{Assessment Validation concerning RTOs throughout the Australian context —

{Assessment Validation concerning RTOs throughout the Australian context —

Blog Article

Overview of Assessment Validation

Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) handle various responsibilities upon registration, like annual statements, AVETMISS reporting, and marketing adherence. Among these tasks, assessment validation frequently stands out. While validation has been reviewed in multiple posts, let's revisit the fundamental principles. The Australian Skills Quality Authority describes assessment review as a quality review of the assessment procedure.

In essence, validation of assessments is about 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 2015 Standards for RTOs, 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 rules require two forms of validation. The initial type of assessment review ensures compliance with the requirements of the training package within your organisation's scope. The other type verifies that assessments are conducted according to the principles of assessment and Rules of Evidence. This indicates that validation is carried out pre- and post-assessment. This article will focus on the initial type—assessment tool validation.

What are the Two Types of Assessment Validation?

- Assessment Tool Validation: Also referred to as pre-assessment validation or verification, relates to the first part of the clause, ensuring meeting all unit requirements.
- Post-Assessment Validation: Is concerned with the implementation, ensuring RTOs conduct assessments in line with the Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence.

How to Conduct Assessment Tool Validation

When to Validate Assessment Tools

The goal of assessment tool validation is to make sure that all elements, performance standards, and performance and knowledge evidence are addressed by your evaluation tools. Therefore, whenever you purchase 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 resources as soon as possible to confirm they are fit for student use.

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

- Amend your resources
- Incorporate new training products on scope
- Check your course against training product updates
- Recognise 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.

Identifying Training Products for Validation

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

Resources Needed to Start Assessment Tool Validation

To validate your assessment tools, you will need the complete set of your educational resources:

- Mapping Resource: The first document to review. It indicates which evaluation items meet subject requirements, assisting in faster validation.
- Learner Workbook: Ensure it is suitable as an assessment tool during validation. Check if directions are clear and input fields are sufficient. This is a common issue.
- Assessor Guide/Marking Guide: Also check if guidelines for assessors are sufficient and if clear benchmarks for each evaluation item are provided. Clear criteria are crucial for reliable assessment outcomes.
- Other Related Resources: These may include evaluation checklists, evaluation registers, and evaluation templates developed separately from the workbook and assessor guide. Validate these to ensure they suit the assessment activity and address unit requirements.

Validation Panel

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

Collectively, your validation panel must have:

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

Assessment Principles

- Equity: Does the assessment process offer equal opportunity and access to everyone?
- Adaptability: Are there multiple ways to demonstrate competence, accommodating different needs and preferences?
- Validity: Is the assessment an accurate tool for evaluating the required skills and knowledge?
- Reliability: Will the assessment produce consistent results every time?

Guidelines for Evidence

- Relevance: Is the evidence relevant to the skills, knowledge, and attributes described in the unit of competency?
- Completeness: Does the evidence adequately demonstrate the required skills and knowledge?
- Originality: Is the evidence genuine and here truly representative of the candidate's abilities?
- Timeliness: Is the evidence up-to-date with current industry practices?

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 performance evidence requirement asks students to:

- Change nappies
- Feed babies with bottles and clean equipment
- Prepare and give solid food to babies
- Respond appropriately to baby signs 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 criteria is meant to evaluate underlying knowledge (i.e., knowledge-based evidence), students should be performing the tasks.

Be Careful with Plurals!

Pay attention to the numbers. 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 lists. As mentioned earlier, if students perform only half the tasks listed, it’s non-compliant. Each assessment task must meet all specifications, or the student is incompetent, and the assessment method is not 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 guidelines do not mislead students or trainers.

Steer Clear of Double-Barrelled Questions

Avoiding double-barrelled questions makes it easier for students to respond and for evaluators 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 help rectify noncompliance. This influences your compliance status, so it's better to take a safe and compliant approach.

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