{Validation of Assessment for the Vocational Education Centres throughout the Australian landscape —

{Validation of Assessment for the Vocational Education Centres throughout the Australian landscape —

Blog Article

Intro to Assessment Validation

Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) have multiple responsibilities post-registration, such as yearly declarations, AVETMISS compliance, and promotional compliance. Among these tasks, assessment validation frequently stands out. While validation has been covered in many discussions, let's revisit the fundamental principles. The Australian Skills Quality Authority defines assessment validation as quality assurance of the assessment procedure.

Principally, assessment validation is dedicated to 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 SRTOs 2015, 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 initial type of validation of assessments ensures compliance with the requirements of the training package within your organisation's scope. The other type verifies that assessments follow the principles of assessment and rules of evidence. This suggests that we perform validation pre- and post-assessment. This article will focus on the initial type—assessment tool validation.

Overview of Assessment Validation Types

- Assessment Tool Validation: Often termed pre-assessment validation or verification, involves the first part of the clause, aimed at compliance with all unit requirements.
- Post-Assessment Validation: Concerns the implementation, making sure RTOs conduct assessments according to the Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence.

Process of Conducting Assessment Tool Validation

Scheduling Assessment Tool Validation

The purpose of validating assessment tools is to verify that all aspects, performance criteria, and performance and knowledge evidence are covered by your evaluation tools. Therefore, whenever you obtain new training materials, you must conduct assessment tool validation prior to student use. There's no need to wait for your next five-year validation cycle. Validate new tools as soon as possible to ensure they are suitable for student use.

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

- Update your resources
- Add new training products on scope
- Evaluate your course with 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.

Identifying Training Products for Validation

Keep in mind that this validation ensures compliance of all educational resources before student use. All RTOs must validate resources for each course unit.

Resources Needed to Start Assessment Tool Validation

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

- Mapping Resource: The first document to review. It indicates which evaluation items meet unit requirements, helping with faster validation.
- Student Workbook: Ensure it is suitable as an evaluation tool during validation. Check if directions are clear and input fields are sufficient. This is a common issue.
- Marking Guide: Also check if instructions for evaluators are sufficient and if clear benchmarks for each evaluation item are provided. Clear criteria are crucial for reliable assessment outcomes.
- Supplementary Resources: These may include evaluation checklists, logs, and templates developed separately from the workbook and marking guide. Validate these to ensure they fit the evaluation task and meet course unit requirements.

Panel for Validation

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

Collectively, your assessment validation panel must have:

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

Principles Guiding Assessment

- Equity: Is the assessment process fair and equitable for all candidates?
- Adaptability: 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?
- Reliability: Are the assessment results consistent regardless of who conducts the training?

Guidelines for Evidence

- Validity: Is the evidence appropriate to the requirements of the unit of competency?
- Completeness: Does the evidence adequately demonstrate the required skills and knowledge?
- Authenticity: Does the evidence confirm the originality of the candidate's work?
- Timeliness: Does the evidence reflect current skills and knowledge?

Key Considerations for Assessment Validation

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

- Change diapers
- Feed babies with bottles and clean equipment
- Prepare solid food and feed babies
- Respond appropriately to baby signs and cues
- Get babies ready for sleep and settle them
- Observe and promote suitable physical activities and motor skills for babies

Frequent Errors

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 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 website twice on just one baby does not fulfill the requirement.

All or Not Competent

Pay attention to lists. As mentioned earlier, if students only complete half the tasks, it’s not compliant. Each assessment item must meet all criteria, or the student is not yet competent, and the assessment method is not compliant.

Can You Be More Specific?

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

Steer Clear of Double-Barrelled Questions

Not using 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 help rectify noncompliance. This influences your compliance status, so it's better to take a safe and compliant approach.

By following these guidelines and understanding the Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence, you can ensure that your evaluation tools are valid with the regulations mandated by ASQA and the SRTOs 2015.