Assessment Basics for TAFE teachers

1. To get started, click F5 on your keyboard. Then use your mouse to click on the links on each page. What is assessment? Why is assessment important? Assessment Validation Assessment Basics for TAFE teachers Assessment Basics What flexibility is possible? What are the principles of assessment? Choosing your assessment method Holistic Assessment What content needs to be assessed? Click with your mouse on each circle to see more information

2. Assessment is the process of collecting and considering evidence about the performance of a student and making a judgement on whether or not the student can perform competently in a workplace according to the competency standards. What is assessment? The competency standards used for assessment are drawn from national Training Packages (TPs) determined by industry, or from accredited courses where no TP applies. Assessment can be conducted using a range of strategies, but the best ones are those that link most closely to real performance in a workplace. • Assessment considers evidence of: • Knowledge and understanding • Skills to implement a required process • Bringing skills and knowledge together to create a product or provide a service

3. The outcome of assessments determines whether or not a student receives a qualification. • The assessment process is critical to: • Each student, whose future work opportunities may depend on it. Why is assessment important? • The assessment process is critical to: • Australian industries, who require skilled workers who can perform competently. • The assessment process is critical to: • the maintenance of standards within (and the credibility of) the national training system. • The assessment process is critical to: • all Australians who need to rely on the quality of products and services.

4. The requirements for assessment processes are determined by the AQTF – the Australian Quality Training Framework. The AQTF sets the standards that all Registered Training Organisations must meet. What are the principles and rules of assessment? • Assessments should be: • Fair • Flexible • Valid • Reliable • Well-designed assessment tools address the “rules of evidence”: • Valid • Sufficient • Current • Authentic Click for more information

5. The requirements for assessment processes are determined by the AQTF – the Australian Quality Training Framework. The AQTF sets the standards that all Registered Training Organisations must meet. What are the principles of assessment? Fair means having a transparent assessment process, with students aware of the assessment requirements and how they can appeal against the assessment outcome. Flexible means an assessment process that can be adjusted for the assessment context and the needs of the candidates, while remaining true to the standards. • Assessments should be: • Fair • Flexible • Valid • Reliable Reliable means a consistent approach to the interpretation of evidence and assessment outcomes, regardless of the assessor and the context. Valid means assessing the range of skills and knowledge specified in the Unit of Competency – and making sure that you are assessing what you think you are assessing! Go back

6. The requirements for assessment processes are determined by the AQTF – the Australian Quality Training Framework. The AQTF sets the standards that all Registered Training Organisations must meet. What are the principles and rules of assessment? Sufficient means that there is evidence covering all the requirements, over time and in different contexts to enable a confident decision about competence. Current means the evidence of the student’s knowledge and skills used for the assessment decision is up-to-date. • Assessments should be: • Fair • Flexible • Valid • Reliable Valid means there is a clear relationship between the evidence requirements of the Unit (s) and the evidence used by the assessor to make the assessment decision. • Well-designed assessment tools address the “rules of evidence”: • Valid • Sufficient • Current • Authentic Authenticmeans that the evidence can be verified as the student’s own work. Go back

7. Holistic assessment is the integrated assessment of several units of competency together instead of each unit separately. This is designed to make the assessment more closely match real workplace activity. Holistic Assessment The units “clustered” together should be a natural grouping that reflects skills and knowledge implemented together at work. Sometimes the clustering of units is already reflected in the Training and Assessment Strategy for the course. Discuss this with your Head Teacher. Holistic assessment has some challenges – you need to ensure that all the requirements of each unit are addressed during the assessment, and the outcomes are carefully recorded.

8. Consider the units of competency you are assessing. Test your understanding of the units - Visualise what a competent worker would do and would know relating to these units. What content needs to be assessed? • Look closely at the: • Elements and Performance Criteria • Evidence guide, including the “critical aspects of evidence”. • description of the required knowledge and skills • Consider different “dimensions” of competency: • Completing practical tasks • Skills to organise tasks • Responding to the unexpected • Applying skills in a variety of work contexts Talk with your Head Teacher and other teachers about their interpretation of the units, and the standards of performance expected from the students.

9. Visualising Competence What content needs to be assessed? Building up a picture of what it means to be competent is a vital part of the assessment planning process. • These questions can help you build up your picture of competence: • How would competent workers perform the tasks in these units? • How would they apply their knowledge? • What level of performance would be expected? • What would they do if something went wrong? • How would they handle multiple tasks or pressures? • What would the product or service look like? • How would they transfer their skills to other contexts? • What would a competent person not do? Click here for a sample Go back

10. An example of a picture of competence for two units of competency. Taken from the Assessment Materials Kit 2001. While this example is of 2 superseded units, it is interesting to consider the description of what a competent person may not do. Go back

11. There may be assessment methods and tools that have been developed for the unit(s) you are delivering. Speak to your Head Teacher. You may need to adapt these tools to suit your particular students and the assessment context. Choosing your assessment method • Choose your assessment methods based on the content of the units, the students and the assessment context. • You may choose different methods for: • Workplace students • Classroom students • Distance students There are lots of resources available on assessment methods and tools. Click the links from the Assessment Basics wikispace, or Google “assessment methods for VET” Click here to see a table of different assessment methods and when they might apply.

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15. The AQTF standards requires that assessment meets the principles of assessment and the rules of evidence. While still meeting these requirements it is possible to make reasonable adjustments to the assessment process for students who are disabled or may have special needs. What flexibility is possible in assessment? Reasonable adjustment does not mean “lowering your standards” – it means being fair and flexible to the student , while being mindful of the requirements of the work activity that the assessment relates to. Adjustments are allowable to assessment tools and processes, provided that the validity of the assessment is not undermined. Reasonable adjustment could include verbal rather than written questions, provided that the unit does not require writing skills of the level of the questions.

16. Validation is a process for ensuring that the way a unit or group of units is assessed, and evidence collected, is consistent with requirements of the units of competency and industry. Maintaining the standards – Assessment Validation Assessment Validation activities involve teachers developing a shared interpretation of competency standards and comparing and assessment methods and tools. This process is to encourage dialogue between teachers and with industry about assessment practice. Teachers are required to participate in assessment validation activities and record the changes that they make to assessment tools and activities. The AQTF requires training organisations to undertake assessment validation regularly. The Institute has a procedure for conducting assessment validation, with roles described for staff at different levels.