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The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included. |
Training and/or assessment organisation refers to: | a Registered Training Organisation (RTO), i.e. an organisation registered to provide recognised training and assessment services; includes TAFE institutes, private commercial colleges/ companies, enterprises, community organisations, group training companies and schools an organisation working in a partnership arrangement with an RTO to provide recognised training and assessment services an organisation that provides non-recognised training and assessment services |
Purpose and focus of validation may include: | as part of organisational quality assurance processes to address an identified area of risk in assessment practice and quality to demonstrate compliance with the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF) Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) |
| to ensure assessments meet the evidence requirements of the competency standards or other assessment benchmarks to provide evidence for external audit to provide evidence for internal audit to improve assessment practices to evaluate the quality of assessment tools to provide professional development to increase assessor confidence to determine whether different assessors using the same tools collect the same types and levels of evidence to determine whether different assessors interpret the same evidence similarly to determine whether assessment decisions reflect the principles of assessment and rules of evidence |
Context of validation may include: | internal to the organisation, e.g. same site or across sites external to the organisation, e.g. in a industry, region, city, state, assessor network through licensing or similar body with co-assessors with peers/colleagues from other training and/or assessment organisations |
Relevant people must include: | other assessor/s involved in the validation exercise |
Relevant people may include: | lead assessors managers, supervisors technical and subject experts, including occupational health and safety (OHS) experts and language, literacy and numeracy specialists personnel or partners with responsibilities for input into the quality assurance system training and/or assessment coordinators industry clients industry regulators employee and employer representatives members of professional associations personnel from a state or territory registering body independent validators |
Approach to validation may include: | assessment panels moderation meetings collectively developing/reviewing banks of assessment tools and exemplars benchmarking field testing, trialling and piloting assessment tools peer review team assessment internal audit process client feedback mechanisms mentoring of less experienced by more experienced assessors use of independent assessment validator to review validation processes |
Assessment system policies and procedures may include: | candidate selection rational and purpose of competency-based assessment assessment records/data management/information management recognition of current competency/recognition of prior learning/credit arrangements assessors - needs, qualifications, maintaining currency assessment reporting procedures assessment appeals candidate grievances/complaints validation evaluation/internal audit costs/resourcing access and equity/reasonable adjustment partnership arrangements links with human resource or industrial relations systems links with overall quality management system |
Organisational/legal/ethical requirements may include: | legal and ethical responsibilities of assessors assessment system policies and procedures reporting, recording and retrieval systems for assessment, including documenting the agreed approach to validation licensing/legal ramifications of assessing competence |
requirements of training and/or assessment organisations relating to assessment and validation quality assurance systems business and performance plans access and equity policies and procedures collaborative/partnership arrangements policies, procedures and programs defined resource parameters mutual recognition arrangements industrial relations systems and processes, awards/enterprise agreements AQTF Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs), in particular Standard 8, RTO assessment registration scope human resource policies/procedures and legal requirements including anti-discrimination, equal employment, job role/responsibilities/conditions relevant industry codes of practice confidentiality and privacy requirements of information relating to completed assessments OHS considerations, including: ensuring OHS requirements are adhered to during the assessment process identifying and reporting OHS hazards and concerns to relevant personnel |
Benchmark/s for assessment refers to: | the criterion against which the candidate is assessed which, may be a competency standard/unit of competency, assessment criteria of course curricula, performance specifications, product specifications |
Evidence: | is material collected which, when matched against the specifications in the competency standards, provides proof of competency achievement |
Related documentation may include: | the Assessment Guidelines of the relevant Training Package/s information from the competency standards about the resources required for assessment, the assessment context, appropriate assessment methods standards |
assessment activities identified in accredited modules derived from the relevant competency assessment activities in Support Materials related to the relevant competency standards any requirements of OHS, legislation, codes of practice, standards and guidelines indicators and levels of competence of the National Reporting System organisational requirements for demonstration of work performance product specifications |
Material/s may include: | assessment tools samples of collected evidence documentation outlining the basis of assessment decisions reports/records of assessment decisions validation templates validation checklists assessment exemplars and competency standards sampling techniques banks of assessment tools survey proformas |
Validation activities may include: | analysing and reviewing assessment tools analysing and reviewing collected evidence analysing and reviewing assessment decisions/records of assessment outcomes examining assessment records examining assessment systems discussing the assessment process, issues, difficulties in interpretation holding interviews with each other or with management, trainers/facilitators, candidates analysing client feedback observing assessment conduct using validation tools reviewing and interpreting Assessment Guidelines examining assessor qualifications analysing appeals processes recording evidence of validation processes and outcomes |
Assessment process is defined as: | key steps involved in the assessment cycle |
Assessment plan is the overall planning document for the assessment process and may include: | the purpose and aims of the assessment the context of assessment relevant competency standards to be used as the benchmarks for assessment other assessment information/documentation identified as relevant identified personnel identified assessment methods and assessment tools possibilities for clustering units of competency for assessment purposes identified OHS hazards, including assessed risks and control strategies material and/or physical resources required organisational arrangements for conducting assessment OHS reporting requirements any special assessment needs, e.g. personal protective equipment requirements outline of assessment milestones, time lines and target dates candidate self-assessment procedures connections to relevant organisational plans, polices and procedures |
Assessment methods are the particular techniques used to gather evidence and may include: | direct observation, for example: real work/real time activities at the workplace work activities in a simulated workplace environment structured activities, for example: simulation exercises/role-plays projects presentations activity sheets questioning, for example: written questions, for example, on a computer interviews self-assessment verbal questioning questionnaires oral or written examinations (applicable at higher AQF levels) |
portfolios, for example: collections of work samples compiled by the candidate product with supporting documentation historical evidence journal/log book information about life experience review of products, for example: products as a result of a project work samples/products third party feedback, for example: testimonials/reports from employers/supervisors evidence of training authenticated prior achievements interview with employer, supervisor, peer |
Assessment tools contain: | the instruments to be used for gathering evidence such as: a profile of acceptable performance measures templates/proformas specific questions or activities evidence/observation checklists checklists for the evaluation of work samples candidate self-assessment materials the procedures, information and instructions for the assessor/candidate relating to the use of assessment instruments and the conditions for assessment |
Judgement is a two-step process and means: | the decision made by the assessor on whether the evidence provided meets the principles of assessment and rules of evidence the decision made by the assessor, based on the evidence provided and evaluated, on whether the candidate is competent/not yet competent |
Principles of assessment are: | validity reliability flexibility fairness |
Rules of evidence are: | validity sufficiency currency authenticity |
Recommendations for improvement may include: | ongoing professional development strategies for assessors changes to assessment system policies and procedures changes to assessment strategies changes to assessment plans changes to selected assessment methods changes/development of new assessment tools improved records management changes to assessment resources instigation of/changes to partnership arrangements improvements to evidence collection provision of additional information for assessors/candidates greater advice/support/supervision of assessors exemplars liaison with technical experts/specialist support |