{Assessment Validation for Education Providers in the Australian context —

{Assessment Validation for Education Providers in the Australian context —

Blog Article

Intro to RTO Assessment Validation

Training Organisations are responsible for various duties post-registration, like annual statements, AVETMISS data submission, and promotional compliance. Among these tasks, validating assessments is particularly challenging. While validation has been covered in several articles, a review of the basics is necessary. ASQA defines validation of assessments as granular review of the evaluation process.

Essentially, assessment review is aimed at 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 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 regulations specify two forms of validation. The primary type of assessment validation ensures compliance with the requirements of the training package within your organisation's scope. The subsequent validation guarantees that assessments follow the principles of assessment and rules of evidence. This suggests that validation is carried out both before and after the assessment. This article will concentrate on the primary type—validation of assessment tools.

The Two Types of Assessment Validation

- Assessment Tool Validation: Also referred to as pre-assessment validation or verification, pertains to the first part of the clause, ensuring compliance with all unit requirements.
- Post-Assessment Validation: Is related to the conduct, confirming that RTO assessments follow the Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence.

Process of Conducting Assessment Tool Validation

When to Validate Assessment Tools

The goal of assessment tool validation is to make sure that all components, performance standards, and performance and knowledge evidence are covered by your assessment tools. Therefore, whenever you obtain new educational resources, you must perform validation of assessment tools before students use them. There's no need to wait for your next 5-year cycle validation schedule. Review new materials right away to ensure they are suitable for student use.

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

- Modify your resources
- Incorporate new training products on scope
- Assess your course with 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 student use. 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 learning resources:

- Mapping Tool: The first document to review. It indicates which assessment items meet subject requirements, assisting in faster validation.
- Learner/Student Workbook: Ensure it is suitable as an assessment tool during validation. Check if directions are clear and response areas are sufficient. This is a common issue.
- Marking Guide: Also check if guidelines for assessors are sufficient and if clear criteria for each assessment item are provided. Clear standards are crucial for reliable assessment outcomes.
- Supplementary Resources: These may include lists, evaluation here registers, and templates designed separately from the workbook and evaluation guide. Validate these to ensure they fit the assessment task and address subject requirements.

Validation Panel

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

Collectively, your panel must have:

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

Principles Guiding 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 relevant to the skills and knowledge it aims to evaluate?
- Dependability: Will different assessors make the same decision on skill competence?

Rules of Evidence

- Appropriateness: Is the evidence relevant to the skills, knowledge, and attributes described in the unit of competency?
- Adequacy: Is there enough evidence to ensure that the learner has the skills and knowledge required?
- Originality: 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 verbs 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 and feed bottles, clean feeding equipment
- Feed babies with solid food
- React suitably to baby signals and cues
- Prepare and settle babies for sleep
- Monitor and encourage age-appropriate physical exploration and gross motor skills

Typical Mistakes

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., evidence of knowledge), students should be doing the tasks.

Be Careful with Plurals!

Pay attention to the quantities. 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 does not fulfill the requirement.

All or Nothing Competence

Pay attention to itemized requirements. As mentioned earlier, if students do not complete all the tasks listed, it’s out of compliance. Each assessment task must meet all criteria, or the student is not competent, and the assessment tool is non-compliant.

Can You Be More Specific?

Each assessment 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 guidelines do not confuse students or evaluators.

Steer Clear of Double-Barrelled Questions

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

Ensuring Audit Compliance

Considering these requirements, you might wonder, “Don't resource developers provide audit guarantees?” However, with these promises, 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 assessment principles and evidence rules, you can ensure that your assessment tools are compliant with the regulations mandated by ASQA and the SRTOs 2015.