1       Assessment

Introduction

Tutors and learners are continuously engaged in the process of assessment, which at times may be informal or unplanned. Assessment may be initial, formative or summative.

Initial Assessment

Well-planned and executed initial assessment is integral to the induction process. This may commence at the enrolment stage with a pre-course questionnaire to establish learners’ interests, experience and motivation. It may be part of the ”getting to know you” activity in induction. It is important that there is also some form of skill/knowledge assessment which can be validated by the tutor’s discussion with individual learners about what they can do and want to be able to do. Initial assessment:

• establishes the existing skill and knowledge levels of learners
• may establish how each learner learns
• introduces learners to some of the skills and knowledge they will need to acquire on the programme
• provides information to help tutors plan the programme
• can provide a helpful introduction to assessment in a non-threatening way

Formative (Interim) Assessment

 

This takes place throughout the course and involves checking that learning is taking place including:

• finding out what knowledge and skills the learners have acquired
• helping to plan the next steps
• enabling the tutor to give feedback
• encouraging motivation
• helping the tutor to modify the course if necessary
• enabling learners to identify what they have learned and what they want to learn next

Summative (Final) Assessment

 

This is used at the end of a course to:

• enable learners to recognise their achievements
• justify awarding a qualification or other recognition of achievement
• help the tutor plan future courses
• guide learners through their next steps

Feedback

Learners appreciate feedback, which should always be given after assessment. It is a vital part of the learning process and may be given verbally or in writing.

Procedures for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities

 

Assessment should be a fair test of learners’ knowledge and what they are able to do. However, for some learners the usual format of assessment may not be suitable. Providers must ensure that the likely needs of individual learners are anticipated and not merely responded to as they arise.

Therefore, reasonable adjustments must be made in advance of any assessment activities, as well as during the assessment process, so that the equity, validity and reliability of the assessments can be assured eg adapting for visually impaired, such as providing a screen reader. ( NVDA  free software)

Externally-Accredited Programmes

 

For externally-accredited programmes, where assessors are assessing candidates against agreed standards of competence, the following policy and procedures should be adopted:

Role and responsibilities of assessor

 

An assessor must:

• have relevant qualifications, knowledge and/or experience in the subject area being assessed
• have relevant qualifications, training and experience in the assessment process
• ensure that learners are fully briefed on assessment procedures and methods, including appeals procedures
• involve learners in the assessment planning process
• provide constructive feedback to learners on assessments, discuss targets and

areas for development on an individual basis

• adhere to the awarding body’s assessment specification in the judgement of evidence towards an award
• record outcomes of assessment using appropriate documentation
• follow agreed procedures for recording, storing, reporting and confidentiality of information

Responsibilities

 

An assessor has responsibility for the following:

• developing plans for assessing competence with learners
• judging evidence criteria to make assessment decisions
• providing feedback and support to learners on assessment decisions
• contributing to the internal quality assurance process

It is the assessor’s responsibility to choose the best methods of assessing a candidate in relation to their individual circumstances. The methods chosen must be valid, reliable, safe and manageable and suitable to the needs of the candidate.

Developing plans for assessing competence with candidates

The assessor should:

• check that all learners understand the assessment process involved, the support available to them and the complaints and appeals procedures
• agree fair, safe, valid and reliable assessment methods
• identify appropriate and cost-effective opportunities for assessing performance
• identify how past experience and achievements of learners will contribute to the assessment process
• identify how to protect confidentiality and agree arrangements to deal with sensitive issues
• ensure that learners’ progress is reviewed and that records of achievement are regularly updated
• be aware of ways of handling difficulties or disputes in the assessment process

 

Judging evidence against criteria to make assessment decisions

 

The assessor should:

• ensure that the work being assessed is the learner’s own work
• make fair, safe, valid and reliable assessment decisions based on the agreed standards
• apply any agreed special arrangements to make sure the assessment is fair
• make a record of the outcomes of assessments by using an agreed recording system

Providing feedback and support to candidates on assessment decisions

 

The assessor should:

