{Guide to Assessment Validation for Vocational Education Centres throughout Australia's training sector A Definitive Guide

{Guide to Assessment Validation for Vocational Education Centres throughout Australia's training sector A Definitive Guide

Blog Article

Overview

Registered Training Organisations are responsible for multiple duties upon registration, such as annual declarations, AVETMISS data submission, and advertising compliance. Among these tasks, validation of assessments often stands out. While validation has been covered in several publications, let's revisit the fundamental principles. The Australian Skills Quality Authority describes assessment review as granular review of the assessment procedure.

Essentially, assessment validation is intended to identify 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 Standards for RTOs 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 rules require two types of validation. The primary type of assessment review checks conformity with the training package assessment requirements within your RTO's scope. The second validation ensures that assessments are conducted according to the principles of assessment and Rules of Evidence. This indicates that validation is performed in both pre- and post-assessment stages. This article will concentrate on the first type—validation of assessment tools.

The Two Types of Assessment Validation

- Assessment Tool Validation: Referred to as pre-assessment validation or verification, is concerned with the initial part of the clause, focusing on compliance with all unit requirements.
- Post-Assessment Validation: Is concerned with the conduct, ensuring that RTO assessments align with the Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence.

Methods for Conducting Assessment Tool Validation

When Should Assessment Tool Validation Be Conducted?

The goal of assessment tool validation is to ensure that all aspects, performance standards, and evidence of performance and knowledge are included by your assessment tools. Therefore, whenever you obtain new training materials, you must conduct validation of assessment tools prior to student use. There's no need to wait for your next 5-year cycle validation schedule. Review new tools as soon as possible to confirm they are suitable for student use.

Nevertheless, this isn't the only occasion to do this type of validation. Conduct assessment tool validation also when you:

- Revise your resources
- Incorporate new training products on scope
- Evaluate your course with training product updates
- Identify 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 Need Validation?

Bear in mind that this validation ensures conformity of all learning resources before student use. All RTOs must validate resources for each subject unit.

Necessary Resources for 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 identifies which evaluation items meet subject requirements, aiding in faster validation.
- Student Workbook: Ensure it is suitable as an assessment resource during validation. Check if guidelines are clear and input fields are sufficient. This is a common issue.
- Assessor Guide/Marking Guide: Also ensure if directions for assessors are sufficient and if clear criteria for each evaluation item are provided. Clear criteria are crucial for reliable evaluation results.
- Supplementary Resources: These may include checklists, registers, and templates created separately from the student workbook and evaluation guide. Validate these to ensure they suit the evaluation task and comply with subject requirements.

Validation Panel

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

Collectively, your validation panel must have:

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

Principles of here Assessment

- Fairness: Is the assessment process fair and equitable for all candidates?
- Versatility: Are there multiple ways to demonstrate competence, accommodating different needs and preferences?
- Accuracy: Is the assessment relevant to the skills and knowledge it aims to evaluate?
- Dependability: Are the assessment results consistent regardless of who conducts the training?

Guidelines for Evidence

- Relevance: Is the evidence relevant to the skills, knowledge, and attributes described in the unit of competency?
- Completeness: Is there enough evidence to ensure that the learner has the skills and knowledge required?
- Authenticity: Does the evidence confirm the originality of the candidate's work?
- Timeliness: 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 assessment task. For example, in the unit CHCECE032 Caring for Babies and Toddlers, one performance criteria asks students to:

- Perform diaper changes
- Prepare bottles, bottle feed babies and clean equipment
- Prepare solid food and feed babies
- Respond to baby signs and cues properly
- Prepare babies for sleep and help them settle
- Observe and promote suitable physical activities and motor skills for babies

Frequent Errors

Describing the nappy-changing process for babies under 12 months does not fulfill the unit requirement. Unless the unit requirement is meant to evaluate underlying knowledge (i.e., knowledge evidence), students should be carrying out the tasks.

Mind the Plurals!

Pay attention to the quantities. In our example, one of the unit requirements of CHCECE032 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 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 method is non-compliant.

Be Specific!

Each assessment item must have clear and specific reference 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

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

Ensuring Audit Compliance

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 influences your compliance status, so it's better to take a proactive and compliant approach.

By following these recommendations and understanding the assessment principles and Rules of Evidence, you can ensure that your assessment tools are compliant with the standards established by ASQA and the SRTOs 2015.