{Tools for Assessment Validation pertaining to VET Organizations within the Australian context —

{Tools for Assessment Validation pertaining to VET Organizations within the Australian context —

Blog Article

Intro to Validating Assessments for RTOs

Registered Training Organisations handle many duties following registration, including yearly reports, AVETMISS reporting, and marketing compliance. Among these tasks, assessment validation is notably challenging. While validation has been covered in multiple publications, let's return to the basics. ASQA (Australian Skills Quality Authority) defines assessment review as a quality review of the assessment procedure.

Essentially, validation of assessments is designed to identify which parts of an RTO’s assessment procedures 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 regulations specify two forms of validation. The first type of assessment validation ensures compliance with the requirements of the training package 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 first type—assessment tool validation.

The Two Types of Assessment Validation

- Assessment Tool Validation: Also referred to as pre-assessment validation or verification, deals with the first part of the regulation, ensuring meeting all unit requirements.
- Post-Assessment Validation: Involves the implementation, verifying that RTOs conduct assessments according to the Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence.

Process of Conducting Assessment Tool Validation

Best Time for Conducting Assessment

The aim of assessment tool validation is to ensure that all elements, performance criteria, and evidence of performance and knowledge are covered by your assessment methods. Therefore, whenever you purchase new training materials, you must carry out assessment tool validation before allowing students to use them. There's no need to wait for your next scheduled validation. Validate new tools immediately to ensure they are fit for student use.

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

- Upgrade your resources
- Incorporate new training products on scope
- Examine your course with training product updates
- Spot 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 guarantees adherence of all learning resources before being used. All RTOs must validate resources for each unit.

Resources Needed to Start Assessment Tool Validation

To start assessment tool validation, you will need the complete set of your educational resources:

- Mapping Resource: The first document to review. It shows which evaluation items meet course unit requirements, aiding in faster validation.
- Learner Workbook: Ensure it is suitable as an assessment resource during validation. Check if directions are clear and answer fields are sufficient. This is a common issue.
- Marking Guide: Also check if guidelines for evaluators 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 checklists, logs, and evaluation templates developed separately from the learner workbook and evaluation guide. Validate these to ensure they suit the evaluation task and meet subject requirements.

Panel for Validation

Standard 1.11 specifies the requirements for validation panel members. 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:

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

Principles of Assessment

- Impartiality: Is the assessment process fair and equitable for all candidates?
- Adaptability: 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?
- Consistency: Will the assessment produce consistent results every time?

Evidence Rules

- Relevance: Does the evidence demonstrate that the candidate has the skills, knowledge, and attributes described in the unit of competency and associated assessment requirements?
- Completeness: Is the evidence sufficient to cover all the required skills and knowledge?
- Authenticity: Is the evidence genuine and truly representative of the candidate's abilities?
- Currency: 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 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 nappies
- Prepare and feed bottles, clean feeding equipment
- Prepare solid food and feed babies
- Respond appropriately to baby signs and cues
- Get babies ready for sleep and settle them
- 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 criteria is meant to assess theoretical understanding (i.e., knowledge-based evidence), students should be carrying these guys out the tasks.

Watch Out for 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 does not fulfill the requirement.

All or Not Competent

Pay attention to itemized requirements. As mentioned earlier, if students perform only half the tasks listed, it’s non-compliant. Each evaluation task must cover all specifications, or the student is incompetent, and the assessment method is not compliant.

Be Specific!

Each assessment item must have clear and specific standard answers to guide the evaluator’s decision on the student’s competence. Therefore, it’s crucial that your guidelines do not confuse students or trainers.

Double-Barrelled Questions: Avoid Them

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

Audit Guarantees

Considering these requirements, you might wonder, “Don’t learning resource developers offer audit guarantees?” However, with these assurances, you must wait until an audit to address noncompliance. This influences your compliance status, 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 methods are valid with the standards established by ASQA and the SRTOs 2015.