TAC Education Workshop –Assessment Part II … - Part...TAC Education Workshop –Assessment Part II -Designing and Using Assessment Tools Training Accreditation Council 6 16 We

TAC Education Workshop – Assessment Part II - Designing and Using Assessment Tools

Training Accreditation Council 1

Assessment in Practice:Designing and Using Assessment

Tools

Dr Russell Docking

Introductions

• Facilitator

• Participants’ objectives

• References and resources

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The TAC AssessmentWorkshop Series

Part 1

• The design and development of an assessment system

Part 2• Designing and using assessment tools

Part 3• Assessment in practice

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Topics for this workshop

• Recap of the key outcomes of first workshop

• Assessing Knowledge

• Assessing Skills

• The components of an assessment tool

• Designing assessment tools

• Clustered assessment

• Reasonable Adjustment

• RPL4

References and Resources

• The Standards for RTOs 2015 Compilation No. 3 2019

• The TAC Users’ Guide for the Standards (Version 1.2)

• Assessment TAC Fact Sheet

• Assessment Validation TAC Fact Sheet

• Industry Engagement TAC Fact Sheet

• Amount of Training TAC Fact Sheet

• Vocational Competence and Industry Currency TAC Fact Sheet

• Identifying and Meeting Individual Needs TAC Fact Sheet

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Why do we need good assessment tools?

The core business of an RTO is the certification of the industry‐relevant competencies of individual candidates

This certification must be based upon a judgement of competency made by a qualified assessor

This judgementmust be valid, reliable, fair and flexible

This judgement must be based upon evidence gathered through assessment tools that is valid, sufficient, current and authentic

The RTO and the assessor are accountable for the accuracy of these

judgements6



Clause 1.8: Assessment

The RTO implements an assessment system that ensures that assessment (including recognition of prior learning):

• complies with the assessment requirements of the relevant Training Package or VET accredited course; and

• is conducted in accordance with the Principles of Assessment and the Rules of Evidence.

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Competency-based assessment

The gathering of evidence

that can be used to

make judgements

about the achievement of

national competency standards.8

Competency

Competency means the consistent application of knowledge and skill to the standard of

performance required in the workplace. It embodies the ability to transfer and apply skills

and knowledge to new situations and environments.

Standards for RTOs 2015, Glossary, p8.9



Assessment tools must reflect unit requirements

Unit requirements include:

• Pre‐requisite units (if any)

• Elements of competency and their performance criteria

• Foundation Skills (If any)

• Performance Evidence

• Knowledge Evidence

• Assessment Conditions10

Mapping unit requirements and assessment tools

• Every requirement must be addressed

• Skill requirements should be addressed twice

• Elements must not be fragmented

• No extra requirements can be included

• No unrelated evidence can be gathered

• Correct type of evidence is gathered11

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Copy of Annotated Assessment Plan and Record will be provided

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We must ensure that our assessment tools enable us to make

judgements that are …

(The Principles of Assessment in Clause 1.8b)

Fair Flexible Valid Reliable

Mandatory unit requirements

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Our assessment tools must ensure that evidence is …

(The Rules of Evidence in Clause 1.8b)

Valid Sufficient

Authentic Current

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Assessment tools must reflect industry practices

• The range of applications of the competency in workplaces … how is the competency used to achieve productive outcomes?

• The range of industries using the competency … where is the competency used?

• National and local industry expectations

• Regulations

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Assessment tools will depend upon RTO resources

• Facilities

• Equipment and materials

• Evidence‐gathering processes & tools

• Candidate support services

• Industry work sites and personnel

• Trainers and assessors

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Assessment tools must respond to candidate characteristics

• Language, literacy and numeracy

• Disability

• Current employment

• Previous experience and/or training

• Location

• Access to technology

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Gathering evidence of knowledge and skills

Knowledge evidence is gathered through question and answer (Q/A) tests, not through tasks.

Skills evidence is gathered through the observation of the performance of tasks, not through Q/A.

