association (IOPSA) for their continued support in organizing and hosting our monthly luncheons and workshops.
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