How do you Validate Assessment?

Validation in the Australian VET (Vocational Education and Training) world is all about the assessment SYSTEM, not only one the assessment tool.  However, everyone seems to focus on the assessment tool alone. Everyone wants to know from their validation to tell them when is enough assessment enough?

Here is the thing - looking at the rules of evidence and principles of assessment are not enough to complete a full assessment Validation and getting the most out of it. Don't get me wrong I love the review of the tools against the unit criteria, as long as it is accurate, quick and produces an outcome that is actionable rather than just for audit evidence.  There are heaps of compliance "gurus", blogs, checklists and templates to review assessment against the rules and principles however it seems no matter how many of these there is our industry, the VET sector in Australia still have high rates of non-compliance in the assessment.  So why is this not enough? Because there is an old way and a new way. 

The old way is a long manual process that takes hours, looks at only part of the system and does not link with the business.

The new way is an efficient process with automation, looking at the whole system that is linked with Business including Students

Here are the 3 things that I believe need to be changed to successfully validate assessments.

1 Validation needs to take in more of the assessment system.  The first thing to understand is what is your assessment practice, process and system and what are the difference with these.  Let’s look at what they are and the differences between them.

A practice – is a repeated activity. It can be for learning, an activity as learning – reflection and monitor of their progress OR of learning such as a summative assessment[1]

A system[2] – A set of controlled and ordered processes designed to ensure that assessment decisions made concerning many are consistent - think grievances and appeals process, validation systems and process, reporting arrangements, also consider what is in place to identify the assessment of specific standards.

Assessment processes[3]- are a series of events to produce a result – gathering, analysing and interpreting evidence, reflecting on findings, making informed and consistent judgements to improve student learning

Your validation must include all of these parts of your assessment system.  Once you have identified what you have in these you can start to review and measure the compliance.

2 Identify the blockages, holes, leaks and gaps

So assessment is meant to be focused on your students, always, however, all old ways of completing validation seem to start with the assessment against the unit.  I am not saying the unit review isn't important, in fact, our Pricklky2sweet system a whole system around this much quicker, more accurate and measurable than the old way.  I am talking here about the focus of the validation.  Your Whole Validation, however, needs to focus on the student's journey in the whole assessment system and the standards the guide it.  If you are only looking at assessment tools then you are missing the links with business. The validation process has to know how and why it fits into your business. 

The easy quick answer here is that you HAVE TO validate for registration - yep that's correct, baseline answer.  The amount to be done is also well know - 50% of the scope of your registration in 3 years and then 100% in 5 years. Dig a bit deeper here.  Your registration and scope are based on your Students need, you have to have a business to be able to deliver this registration.  Here is the thing - link your business processes with your students.  The only way to do this is once you have identified your actual assessment system and how and why it fits,  you have to identify in your validation the blockages, holes and leaks/ gaps in this system.  All the areas you find should have a student focus on the solution.

3 Use efficient automation in your Validation process to measure, monitor and manage compliance

I see the ongoing problem for RTO's is that compliance must be maintained, however they are not in the business of being compliance experts.  There is also a need to ensure the team must have additional compliance skills and maintain professional development in compliance.  The final area of the old way is that the time it takes to do all the manual process that is not providing an active outcome.  The new world needs to ensure the validation process is conducted more accurately, efficiently and affordably.

This can be done with shifting your validation focus, come join us in our Validation community  Valid8ed  and the newsletter from EDCV and subscribe to the Prickly2sweet system that can take the whole mapping, assessment review and gap analysis within minutes!. 

The biggest thing here is without data you can't measure, monitor or manage compliance.  DATA is king. this can only be obtained by using a new system that can automatically provide you with the data you need.

Follow me on LinkedIn and #educ8compliance