{Process of Assessment Validation for Vocational Education and Training in the context of Australia -

{Process of Assessment Validation for Vocational Education and Training in the context of Australia -

Blog Article

Intro to Validating Assessments for RTOs

RTOs handle multiple tasks post-registration, such as annual declarations, AVETMISS data submission, and marketing compliance. Among these tasks, assessment validation often stands out. While validation has been covered in several articles, let's return to the basics. ASQA (Australian Skills Quality Authority) identifies validation of assessments as granular review of the assessment process.

Primarily, validation of assessments is focused on identifying 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, 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 standards require two types of validation. The first type of assessment validation checks conformity with the training package assessment requirements within your RTO's scope. The subsequent validation verifies that assessments follow the principles of assessment and Rules of Evidence. This implies that validation is carried out in both pre- and post-assessment stages. This article will discuss the initial type—assessment tool validation.

Types of Assessment Validation

- Assessment Tool Validation: Commonly called pre-assessment validation or verification, deals with the initial part of the regulation, focusing on ensuring all unit requirements are met.
- Post-Assessment Validation: Concerns the execution, guaranteeing that RTO assessments adhere to the Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence.

Process of Conducting Assessment Tool Validation

Optimal Timing for Assessment Tool Validation

The aim of assessment tool validation is to ensure that all elements, criteria for performance, and evidence of performance and knowledge are addressed by your evaluation tools. Therefore, whenever you obtain new educational resources, you must conduct validation of assessment tools before allowing students to use them. There's no need to wait for your next 5-year cycle validation schedule. Validate new materials right away to verify 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:

- Enhance your resources
- Incorporate new training products on scope
- Check your course against 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.

Training Products Needing Validation

Keep in mind that this validation ensures compliance of all educational resources before use. All RTOs must validate materials 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 indicates which evaluation items meet course unit requirements, helping with faster validation.
- Learner/Student Workbook: Ensure it is suitable as an assessment resource during validation. Check if directions are clear and response areas are sufficient. This is a common issue.
- Marking Guide: Also ensure if instructions for assessors are sufficient and if clear criteria for each evaluation item are provided. Clear standards are crucial for reliable assessment outcomes.
- Other Related Resources: These may include checklists, registers, and templates developed separately from the workbook and assessor guide. Validate these to ensure they suit the assessment task and comply with course unit requirements.

Panel for Validation

Standard 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 ask all educators and assessors to participate, sometimes including field experts.

Collectively, your panel must have:

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

Assessment Principles

- Fairness: Does the assessment process offer equal opportunity and access to everyone?
- Versatility: Does the assessment offer various options to demonstrate competence based on different needs and preferences?
- Accuracy: Does the assessment evaluate what it is intended to evaluate?
- Consistency: Will different assessors make the same decision on skill competence?

Rules of Evidence

- Validity: Is the evidence appropriate to the requirements of the unit of competency?
- Adequacy: Is the evidence sufficient to cover all the required skills and knowledge?
- Originality: Does the evidence confirm the originality of the candidate's work?
- Relevance: 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 tasks in the unit requirements and ensure they are addressed by the evaluation task. For example, in the unit CHCECE032 Caring for Babies and Toddlers, one performance evidence requirement asks students to:

- Perform diaper changes
- Prepare and feed bottles, clean feeding equipment
- Feed babies with solid food
- 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

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 here criteria is meant to evaluate underlying knowledge (i.e., knowledge evidence), students should be carrying out the tasks.

Be Careful with Plurals!

Pay attention to the numbers. 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 Not Competent

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 evaluation tool is not compliant.

Can You Be More Specific?

Each assessment task must have clear and specific standard answers to guide the evaluator’s decision on the student’s competence. Therefore, it’s crucial that your instructions do not mislead students or assessors.

Avoid Double-Barrelled Questions

Avoiding 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 learning resource developers offer audit guarantees?” However, with these assurances, you must wait for an audit before they assist with noncompliance. This affects your compliance history, so it's better to take a proactive and compliant approach.

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