Overview of Assessment Validation

RTOs handle many duties after becoming registered, like annual statements, AVETMISS data submission, and promotional compliance. Among these tasks, validating assessments is notably challenging. While we've discussed validation in many discussions, let's return to the basics. ASQA identifies assessment review as a quality review of the assessment procedure.

Principally, assessment review is concerned with identifying which parts of an RTO’s evaluation 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 SRTOs 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 regulations mandate two types of validation. The initial type of validation of assessments guarantees adherence to the training package assessment requirements within your organisation's scope. The second validation guarantees that assessments adhere to the principles of assessment and Rules of Evidence. This implies that validation is performed pre- and post-assessment. This article will focus on the primary type—validation of assessment tools.

Types of Assessment Validation

- Assessment Tool Validation: Often termed pre-assessment validation or verification, involves the initial part of the regulation, ensuring compliance with all unit requirements.
- Post-Assessment Validation: Is concerned with the execution, ensuring that RTO assessments align with the Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence.

Process of Conducting Assessment Tool Validation

When Should Assessment Tool Validation Be Conducted?

The purpose of assessment tool validation is to ensure that all components, criteria for performance, and performance and knowledge evidence are covered by your assessment tools. Therefore, whenever you purchase new educational resources, you must carry out assessment tool validation before students use them. There's no need to wait for your next 5-year cycle validation schedule. Validate new tools right away to verify they are suitable for student use.

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

- Improve your resources
- Integrate new training products on scope
- Audit 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.

Selecting Training Products for Validation

Remember that this validation ensures conformity of all training materials before being used. All RTOs must validate training products for each subject unit.

Resources Needed to Start Assessment Tool Validation

To validate your evaluation tools, you will need the complete set of your training materials:

- Mapping Document: The first document to review. It shows which assessment items meet subject requirements, assisting in faster validation.
- Student Workbook: Ensure it is suitable as an assessment resource during validation. Check if guidelines are clear and response areas are sufficient. This is a common issue.
- Marking Guide: Also check if guidelines for trainers are sufficient and if clear criteria for each assessment task are provided. Clear criteria are crucial for reliable assessment outcomes.
- Supplementary Resources: These may include lists, logs, and templates created separately from the workbook and marking guide. Validate these to ensure they suit the assessment task and comply with unit requirements.

Assessment Validation Panel

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

Collectively, your assessment validation panel must have:

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

Assessment Principles

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

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?
- Adequacy: Is the evidence sufficient to cover all the required skills and knowledge?
- Genuineness: Does the assessment tool verify that the work is the candidate’s own?
- Currency: Are the assessment tools based on current units of competency and up-to-date industry practices?

Important Factors in 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 Baby and Toddler Care, one performance evidence requirement asks students to:

- Change diapers
- Prepare and feed bottles, clean feeding equipment
- Prepare and give solid food to babies
- React suitably to baby signals and cues
- Prepare babies for sleep and help them settle
- Observe and promote suitable physical activities and motor skills for babies

Frequent Errors

Having students describe the nappy-changing process for babies under 12 months old doesn’t directly meet the unit requirement. Unless the unit specification is meant to assess underpinning knowledge (i.e., knowledge-based evidence), students should be carrying out the tasks.

Watch Out for the Plurals!

Pay attention to the quantities. In our example, one this site of the unit requirements of CHCECE032 requires 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 lists. 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 incompetent, and the evaluation tool is non-compliant.

Can You Be More Specific?

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

Avoid Double-Barrelled Questions

Avoiding double-barrelled questions makes it simpler for students to respond and for trainers to accurately judge student competence.

Assurance During Audits

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 safe and compliant approach.

By following these guidelines and understanding the assessment principles and evidence rules, you can ensure that your assessment methods are compliant with the standards established by ASQA and the SRTOs 2015.