{Guide to Assessment Validation concerning Training Providers within the Australian landscape -
{Guide to Assessment Validation concerning Training Providers within the Australian landscape -
Blog Article
Intro to Assessment Validation
RTOs manage multiple obligations following registration, such as annual declarations, AVETMISS data submission, and advertising compliance. Among these tasks, assessment validation is notably challenging. While we've discussed validation in several articles, a review of the basics is necessary. The Australian Skills Quality Authority defines assessment review as granular review of the assessment procedure.
Primarily, assessment validation is intended to identify which parts of an RTO’s assessment methods 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 SRTOs 2015 regulations, RTOs must ensure their assessment systems, including RPL, adhere to the training package requirements and are conducted according to the Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence.
The standards require two forms of validation. The primary type of validation of assessments guarantees adherence to the requirements of the training package within your RTO's scope. The other type verifies that assessments are conducted according to the Principles of Assessment and rules of evidence. This suggests that we perform validation both before and after the assessment. This article will discuss the first type—validation of assessment tools.
Types of Assessment Validation
- Assessment Tool Validation: Also known as pre-assessment validation or verification, concerns the primary part of the regulation, focusing on 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.
Process of Conducting Assessment Tool Validation
When to Validate Assessment Tools
The aim of assessment tool validation is to verify that all components, performance standards, and evidence of performance and knowledge are included by your evaluation tools. Therefore, whenever you acquire new educational resources, you must perform validation of assessment tools before allowing students to use them. There's no need to wait for your next scheduled validation. Check new tools as soon as possible to ensure they are appropriate for students.
Nevertheless, this isn't the only time to do this type of validation. Perform validation of assessment tools also when you:
- Improve your resources
- Expand with new training products on scope
- Examine your course with training product updates
- Identify your learning resources as a risk during your risk assessment
ASQA uses a risk-based approach for regulating RTOs and requires regular risk assessments. Therefore, student complaints about learning resources are an ideal time to conduct assessment tool validation.
Identifying Training Products for Validation
Note that this validation ensures conformity of all learning resources before being used. All RTOs must validate training products for each course unit.
Resources Required for Assessment Tool Validation
To validate your assessment tools, you will need the complete set of your educational resources:
- Mapping Resource: The first document to review. It shows which assessment items meet course unit requirements, aiding in faster validation.
- Student Workbook: Ensure it is suitable here as an evaluation tool during validation. Check if instructions are clear and answer fields are sufficient. This is a common issue.
- Assessor Guide/Marking Guide: Also ensure if directions for evaluators are sufficient and if clear benchmarks for each evaluation item are provided. Clear standards are crucial for reliable assessment results.
- Other Related Resources: These may include checklists, logs, and templates created separately from the learner workbook and assessor guide. Validate these to ensure they match the assessment task and comply with unit requirements.
Validation Panel
Regulation 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 validation panel must have:
- Vocational Competencies and Current Industry Skills relevant to the unit under validation.
- Updated Knowledge and Skills in Vocational Education.
- Either of the following training and assessment credentials:
- Certificate IV in Training and Assessment TAE40116 or its successor.
Principles of Assessment
- Fairness: Is the assessment process fair and equitable for all candidates?
- Versatility: Does the assessment offer various options to demonstrate competence based on different needs and preferences?
- Validity: Is the assessment an accurate tool for evaluating the required skills and knowledge?
- Consistency: Will different assessors make the same decision on skill competence?
Guidelines for Evidence
- Relevance: Is the evidence appropriate to the requirements of the unit of competency?
- Adequacy: Does the evidence adequately demonstrate the required skills and knowledge?
- Authenticity: Does the assessment tool verify that the work is the candidate’s own?
- Timeliness: 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 action words in the unit specifications and ensure they are addressed by the evaluation task. For example, in the unit CHCECE032 Nurture babies and toddlers, one required performance evidence asks students to:
- Change diapers
- Prepare bottles, bottle feed babies and clean equipment
- Prepare and give solid food to babies
- React suitably to baby signals and cues
- Prepare babies for sleep and help them settle
- Monitor and encourage age-appropriate physical exploration and gross motor skills
Common Pitfalls
Asking students to describe the nappy-changing process for babies under 12 months old does not meet the unit requirement. Unless the unit specification is meant to assess underpinning knowledge (i.e., knowledge evidence), students should be performing the tasks.
Watch Out for the Plurals!
Pay attention to the frequency. In our example, one of the unit requirements of CHCECE032 Nurture babies and toddlers calls for 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 lists. As mentioned earlier, if students only complete half the tasks, it’s out of compliance. Each assessment task must address all criteria, or the student is not yet competent, and the evaluation tool is out of compliance.
Provide Specific Details
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 baffle students or trainers.
Steer Clear of Double-Barrelled Questions
Steering clear of double-barrelled questions makes it more straightforward for students to respond and for evaluators to accurately judge student competence.
Assurance During Audits
Considering these requirements, you might wonder, “Don't resource developers provide audit guarantees?” However, with these guarantees, you must wait for an audit before they help rectify noncompliance. This impacts your compliance record, so it's better to take a proactive and compliant approach.
By following these instructions and understanding the assessment principles and evidence rules, you can ensure that your assessment tools are valid with the regulations mandated by ASQA and the SRTOs 2015.