{Assessment Validation Tools pertaining to Vocational Education and Training within Australia —

{Assessment Validation Tools pertaining to Vocational Education and Training within Australia —

Blog Article

Overview

RTOs manage many obligations post-registration, like annual statements, AVETMISS data submission, and advertising compliance. Among these tasks, validating assessments often stands out. While validation has been reviewed in many articles, let's revisit the fundamental principles. ASQA (Australian Skills Quality Authority) defines validation of assessments as quality assurance of the assessment procedure.

Basically, assessment review is designed to identify 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 SRTOs 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 standards mandate two types of validation. The first type of assessment validation checks conformity with the requirements of the training package within your organisation's scope. The other type guarantees that assessments follow the principles of assessment and rules of evidence. This implies that we perform validation in both pre- and post-assessment stages. This article will discuss the initial type—validation of assessment tools.

Differentiating Assessment Validation Types

- Assessment Tool Validation: Also referred to as pre-assessment validation or verification, is concerned with the first part of the regulation, aimed at meeting all unit requirements.
- Post-Assessment Validation: Involves the execution, confirming that RTO assessments follow the Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence.

Steps to Conduct Assessment Tool Validation

Optimal Timing for Assessment Tool Validation

The purpose of assessment tool validation is to make sure that all aspects, performance standards, and performance and knowledge evidence are included by your assessment tools. Therefore, whenever you obtain new training materials, you must conduct assessment tool validation before allowing students to use them. There's no need to wait for your next five-year validation cycle. Validate new tools right away to confirm they are fit for student use.

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

- Revise your resources
- Incorporate new training products on scope
- Audit your course with training product updates
- Recognise 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.

Training Products Needing Validation

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

Necessary Resources for Assessment Tool Validation

To start assessment tool validation, you will need the complete set of your training materials:

- Mapping Document: The first document to review. It indicates which assessment tasks meet course unit requirements, assisting in faster validation.
- Learner Workbook: Ensure it is suitable as an evaluation tool during validation. Check if guidelines are clear and input fields are sufficient. This is a common issue.
- Assessor Guide/Marking Guide: Also ensure if guidelines for assessors are sufficient and if clear standards for each assessment task are provided. Clear standards are crucial for reliable assessment results.
- Supplementary Resources: These may include checklists, registers, and templates created separately from the workbook and assessor guide. Validate these to ensure they fit the assessment activity and address course unit requirements.

Validation Panel

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

Collectively, your validation panel must have:

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

Assessment Principles

- Impartiality: Is equal opportunity and access provided to everyone in the assessment process?
- Versatility: Is the assessment adaptable to different needs and preferences of candidates?
- Accuracy: Is the assessment relevant to the skills and knowledge it aims to evaluate?
- Consistency: Are the assessment results consistent regardless of who conducts the training?

Rules of Evidence

- Validity: Does the evidence demonstrate that the candidate has the skills, knowledge, and attributes described in the unit of competency and associated assessment requirements?
- Adequacy: Is there enough evidence to ensure that the learner has the skills and knowledge required?
- Genuineness: Does the assessment tool verify that the work is the candidate’s own?
- Relevance: Does the evidence reflect current skills and knowledge?

Important Factors in Assessment Validation

Pay attention to the verbs in the unit specifications and ensure they are addressed by the evaluation task. For example, in the unit CHCECE032 Caring for Babies and Toddlers, one required performance evidence asks students to:

- Change nappies
- Feed babies with bottles and clean equipment
- Prepare and give solid food to babies
- Respond to baby signs and cues properly
- Prepare babies for sleep and help them settle
- Supervise and support age-appropriate physical activities and motor development

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., evidence of knowledge), students should be carrying out the tasks.

Watch Out for the Plurals!

Pay attention to the frequency. 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 enumerated tasks. As mentioned earlier, if students perform only half the tasks listed, it’s non-compliant. Each evaluation task must cover all criteria, or the student is not yet competent, and the assessment tool is more info out of compliance.

Provide Specific Details

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

Steer Clear of Double-Barrelled Questions

Not using double-barrelled questions makes it more straightforward for students to respond and for assessors to accurately evaluate student competence.

Audit Guarantees

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 assist with noncompliance. This impacts your compliance record, so it's better to take a preventative 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 reliable with the standards established by ASQA and the SRTOs 2015.