Assessment Validation Overview

Training Organisations manage multiple responsibilities post-registration, which include yearly declarations, AVETMISS data submission, and marketing adherence. Among these tasks, validating assessments frequently stands out. While validation has been covered in many discussions, let's revisit the fundamental principles. ASQA (Australian Skills Quality Authority) identifies validation of assessments as a quality review of the evaluation process.

Basically, assessment review is intended to identify which parts of an RTO’s assessment procedures 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 rules mandate two forms of validation. The initial type of assessment validation checks conformity with the requirements of the training package within your RTO's scope. The other type ensures that assessments adhere to the principles of assessment and Rules of Evidence. This suggests that we perform validation in both pre- and post-assessment stages. This article will focus on the initial type—validation of assessment tools.

Understanding Assessment Validation Types

- Assessment Tool Validation: Often termed pre-assessment validation or verification, relates to the primary part of the rule, ensuring compliance with all unit requirements.
- Post-Assessment Validation: Is related to the implementation, ensuring RTOs conduct assessments in line with the Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence.

Methods for Conducting Assessment Tool Validation

When to Conduct Assessment Tool Validation

The aim of assessment tool validation is to ensure that all aspects, criteria for performance, and evidence of performance and knowledge are covered by your assessment tools. Therefore, whenever you get new learning resources, you must perform assessment tool validation before allowing students to use them. There's no need to wait for your next 5-year cycle validation schedule. Validate new materials as soon as possible to confirm they are appropriate for students.

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

- Improve your resources
- Add new qualifications to scope
- Examine your course with training product updates
- Flag 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.

Which Training Products Should You Validate?

Remember that this validation guarantees adherence of all learning resources before student use. All RTOs must validate training products for each subject unit.

Resources Needed to Start Assessment Tool Validation

To start assessment tool validation, you will need the complete set of your educational resources:

- Mapping Resource: The first document to review. It shows which assessment tasks meet unit requirements, assisting in faster validation.
- Learner Workbook: Ensure it is suitable as an assessment resource during validation. Check if guidelines are clear and input fields are sufficient. This is a common issue.
- Marking Guide: Also check if instructions for evaluators are sufficient and if clear benchmarks for each assessment task are provided. Clear standards are crucial for reliable assessment outcomes.
- Supplementary Resources: These may include checklists, evaluation registers, and templates created separately from the student workbook and assessor guide. Validate these to ensure they suit the assessment activity and comply with course unit requirements.

Validation check here Panel

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

Collectively, your panel must have:

- Vocational Skills and Current Professional Skills relevant to the unit being validated.
- Current Knowledge and Skills in Vocational Education.
- Either of the following certifications for training and assessment:
- TAE40116 Training and Assessment Certificate IV or its successor.

Principles of Assessment

- Impartiality: Is equal opportunity and access provided to everyone in the assessment process?
- Versatility: Are there multiple ways to demonstrate competence, accommodating different needs and preferences?
- Accuracy: Is the assessment an accurate tool for evaluating the required skills and knowledge?
- Dependability: Will different assessors make the same decision on skill competence?

Rules of Evidence

- Validity: Is the evidence appropriate to the requirements of the unit of competency?
- Completeness: Is the evidence sufficient to cover all the required skills and knowledge?
- Genuineness: Does the evidence confirm the originality of the candidate's work?
- Relevance: Does the evidence reflect current skills and knowledge?

Key Considerations for Assessment Validation

Pay attention to the verbs in the unit criteria and ensure they are addressed by the evaluation task. For example, in the unit CHCECE032 Caring for Babies and Toddlers, one required performance evidence asks students to:

- Perform diaper changes
- Prepare bottles, bottle feed babies and clean equipment
- Prepare solid food and feed babies
- Respond to baby signs and cues properly
- Prepare babies for sleep and help them settle
- Supervise and support age-appropriate physical activities and motor development

Typical Mistakes

Describing the nappy-changing process for babies under 12 months does not fulfill the unit requirement. Unless the unit specification is meant to assess underpinning knowledge (i.e., knowledge-based evidence), students should be doing the tasks.

Be Careful with Plurals!

Pay attention to the numbers. In our example, one 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 is not sufficient.

All or Nothing Competence

Pay attention to lists. As mentioned earlier, if students perform only half the tasks listed, it’s out of compliance. Each assessment item must cover all criteria, or the student is not yet competent, and the evaluation tool is out of compliance.

Provide Specific Details

Each assessment task must have clear and specific benchmark answers to guide the assessor’s judgment on the student’s competence. Therefore, it’s crucial that your guidelines do not mislead students or assessors.

Avoid Double-Barrelled Questions

Not using double-barrelled questions makes it more straightforward for students to respond and for evaluators 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 guarantees, you must wait for an audit before they assist with noncompliance. This influences your compliance status, so it's better to take a preventative and compliant approach.

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