Assessment Validation Overview

Registered Training Organisations are responsible for numerous responsibilities post-registration, which include annual statements, AVETMISS compliance, and marketing adherence. Among these tasks, assessment validation is notably challenging. While validation has been covered in many discussions, let's revisit the fundamental principles. The Australian Skills Quality Authority defines assessment validation as quality assurance of the assessment process.

Essentially, assessment validation is aimed at identifying which parts of an RTO's assessment process 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 2015 Standards for RTOs, RTOs must ensure their assessment systems, including RPL, comply with 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 primary type of assessment review guarantees adherence to the training package assessment requirements within your RTO's scope. The other type ensures that assessments are conducted according to the principles of assessment and Rules of Evidence. This indicates that validation is performed both before and after the assessment. This article will concentrate on the primary type—assessment tool validation.

Types of Assessment Validation

- Assessment Tool Validation: Often termed pre-assessment validation or verification, deals with the initial part of the clause, aimed at compliance with all unit requirements.
- Post-Assessment Validation: Concerns the conduct, guaranteeing that RTO assessments adhere to the Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence.

Methods for Conducting Assessment Tool Validation

Optimal Timing for Assessment Tool Validation

The goal of validating assessment tools is to ensure that all aspects, performance standards, and performance and knowledge evidence are included by your evaluation tools. Therefore, whenever you acquire 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 ensure they are appropriate for students.

Nevertheless, this isn't the only time to do this type of validation. Conduct validation of assessment tools also when you:

- Update your resources
- Introduce new training products on scope
- Check your course against training product updates
- Detect 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 Require Validation

Note that this validation ensures compliance of all training materials before student use. All RTOs must validate resources for each unit.

Resources Needed to Start Assessment Tool Validation

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

- Mapping Tool: The first document to review. It indicates which assessment items meet unit requirements, assisting in faster validation.
- Learner Workbook: Ensure it is suitable as an assessment resource during validation. Check if directions are clear and answer fields are sufficient. This is a common issue.
- Assessor Guide/Marking Guide: Also ensure if directions for trainers are sufficient and if clear standards for each evaluation item are provided. Clear benchmarks are crucial for reliable assessment outcomes.
- Other Related Resources: These may include evaluation checklists, registers, and evaluation templates created separately from the student workbook and assessor guide. Validate these to ensure they fit the assessment task and comply with subject requirements.

Panel for Validation

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

Collectively, your validation panel must have:

- Workplace Competencies and Current Industry Skills relevant to the unit being validated.
- Updated Knowledge and Skills in Vocational Training.
- Either of the following training and assessment credentials:
- TAE40116 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment or its successor.

Principles of Assessment

- Impartiality: Is the assessment process fair and equitable for all candidates?
- Adaptability: Does the assessment offer various options to demonstrate competence based on different needs and preferences?
- Relevance: Is the assessment relevant to the skills and knowledge it aims to evaluate?
- Reliability: Will the assessment produce consistent results every time?

Evidence Rules

- Relevance: Does the evidence demonstrate that the candidate has the skills, knowledge, and attributes described in the unit of competency and associated assessment requirements?
- Sufficiency: Does the evidence adequately demonstrate the required skills and knowledge?
- Originality: Does the assessment tool verify that the work is the candidate’s own?
- Relevance: Are the assessment tools based on current units of competency and up-to-date industry practices?

Key Considerations for Assessment Validation

Pay attention to the tasks in the unit requirements and ensure they are addressed by the assessment task. For example, in the unit CHCECE032 Baby and Toddler Care, one required performance evidence asks students to:

- Change nappies
- Feed babies with bottles and clean equipment
- Prepare and give solid food to 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

Common Pitfalls

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

Watch Out for the Plurals!

Pay attention to the quantities. In our example, one of the unit requirements of CHCECE032 Nurture babies and toddlers 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 won’t cut it.

All or Not Competent

Pay attention to itemized requirements. As mentioned earlier, if students only complete half the tasks, it’s non-compliant. Each assessment task must meet all requirements, or the student is incompetent, and the assessment tool is not compliant.

Be Specific!

Each assessment task must have clear and specific reference answers to guide the evaluator’s decision on the student’s competence. Therefore, it’s crucial that your guidelines do not mislead students or evaluators.

Avoid Double-Barrelled Questions

Not using double-barrelled questions makes it more straightforward get more info for students to respond and for trainers to accurately assess student competence.

Assurance During Audits

Considering these requirements, you might wonder, “Don't resource developers provide audit guarantees?” However, with these guarantees, you must wait until an audit to address noncompliance. This influences your compliance status, so it's better to take a preventative and compliant approach.

By following these recommendations and understanding the principles of assessment and evidence rules, you can ensure that your assessment tools are reliable with the regulations mandated by ASQA and the SRTOs 2015.