What is a Performance Measure?

A Performance Measure (PM) a summative assessment that validates performance by systematically evaluating if an individual can independently satisfy the responsibilities of an industry-recognized job role. PMs include a blend of workplace activities that an individual will be assigned on the job. The ideal blend is a minimal subset of activities that comprise the full set of duties required for the job role. If the individual can successfully perform these activities, we have confidence they can perform all the rest.

NIMS offers a portfolio of turnkey PMs to support educational institutes. Individuals who satisfy our PMs and a related knowledge assessment (theory exam) earn a NIMS credential for that role. However, every organization has the option of developing their own PMs for credentialing with approval from NIMS advisory council.

How do PMs for education differ from the workplace?

PMs designed for the workplace are usually conducted on actual workplace activities. Resources and equipment setup occur naturally and do not require separate documentation.

PMs design for education are designed to simulate activities in the workplace and are conducted in a classroom or lab environment. Resources and equipment setup must be well documented. These simulations may also require discussions between the evaluator and trainee to assess decision making rational for conditions not practical to simulate with the available resources.

How are reliable PMs developed?

First, we need an accurate and comprehensive inventory of what an individual does and the decisions they make while performing the full range of duties they will encounter on the job. This inventory of responsibilities is captured in Smart Standards and written at a level that a broad cross-section of industry experts can agree on. NIMS standards framework captures what an individual does and the decisions they make by job roles. Each role is comprised of one or more duties. Each duty includes a statement of responsibility and a list of the actions and decisions required to carry out that responsibility.

Then we consider the type of workplace activities that will demand the duties. Each of the activities selected for a PM are analyzed and broken down into individual tasks. These tasks are the foundational level of competencies to which you train and evaluate. Every task is associated with a specific responsibility listed in the standards, and every responsibility listed in the standards has one or more tasks associated with it. The correlation of tasks (competencies evaluated by the PM) to the standards ensures a comprehensive and right set of skills are being evaluated.

Development Partners

NIMS partners with industry leaders to develop a portfolio of performance measures. Our portfolio empowers educational institutes with the flexibility to choose relevant performance measures based on the needs of the communities they serve.