• give learners feedback at an appropriate time and place
• give learners feedback in a constructive and encouraging way, which meets

their needs and is appropriate to their level of confidence

• clearly explain assessment decisions
• provide advice and encouragement to learners where it is necessary for them to re-submit work or to provide more evidence
• follow the agreed complaints and appeals procedures if candidates disagree with the assessment decision

Contributing to the internal quality improvement process

 

The assessor should:

• ensure assessment records are accurate and up-to-date
• contribute to standardisation arrangements so that assessment decisions are in line with others
• contribute to the agreed quality improvement process

Recording assessment activity

 

Assessment decisions should be recorded using current documentation available from the Learnwithunite VLE. Assessment records should be available to

the internal verifier, centre staff and Learnwithunite Learning staff as appropriate.

 

Internal Verification

 

Introduction

 

The internal verification process establishes and maintains the quality of assessment for internally assessed, externally accredited learning programmes. The process provides the link between internal assessment and external verification systems and plays a key role in the Quality Improvement process. (Appendix 1 provides an overview of the verification process.)

Internal verification ensures that learners receive fair and equal access to assessment, which is free from discrimination and is made by well-informed and well-supported assessors. It also ensures that the standard of assessment remains consistent across time and candidates with respect to individual assessors, and that there is consistency and standardisation between assessors. This form of standardisation is vital in the maintenance of a national standard of assessment.

Role and responsibilities of internal verifier

 

The internal verifier must:

• understand the process of assessment and verification within the context of quality improvement
• have a relevant occupational background which can be related to the vocational area to be verified
• ensure health, safety and environmental protection procedures are applied within assessment arrangements
• apply and monitor equal opportunities and access procedures throughout all assessment procedures
• have a clear understanding of the standards to which the candidate is being assessed and ensure that any queries relating to the interpretation of the standards are brought to the attention of the external verifier
• work with others to ensure the standardisation of assessment practice and outcomes
• follow agreed procedures for the recording, storing, reporting and confidentiality of information

Responsibilities

 

The internal verifier has responsibility for the following:

• carrying out and evaluating internal assessment and quality improvement systems
• supporting assessors
• monitoring the quality of assessors’ performance
• meeting external quality improvement requirements

Moderator

The role of Moderator( quality assurance manager) has been developed within Learnwithunite to provide a central focus for quality assurance of accredited provision. Where a programme has more than one internal verifier, the Moderator will ensure consistency and will take responsibility for co-ordinating the activities of the internal verifiers on the programme.

The Moderator will monitor quality of the provision, liaise with the external verifier and report to Learnwithunite and the delivery team on all aspects of quality.

Carrying out and evaluating internal assessment and quality improvement systems

 

The internal verifier must ensure that:

• arrangements for carrying out internal verification meet learnwithunite's requirements and those of the external awarding body
• administrative and recording arrangements meet external audit requirements
• the eligibility of assessors to undertake assessment is checked against awarding body requirements
• appropriate support for assessors is available
• standardisation of assessments is carried out
• a procedure for complaints and appeals, which meets the requirements of awarding bodies, is in place and is followed when necessary (The Appeals Procedure is outlined in section 3 below and a copy of the Candidate Appeal Report pro-forma is included at Appendix 2)
• appropriate recommendations to improve internal quality improvement arrangements are made to Learnwithunite Learning.

Supporting assessors

 

The internal verifier must ensure that:

• assessors have appropriate technical and vocational experience
• assessors are familiar with and can carry out specific assessments and follow the recording and internal audit procedures
• the development needs of assessors are identified in relation to: principles of assessment; needs of candidates; their technical expertise and competence
• assessors have the opportunity to develop their assessment experience and competence and their progress is monitored
• assessors have regular opportunities to standardise assessment decisions
• assessors are able to maintain quality standards.

Monitoring the quality of assessors’ performance

Meeting external quality improvement requirements

The internal verifier must:

• identify how internal assessments will be checked externally and the information needed for this purpose
• plan, collect and analyse information on internal assessment decisions
• agree the timing and nature of external verification arrangements
• give supporting background information to external verifiers about the assessment process
• explain any issues raised by external verifiers and give them supporting information as necessary
• raise concerns and disagreements about external audit decisions in a clear and constructive way
• refer any questions or concerns, which could not be dealt with internally, to the awarding body
• give assessors feedback on external verification decisions
• ensure that external verification decisions are included in internal reviews of procedures.

