G stic framework

The features of a competency based assessment system are:

· It is focused on what learners can do and whether it meets the criteria specified by industry as competency standards.

· Assessment should mirror the environment the learner will encounter in the workplace.

· Assessment criteria should be clearly stated to the learner at the beginning of the learning process.

· Assessment should be holistic. That is it aims to assess as many elements and/or units of competency as is feasible at one time.

· In competency assessment a learner receives one of only two outcomes – competent or not yet competent.

· The basis of assessment is in applying knowledge for some purpose. In a competency system, knowledge for the sake of knowledge is seen to be ineffectual unless it assists a person to perform a task to the level required in the workplace.

· The emphasis in assessment is on assessable outcomes that are clearly stated for the trainer and learner. Assessable outcomes are tied to the relevant industry competency standards where these exist. Where such competencies do not exist, the outcomes are based upon those identified in a training needs analysis.

Definition of competency

Assessment in this context can be defined as:

· The fair, valid, reliable and flexible gathering and recording of evidence to support judgement on whether competence has been achieved. Skills and knowledge (developed either in a structured learning situation, at work, or in some other context) are assessed against national standards of competence required by industry, rather than compared with the skills and knowledge of other learners.

The Basic Principles of Assessing Nationally Recognised Training

Developing and conducting assessment, in an Australian vocational education and training context, is founded on a number of basic conventions:

The principles of assessment

· Fairness

· The individual’s learner’s needs are considered in the assessment process.

· Where appropriate, reasonable adjustments are applied by the RTO to take into account the individual learner’s needs.

· The RTO informs the learner about the assessment process, and provides the leaner with the opportunity to challenge the result of the assessment and be reassessed if necessary.

· Flexibility

· Assessment is flexible to the individual learner by:

· reflecting the learner’s needs;

· assessing competencies held by the learner no matter how or where they have been acquired; and

· drawing from a range of assessment methods and using those that are appropriate to the context, the unit of competency and associated assessment requirements, and the individual.

· Validity

· Any assessment decision of the RTO is justified, based on the evidence of performance of the individual learner.

· Validity requires:

 assessment against the unit/s of competency and the associated assessment requirements covers the broad range of skills and knowledge that are essential to competent performance;

 assessment of knowledge and skills is integrated with their practical application;

 assessment to be based on evidence that demonstrates that a learner could demonstrate these skills and knowledge in other similar situations; and

 judgement of competence is based on evidence of learner performance that is aligned to the unit/s of competency and associated assessment requirements.

· Reliability

· Evidence presented for assessment is consistently interpreted and assessment results are comparable irrespective of the assessor conducting the assessment.

(from Standards for RTOs 2015, Table 1.8-1: Principles of Assessment)

The rules of evidence

When collecting evidence there are certain rules that apply to that evidence. All evidence must be valid, sufficient, authentic and current;

· Valid

· The assessor is assured that the learner has the skills, knowledge and attributes as described in the module or unit of competency and associated assessment requirements.

· Sufficient

· The assessor is assured that the quality, quantity and relevance of the assessment evidence enables a judgement to be made of a learner’s competency.

· Authentic

· The assessor is assured that the evidence presented for assessment is the learner’s own work.

· Current

· The assessors is assured that the assessment evidence demonstrates current competency. This requires the assessment evidence to be from the present or the very recent past.

(from Standards for RTOs 2015, Table 1.8-2: Rules of Evidence)

The Dimensions of Competency

The national concept of competency includes all aspects of work performance, and not only narrow task skills. The four dimensions of competency are:

· Task skills

· Task management skills

· Contingency management skills

· Job role and environment skills

Reasonable Adjustment

Adapted Reasonable Adjustment in teaching, learning and assessment for learners with a disability - November 2010 - Prepared by - Queensland VET Development Centre

Reasonable adjustment in VET is the term applied to modifying the learning environment or making changes to the training delivered to assist a learner with a disability. A reasonable adjustment can be as simple as changing classrooms to be closer to amenities, or installing a particular type of software on a computer for a person with vision impairment.

Why make a reasonable adjustment?

We make reasonable adjustments in VET to make sure that learners with a disability have:

· the same learning opportunities as learners without a disability

· the same opportunity to perform and complete assessments as those without a disability.

Reasonable adjustment applied to participation in teaching, learning and assessment activities can include:

· customising resources and assessment activities within the training p