{Tools for Assessment Validation for the Vocational Education Centres throughout the Australian landscape -

{Tools for Assessment Validation for the Vocational Education Centres throughout the Australian landscape -

Blog Article

Overview of Assessment Validation

Registered Training Organisations handle multiple obligations following registration, including annual statements, AVETMISS compliance, and promotional compliance. Among these tasks, validating assessments often stands out. While we've discussed validation in several articles, a review of the basics is necessary. ASQA (Australian Skills Quality Authority) identifies assessment review as granular review of the assessment process.

At its core, assessment review is about identifying 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 Standards for RTOs 2015, 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 rules mandate two forms of validation. The initial type of assessment validation ensures compliance with the training package assessment requirements within your RTO's scope. The second validation ensures that assessments are conducted according to the principles of assessment and Rules of Evidence. This implies that we perform validation in both pre- and post-assessment stages. This article will focus on the first type—validation of assessment tools.

Differentiating Assessment Validation Types

- Assessment Tool Validation: Commonly called pre-assessment validation or verification, involves the initial part of the regulation, aimed at meeting all unit requirements.
- Post-Assessment Validation: Involves the implementation, making sure RTOs conduct assessments according to the Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence.

Conducting Validation of Assessment Tools

When to Conduct Assessment Tool Validation

The aim of validating assessment tools is to verify that all elements, criteria for performance, and evidence of performance and knowledge are addressed by your assessment tools. Therefore, whenever you obtain new training materials, you must perform validation of assessment tools before students use them. There's no need to wait for your next five-year validation cycle. Validate new resources as soon as possible to verify they are appropriate for students.

Nevertheless, this isn't the only occasion to perform this type of validation. Do validation of assessment tools also when you:

- Modify your resources
- Expand with new training products on scope
- Review your course against training product updates
- Note your learning resources as a risk 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.

What Training Products Require Validation

Note that this validation guarantees adherence of all educational resources before use. All RTOs must validate resources for each subject unit.

Necessary Resources for Assessment Tool Validation

To validate your assessment tools, you will need the complete set of your training materials:

- Mapping Tool: The first document to review. It indicates which assessment tasks meet course unit requirements, helping with faster validation.
- Student Workbook: Ensure it is suitable as an assessment resource during validation. Check if directions are clear and response areas are sufficient. This is a common issue.
- Marking Guide: Also verify if instructions for evaluators are sufficient and if clear benchmarks for each assessment task are provided. Clear standards are crucial for reliable assessment outcomes.
- Other Related Resources: These may include lists, registers, and forms developed separately from the learner workbook and marking guide. Validate these to ensure they suit the assessment activity and address course unit requirements.

Validation Panel

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

Collectively, your panel must have:

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

Principles of Assessment

- Impartiality: Does the assessment process offer equal opportunity and access to everyone?
- Flexibility: Is the assessment adaptable to different needs and preferences of candidates?
- Validity: Is the assessment an accurate tool for evaluating the required skills and knowledge?
- Reliability: Will different assessors make the same decision on skill competence?

Rules of Evidence

- Validity: Is the evidence appropriate to the requirements of the unit of competency?
- Completeness: Is the evidence sufficient to cover all the required skills and knowledge?
- Genuineness: Is the evidence genuine and truly representative of the candidate's abilities?
- Currency: Are the assessment tools based on current units of competency and up-to-date industry practices?

Key Considerations for Assessment Validation

Pay attention to the tasks in the unit specifications and ensure they are addressed by the assessment item. For example, in the unit CHCECE032 Nurture babies and toddlers, one performance criteria asks students to:

- Change nappies
- Prepare and feed bottles, clean feeding equipment
- Prepare solid food and here feed babies
- React suitably to baby signals and cues
- Prepare and settle babies for sleep
- Supervise and support age-appropriate physical activities and motor development

Typical Mistakes

Asking students to describe the nappy-changing process for babies under 12 months old does not meet the unit requirement. Unless the unit criteria is meant to evaluate underlying knowledge (i.e., evidence of knowledge), students should be performing the tasks.

Watch Out for the Plurals!

Pay attention to the quantities. In our example, one of the unit requirements of CHCECE032 Baby and Toddler Care 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 is not sufficient.

Full Competence or Not Competent

Pay attention to itemized requirements. As mentioned earlier, if students only complete half the tasks, it’s non-compliant. Each assessment task must cover all specifications, or the student is incompetent, and the assessment tool is non-compliant.

Be Specific!

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

Double-Barrelled Questions: Avoid Them

Not using double-barrelled questions makes it simpler for students to respond and for trainers to accurately judge student competence.

Assurance During Audits

Considering these requirements, you might wonder, “Do resource developers offer guarantees for audits?” However, with these guarantees, you must wait until an audit to address noncompliance. This impacts your compliance record, so it's better to take a safe and compliant approach.

By following these guidelines and understanding the Principles of Assessment and evidence rules, you can ensure that your assessment methods are compliant with the requirements set by ASQA and the SRTOs 2015.