These are not interchangeable… 22

Gathering evidence of knowledge

The function of knowledge

• Supporting the elements of competency

• Understanding how tasks work

• Coping with contingencies

• Transfer to other units of competency

• Transfer to other workplaces

• Transfer to other times (past & future)

• Developing industry understanding23

Gathering evidence of knowledge through Q/A

• Use short answer questions, not multiple guess

• Ensure that every item of knowledge is evidenced

• Ensure that the questions are at the right AQF level

• Make sure that the context and content of all the questions are relevant to the unit and reflect current industry practices.

• Write questions that extend beyond the local context.

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Activity 1:Assessing knowledge

Writing knowledge questions … it’s easy, isn’t it?

On the handout you will find eleven questions drafted to gather evidence of one or more Knowledge Evidence requirements.

Each one is flawed … can you find the fault?

Write you comment for each in the space provided, then if time allows go back and suggest better questions.

You might have an assessment “howler” of your own to write in the spaces at item 12 and to share with the group.

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Gathering evidence of skills

• Task performance is used to reveal a skill.

• Successful performance of two or more tasks that use the skill show that the candidate has the underlying skill.

• Assessors need to use their industry skills to identify tasks that will require the display of all performance criteria for each element.

• A number of tasks might be needed to observe all elements and all performance evidence

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• Make sure the tasks you set are at the right AQF level and do not introduce too much complexity that might overshadow the skill.

• Develop an observer checklist that indicates which specific aspects of performance are to be noted because they relate directly to the skill. These can be cross‐referenced to the element/performance criterion or item of performance evidence.

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The tasks can be performance in real workplaces, or simulated workplaces.

In real workplaces tasks can be naturally occurring or contrived.

If a simulated workplace is used, the tasks must reflect all of the dimensions of competency:

Task skills

Task management skills

Contingency management

Job/role environment skills28


Tasks can be observed by a qualified assessor or by a third‐party observer.

If a third‐party observer is used:

They must have industry skills

The assessment tool must be contextualised for their understanding

The observer must provide a written narrative of their observations

They must be subject to routine monitoring and validation

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Activity 2:Assessing skills

We see many very interesting strategies being used to observe skills … are they all OK?

In this activity you are given eight different strategies to observe and assess skills. Critically comment on each of them and decide if (and when) they could be used.

You might have a suggestion of your own to write into box 9 and to share with the group.

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Clustered assessment

We can use assessment tools to gather evidence for more than one unit of competency. Note that while we might gather evidence for a number of units at the same time, we still have to make separate judgements foreach unit.

Our Q/A knowledge questions might cover more than one unit, but we need to make sure that when we record the outcomes we do so for each unit separately.

Our observations for a task might relate to more than one unit, but we need to be able to record our observations separately for each unit.

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Reasonable Adjustment

When designing assessment tools the assessor must consider the AQF level of the unit and the characteristics of the candidates. This may involve changing the way Q/A tests are delivered, and may impact on the choice of tasks used.

When a candidate has a defined disability, the RTO has a legal obligation to consider the possibility of making Reasonable Adjustments to the assessment process. These adjustments must not invalidate the competency, create the illusion of competency, or be non‐transferable to industry.

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The Recognition of Prior Learning

• RPL is a process that recognises prior learning has been experienced and that the candidate can skip training and go straight to assessment.

• The assessment tools must comply with Clause 1.8, and will consist of Q/A to assess knowledge, and set tasks to assess skills.

• A portfolio of past evidence can be used to substantiate prior learning, but as it cannot meet the rules of evidence it cannot be used as evidence of competence. 33



Next TAC assessment workshop

TAC Assessment Workshop Series

Part III

Assessment in Practice

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Questions

35

Contact us

Training Accredita on Council

Locked Bag 16

OSBORNE PARK WA DC 6916

Telephone: (08) 9224 6510

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.tac.wa.gov.au

Acknowledgement: Some icons designed by Freepik 36

Documents

TAC Education Workshop –Assessment Part II … - Part...TAC Education Workshop –Assessment Part II -Designing and Using Assessment Tools Training Accreditation Council 6 16 We