{Assessment Validation Guide for the Vocational Centres in Australia's training sector —

{Assessment Validation Guide for the Vocational Centres in Australia's training sector —

Blog Article

Introduction

Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) manage many duties upon registration, like yearly reports, AVETMISS data submission, and marketing compliance. Among these tasks, validating assessments often stands out. While we've discussed validation in many articles, let's return to the basics. ASQA describes assessment review as granular review of the assessment process.

Essentially, assessment review is concerned with identifying which parts of an RTO’s evaluation 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, comply with the training package requirements and are conducted according to the Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence.

The regulations require two forms of validation. The first type of validation of assessments ensures compliance with the training package assessment requirements within your organisation's scope. The other type verifies that assessments are conducted according to the Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence. This suggests that validation is carried out in both pre- and post-assessment stages. This article will focus on the first type—assessment tool validation.

What are the Two Types of Assessment Validation?

- Assessment Tool Validation: Also referred to as pre-assessment validation or verification, pertains to the primary part of the clause, aimed at compliance with all unit requirements.
- Post-Assessment Validation: Concerns the conduct, ensuring that RTO assessments align with the Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence.

Conducting Assessment Tool Validation

Optimal Timing for Assessment Tool Validation

The aim of validating assessment tools is to ensure that all components, criteria for performance, and evidence of performance and knowledge are addressed by your evaluation tools. Therefore, whenever you acquire new educational resources, you must conduct validation of assessment tools prior to student use. There's no need to wait for your next five-year validation cycle. Review new tools immediately to ensure they are fit for student use.

Nevertheless, this isn't the only time to do this type of validation. Conduct validation of assessment tools also when you:

- Amend your resources
- Integrate new training products on scope
- Assess your course with training product updates
- Identify 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.

Selecting Training Products for Validation

Note that this validation ensures compliance of all educational resources before use. All RTOs must validate resources for each unit.

Resources Needed to Start Assessment Tool Validation

To validate your evaluation tools, you will need the complete set of your learning resources:

- Mapping Resource: The first document to review. It shows which assessment tasks meet subject requirements, helping with faster validation.
- 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.
- Marking Guide: Also ensure if instructions for evaluators are sufficient and if clear criteria for each evaluation item are provided. Clear criteria are crucial for reliable assessment outcomes.
- Other Related Resources: These may include checklists, evaluation registers, and templates created separately from the student workbook and marking guide. Validate these to ensure they match the evaluation task and meet unit requirements.

Panel for Validation

Regulation 1.11 specifies the requirements for validation panel members. It states 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.
- Updated Knowledge and Skills in Vocational Education.
- Either of the following training and assessment credentials:
- TAE40116 Training and Assessment Certificate IV or its successor.

Principles Guiding Assessment

- Equity: Does the assessment process offer equal opportunity and access to everyone?
- Adaptability: Is the assessment adaptable to different needs and preferences of candidates?
- Relevance: Is the assessment relevant to the skills and knowledge website it aims to evaluate?
- Dependability: Will different assessors make the same decision on skill competence?

Rules of Evidence

- Validity: Is the evidence relevant to the skills, knowledge, and attributes described in the unit of competency?
- Adequacy: Does the evidence adequately demonstrate the required skills and knowledge?
- Genuineness: Does the evidence confirm the originality of the candidate's work?
- Currency: 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 evaluation task. For example, in the unit CHCECE032 Nurture babies and toddlers, one performance criteria asks students to:

- Change nappies
- Prepare bottles, bottle feed babies and clean equipment
- Feed babies with solid food
- React suitably to baby signals and cues
- Prepare and settle babies for sleep
- Observe and promote suitable physical activities and motor skills for babies

Frequent Errors

Having students describe the nappy-changing process for babies under 12 months old doesn’t directly meet the unit requirement. Unless the unit requirement is meant to assess underpinning knowledge (i.e., knowledge-based evidence), students should be carrying out the tasks.

Watch Out for the Plurals!

Pay attention to the quantities. In our example, one of the unit requirements of CHCECE032 demands 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.

All or Not Competent

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

Be Specific!

Each assessment item must have clear and specific standard answers to guide the assessor’s evaluation on the student’s competence. Therefore, it’s crucial that your directions do not mislead students or assessors.

Double-Barrelled Questions: Avoid Them

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

Assurance During Audits

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

By following these recommendations and understanding the principles of assessment and evidence rules, you can ensure that your evaluation tools are compliant with the regulations mandated by ASQA and the SRTOs 2015.