{Assessment Validation regarding Education Providers in the context of Australia —

{Assessment Validation regarding Education Providers in the context of Australia —

Blog Article

Introduction

Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) are responsible for many tasks following registration, like annual statements, AVETMISS reporting, and promotional compliance. Among these tasks, validating assessments frequently stands out. While validation has been covered in many publications, let's revisit the fundamental principles. The Australian Skills Quality Authority describes assessment review as granular review of the assessment process.

Fundamentally, validation of assessments is designed to identify which parts of an RTO's assessment process are effective and which need improvement. With a proper grasp of its key aspects, validation becomes less daunting. According to Clause 1.8 of the 2015 Standards for RTOs, RTOs must ensure their assessment systems, including RPL, meet the training package requirements and are conducted according to the Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence.

The standards specify two forms of validation. The initial type of validation of assessments ensures compliance with the requirements of the training package within your organisation's scope. The second validation ensures that assessments adhere to the Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence. This indicates that we perform validation in both pre- and post-assessment stages. This article will discuss the first type—assessment tool validation.

Differentiating Assessment Validation Types

- Assessment Tool Validation: Also called pre-assessment validation or verification, is related to the initial part of the rule, aimed at ensuring all unit requirements are met.
- Post-Assessment Validation: Pertains to the execution, confirming that RTO assessments follow the Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence.

Conducting Assessment Tool Validation

Best Time for Conducting Assessment

The goal of assessment tool validation is to verify that all elements, criteria for performance, and performance and knowledge evidence are included by your evaluation tools. Therefore, whenever you purchase new learning resources, you must carry out assessment tool validation prior to student use. There's no need to wait for your next 5-year cycle validation schedule. Validate new resources right away to verify they are fit for student use.

Nevertheless, this isn't the only time to conduct this type of validation. Perform assessment tool validation also when you:

- Modify your resources
- Add new training products on scope
- Review your course against training product updates
- Identify potential risks in your learning resources during your risk assessment

The Australian Skills Quality Authority employs a risk-based approach for regulating RTOs and expects regular risk assessments. Therefore, student complaints about learning resources are an ideal time to conduct assessment tool validation.

Training Products Needing Validation

Bear in mind that this validation guarantees adherence of all educational resources before being used. All RTOs must validate resources for each subject unit.

Necessary Resources for Assessment Tool Validation

To start assessment tool validation, you will need the complete set of your educational resources:

- Mapping Document: The first document to review. It indicates which assessment tasks meet subject requirements, helping with faster validation.
- Learner/Student Workbook: Ensure it is suitable as an assessment resource during validation. Check if directions are clear and input fields are sufficient. This is a common issue.
- Assessor Guide: Also ensure if instructions for evaluators are sufficient and if clear criteria for each assessment item are provided. Clear criteria are crucial for reliable assessment outcomes.
- Additional Resources: These may include lists, evaluation registers, and templates created separately from the workbook and marking guide. Validate these to ensure they suit the assessment task and meet course unit requirements.

Panel for Validation

Clause 1.11 specifies the requirements for validation panel members. It states assessment validation can be performed by one or more people. However, RTOs usually ask all educators and assessors to participate, sometimes including field experts.

Collectively, your assessment validation panel must have:

- Workplace Competencies and Current Industry Skills relevant to the unit being validated.
- Current Knowledge and Skills in Vocational Teaching and Learning.
- Either of the following certifications for training and assessment:
- Certificate IV in Training and Assessment TAE40116 or its successor.

Principles of Assessment

- Fairness: Does the assessment process offer equal opportunity and access to everyone?
- Adaptability: Does the assessment offer various options to demonstrate competence based on different needs and preferences?
- Accuracy: Does the assessment evaluate what it is intended to evaluate?
- Reliability: Are the assessment results consistent regardless of who conducts the training?

Evidence Rules

- Appropriateness: Is the evidence appropriate to the requirements of the unit of competency?
- Completeness: Does the evidence adequately demonstrate the required skills and knowledge?
- Genuineness: Is the evidence genuine and truly representative of the candidate's abilities?
- Relevance: Does the evidence reflect current skills and knowledge?

Specific Considerations for Assessment Validation

Pay attention to the action words in the unit criteria and ensure they are addressed by the assessment item. For example, in the unit CHCECE032 Baby and Toddler Care, one required performance evidence asks students to:

- Change diapers
- Prepare and feed bottles, clean feeding equipment
- Prepare solid food and feed babies
- Respond to baby signs and cues properly
- Get babies ready for sleep and settle them
- Supervise and support age-appropriate physical activities and motor development

Typical Mistakes

Having students describe the nappy-changing process for babies under 12 months old doesn’t directly meet the unit requirement. Unless the unit criteria is meant to evaluate underlying knowledge (i.e., knowledge evidence), students should be this site doing the tasks.

Watch Out for the Plurals!

Pay attention to the quantities. In our example, one of the unit requirements of CHCECE032 requires the students to complete the tasks at least once on two different babies under 12 months of age. Having students complete the tasks listed twice on just one baby won’t cut it.

All or Nothing Competence

Pay attention to itemized requirements. As mentioned earlier, if students perform only half the tasks listed, it’s non-compliant. Each evaluation task must address all criteria, or the student is incompetent, and the assessment tool is out of compliance.

Can You Be More Specific?

Each evaluation task must have clear and specific standard answers to guide the assessor’s judgment on the student’s competence. Therefore, it’s crucial that your guidelines do not confuse students or evaluators.

Double-Barrelled Questions: Avoid Them

Avoiding double-barrelled questions makes it more straightforward for students to respond and for trainers to accurately judge student competence.

Assurance During Audits

Considering these requirements, you might wonder, “Don’t learning resource developers offer audit guarantees?” However, with these guarantees, you must wait for an audit before they assist with noncompliance. This impacts your compliance record, so it's better to take a safe and compliant approach.

By following these recommendations and understanding the principles of assessment and Rules of Evidence, you can ensure that your assessment tools are valid with the standards established by ASQA and the SRTOs 2015.