Intro to Assessment Validation

Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) handle multiple duties after becoming registered, such as annual declarations, AVETMISS reporting, and promotional compliance. Among these tasks, validation of assessments frequently stands out. While validation has been reviewed in multiple discussions, a review of the basics is necessary. The Australian Skills Quality Authority identifies assessment validation as quality assurance of the assessment procedure.

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, meet 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 first type of assessment validation checks conformity with the requirements of the training package within your organisation's scope. The subsequent validation verifies that assessments follow the Principles of Assessment and rules of evidence. This suggests that validation is carried out pre- and post-assessment. This article will discuss the first type—assessment tool validation.

Understanding Assessment Validation Types

- Assessment Tool Validation: Often termed pre-assessment validation or verification, concerns the initial part of the rule, focusing on meeting all unit requirements.
- Post-Assessment Validation: Pertains to the implementation, making sure RTOs conduct assessments according to the Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence.

Guide to Conducting Assessment Tool Validation

Best Time for Conducting Assessment

The aim of assessment tool validation is to verify that all aspects, performance standards, and performance and knowledge evidence are addressed by your assessment tools. Therefore, whenever you purchase new learning resources, you must perform assessment tool validation before allowing students to use them. There's no need to wait for your next scheduled validation. Validate new resources immediately to ensure they are appropriate for students.

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

- Enhance your resources
- Introduce new training products on scope
- Review your course against training product updates
- Note 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.

What Training Products Need Validation?

Keep in mind that this validation ensures conformity of all educational resources before being used. All RTOs must validate resources for each course 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 evaluation items meet course unit requirements, helping with faster validation.
- Learner/Student Workbook: Ensure it is suitable as an assessment tool during validation. Check if guidelines are clear and answer fields are sufficient. This is a common issue.
- Assessor Guide/Marking Guide: Also check if directions for trainers are sufficient and if clear criteria for each assessment task are provided. Clear standards are crucial for reliable evaluation results.
- Other Related Resources: These may include checklists, logs, and templates designed separately from the learner workbook and evaluation guide. Validate these to ensure they match the assessment task and meet course unit requirements.

Validation 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 require all educators and assessors to participate, sometimes including field experts.

Collectively, your validation panel must have:

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

Principles Guiding Assessment

- Fairness: Is the assessment process fair and equitable for all candidates?
- Flexibility: Is the assessment adaptable to different needs and preferences of candidates?
- Validity: Does the assessment evaluate what it is intended to evaluate?
- Reliability: 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?
- Adequacy: Is there enough evidence to ensure that the learner has the skills and knowledge required?
- Originality: Does the assessment tool verify that the work is the candidate’s own?
- Relevance: Does the evidence reflect current skills and knowledge?

Specific Considerations for Assessment Validation

Pay attention to the action words 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 performance evidence requirement asks students to:

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

Typical Mistakes

Asking students to describe the nappy-changing process for babies under 12 months old does not meet the unit requirement. Unless the unit criteria is meant to assess underpinning knowledge (i.e., evidence of knowledge), students should be performing the tasks.

Watch Out for the Plurals!

Pay attention to the numbers. In our example, one of the unit requirements of CHCECE032 calls for 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 only complete half the tasks, it’s out of compliance. Each evaluation task must address all criteria, or the student is not yet competent, and the assessment tool is not compliant.

Can You Be More Specific?

Each evaluation task 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 this site baffle students or trainers.

Double-Barrelled Questions: Avoid Them

Not using double-barrelled questions makes it more straightforward for students to respond and for evaluators to accurately judge student competence.

Audit Guarantees

Considering these requirements, you might wonder, “Don’t learning resource developers offer audit guarantees?” However, with these promises, you must wait for an audit before they help rectify noncompliance. This affects your compliance history, so it's better to take a safe and compliant approach.

By following these recommendations and understanding the Principles of Assessment and evidence rules, you can ensure that your evaluation tools are compliant with the regulations mandated by ASQA and the SRTOs 2015.