Recording verification activity Recording documentation

Recording mechanisms should provide evidence that internal verification has been carried out regularly and systematically and should show that it has occurred across candidates, units and assessors.

Evaluation of procedures

It is good practice to evaluate the reporting procedures regularly to ensure that the recording mechanisms are fit for their purpose and that the information recorded is appropriate and useful.

Currency and security

Records of all assessment and verification activity must be kept both current and secure and be made available only to appropriate personnel and for external verification purposes.

Claiming certification

Following final verification activity, it is the responsibility of the internal verifier to liaise with Learnwithunite AIVs to ensure that all candidate certification claim forms are completed accurately and signed.

External verification visits Liaison with external verifier

The internal verifier should liaise with the Moderator at Learnwithunite Learning who will maintain contact the external verifier appointed by the awarding body to arrange an appropriate number of visits to the Centre.

Awarding body requirements

All necessary information, portfolios of evidence, candidate records and internal verification records must be made available to the external verifier and awarding body requirements must be met before, during and after the visit.

Issues and concerns

Any issues or concerns that have been raised by candidates, assessors or other Centre staff that have not been satisfactorily resolved, should be raised with the External Verifier prior to the meeting, in order that these can be accommodated into the visit plan.

Sources of support

Support for the internal verification is available from the following:

• Awarding Body centre staff
• External verifiers

Appeals Procedure

If a candidate is dissatisfied with an assessment decision made by an assessor, s/he has the right of appeal. The main reasons for an appeal are likely to be:

• The candidate does not understand why the assessment decision has been made because of lack of, or unclear, feedback from the assessor.
• The candidate believes the assessor has missed, misjudged or misinterpreted some of the evidence put forward for assessment.

Where the candidate does not agree with the assessment, the candidate should advise the Centre indicating the points of disagreement with reasons and reference to the evidence in the portfolio.

There are 3 stages in the appeals procedure and each stage must be completed before proceeding to the next one. All candidates who register an appeal will receive a formal reply.

Stage 1

The candidate appeals directly to the assessor who has carried out the assessment by completing the Candidate Appeal Report. The assessor will advise the candidate of the decision in writing within 10 working days.

Stage 2

If the candidate is not satisfied with the decision made in Stage 1, s/he can proceed to Stage 2 by appealing to the internal verifier. All candidate appeals will be acknowledged and investigated to establish facts and evidence supporting the appeal. If an appeal is considered to be justified then remedial action will be taken. The internal verifier will discuss the appeal with the Moderator who will respond within 10 working days of receiving the candidate’s appeal.

Stage 3

Candidates who have exhausted Stage 1 and Stage 2 and are still not satisfied with the decision may proceed to Stage 3. This appeal must be in writing to the Awarding Body and must be accompanied by copies of all the documentation used in Stage 1 and Stage 2.

The Awarding Body decision will be final.

Appendix 1

 

AS SE S S ME N T / V E R I FIC A T IO N P RO C E S S
Awarding Body	Awarding Body       External Verification
Learnwithunite Learning	Moderation
Centre	Internal Verification Assessment
Learner	Candidate Performance

 

Candidate Appeal Report

Appendix 2

Candidate Name:

Assessor Name:

Internal Verifier Name:

Stage 1          Assessor Decision

 

Assessment Details Course: Unit / Learning Outcome: Assessment Method: Original Assessment Decision:

Candidate’s Reason For Appeal:

Candidate’s Signature: Date:

	This column to be completed by Centre staff
Assessor’s Decision:     Signature: Date:	Date Appeal received: Date replied to Candidate: Signature: Date:

Candidate’s Decision

I accept the Assessor’s decision         D
I wish to proceed to Stage 2               D

Signature: Date:

Date reply received:

Date forwarded to Internal Verifier:

Signature: Date: