Assessment Validation Policy

1. Purpose

The Standards for RTOs (Standards 1.3 and 1.5) emphasise the importance of assessment validation.

This policy aims to ensure Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) undertakes assessment validation that confirms:

• assessments are valid and meet the training package or accredited course requirements
• the principles of fairness, flexibility, validity and reliability are met (the Principles of Assessment)
• the evidence used to determine competence is valid, sufficient, authentic and current (the Rules of Evidence)
• assessors are aware of the competency outcomes being assessed
• assessors reach accurate and consistent decisions that inform assessment outcomes
• potential improvements to assessment practices are identified and implemented.

This policy is to be read in conjunction with Assessment Validation Procedure.

2. Scope

Where this policy refers to CIT, it includes CIT Solutions.

This policy applies to:

• all nationally recognised training products on the scope of registration, both qualifications and explicit units
• administration staff and educators with responsibilities related to assessment validation.

3. Principles

Assessment validation is embedded in the CIT quality system to confirm that:

• assessment practices meet the requirements of nationally accredited training products
• assessments are mapped to confirm validity of the assessment tools
• assessment judgements are being applied consistently so that certification issued is accurate and credible.

CIT will maintain an assessment validation plan and an assessment validation schedule that reflects the validation cycle and nominates training products in accordance with the Standards for RTOs, ensuring all training products are scheduled for validation.

Validation of assessment will occur:

• in the design process (pre-delivery assessment review)
• after delivery (post-assessment validation):
  • as part of the published cycle of post-assessment validation
  • as part of continuous improvement actions arising from feedback from educators, students or other stakeholders.

3.1 Validity of the assessment – pre-delivery assessment review

All assessment tools for new and re-developed training products, whether purchased or designed internally, will be reviewed against the principles of assessment and rules of evidence:

• in the process of design
• prior to first use
• prior to finalisation of the Training and Assessment Strategy (TAS) for new training products.

Refer: Amendment to Scope of Registration Procedure

Pre-delivery assessment review at the design or purchase stage will verify if the assessment tools:

• meet the requirements of the nationally recognised training product and any legislative, regulatory and licensing obligations
• meet the principles of assessment—fairness, flexibility, validity and reliability
• meet all the rules of evidence of validity, sufficiency, currency and authenticity
• provide clear instructions for evidence gatherers and candidates
• provide transparent and defensible information to CIT in relation to their competency decisions and awarding of nationally recognised qualifications and/or statements of attainment.

CIT will complete pre-delivery assessment reviews for all new and reviewed assessments including assessment resources acquired or purchased from a third party including from other TAFE institutes.

3.2 Validation of the application of assessments (post-assessment validation)

Ongoing monitoring of assessment tools will ensure they are valid and continue to be fit-for-purpose. CIT will maintain a validation schedule and validate each training product once every five years in line with the RTO Standards.

Post-assessment validation will:

• consider the validity of both assessment practices and assessment judgements
• identify future improvements to the assessment tool, process and outcomes to better and more effectively assess students, while still collecting the evidence intended.

The post-assessment validation is a quality process that evaluates if:

• educators reached accurate and consistent decisions that resulted in nationally recognised training outcomes
• the collection of valid, sufficient, authentic and current evidence meets the Rules of Evidence
• competency decisions are valid, fair, flexible and reliable in accordance with the Principles of Assessment
• assessment validation outcomes and actions are used to inform continuous improvement of assessment.

The post-assessment validation will consist of:

• review of assessment tools to confirm they meet the Principles of Assessment – valid, reliable, flexible and fair
• review of a sample of assessment judgements to confirm they meet the Rules of Evidence – valid, current, sufficient and authentic.

CIT will validate a random sample of student assessment evidence to ensure robust monitoring of the suite of assessments being validated. Systematic validation of assessment practices and judgements is to be undertaken by one or more persons who collectively have:

• vocational competencies and current industry skills relevant to the assessment being validated
• current knowledge and skills in vocational teaching and learning
• the training and assessment credentials specified in the Standards for RTOs: Credential Policy.

Validation of assessment practices and judgements may be undertaken by persons involved in delivery and assessment of the training product being validated, providing there are other independent participants contributing to the validation outcome, and they are not solely responsible for determining the outcomes of validation.

Validation may include engagement with industry.

CIT uses a risk analysis approach that considers the complexity of the qualification, and the risks associated with each unit of competency, to determine the actual number of units of competency that will be validated. If the analysis highlights the presence of multiple risk factors that may compromise the quality of the assessment, or validation indicates that assessment processes are not valid, then more units should be validated. Priorities for post-assessment validation will consider the relative risks of all the training products on CIT’s scope of registration, including risks identified by ASQA.

When validating a whole qualification or a skill set, the assessment practices and judgements of a minimum of at least two units of competency must be validated. The two units selected must be representative of the qualification or skill set.

When validating stand-alone units of competency, samples of assessment judgements for the full unit must be validated.

3.3 Roles and Responsibilities

3.3.1 Academic Council

Academic Council is responsible for:

• ensuring courses and programs are designed and delivered in accordance with CIT’s academic policies and relevant legislation and standards
• overseeing the Program Review and Improvement (PRI) cycle and associated Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP), and assessment validation, and evaluate the effectiveness of the review and validation cycle.

3.3.2 Teaching and Learning Quality Committee

The Teaching and Learning Quality Committee is responsible for:

• reviewing the validation template to ensure validations are capturing good quality feedback from the process
• monitoring outcomes from department validations with consideration for setting future directions
• reporting outcomes to Academic Council.

3.3.3 Executive Branch Manager, Audit, Risk and Corporate Governance

The Executive Branch Manager, Audit, Risk and Corporate Governance is responsible for:

• leading the development and implementation of pre-delivery assessment review and post-assessment validation
• reporting outcomes of validations to Academic Council.

3.3.4 College Directors

College Directors are responsible to promote leadership and innovation in teaching delivery and assessment. This includes:

• foster positive relationships with industry and key stakeholders
• identification of opportunities for collaboration across departments, colleges and divisions in the implementation of continuous improvement actions
• oversight of the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of the validation process
• ensuring the storage of student assessments and student privacy is retained during the validation process in accordance with legislative, regulatory and CIT policy requirements
• monitoring validation completions as scheduled and reporting outcomes from the validation process to TLQC.

3.3.5 Head of Department Education Quality

The Head of Department Education Quality is responsible for the integrity of the assessment validation system and for implementation of the validation procedure, including:

• developing and implementing the five-year post assessment validation schedule
• using a risk-based approach to identifying the sample units for post-assessment validation
• developing and maintaining CIT validation templates
• providing support to teaching departments for post-assessment validation
• quality assuring post-assessment validations
• monitoring outcomes of post-assessment validation processes and ensuring that rectifications and improvements are implemented in a timely manner
• advising the College Directors, Education Design and Delivery Lead and Audit, Risk and Corporate Governance Lead the status of validations and rectifications
• ensuring the maintenance of records of post-assessment validation.

3.3.6 Head of Department Program Services

The Head of Department Program Services is responsible for:

• planning pre-delivery assessment review in consultation with the Heads of Department for new programs (including equivalent and non-equivalent)
• assigning team members to undertake pre-delivery assessment review
• developing and maintaining a schedule of activities for pre-delivery assessment review
• planning in consultation with the relevant Head of Department, and as part of any quality review and pre‑delivery assessment review activity for new training products
• liaising with the relevant Head of Department to facilitate any required changes to the assessment and curriculum tools
• providing support for pre-delivery assessment review to ensure quality assessment tools
• ensuring comprehensive records are maintained of pre-delivery assessment review using the Pre-Delivery Assessment Review Form.

3.3.7 Head of Department

The Head of Department is responsible for:

• working in consultation with the Head of Department Program Services for pre-delivery assessment review
• determining the need and assigning an appropriate person or team to document and conduct pre-delivery assessment review to ensure quality assessment tools
• coordinating post-assessment validation to ensure the validation plan is achieved
• assigning post-assessment validation lead validators
• actioning and documenting changes to assessment and curriculum tools arising from any validation activities
• documenting the outcomes of the pre-delivery assessment review and the post-assessment validation and updating the Continuous Improvement register
• monitoring the outcomes of validation at the course and unit levels and reporting these to the Head of Department Education Quality, as required.

3.3.8 Lead Validator

The Lead Validator is responsible for:

• scheduling and conducting post-assessment validation activities
• compiling documentation for the validation meeting
• selecting and inviting panel members to validation meetings
• providing course, unit information and student assessment instruction to panel members one week prior to the scheduled validation meeting (student details and responses to the assessments are only provided during the scheduled face-to-face post-assessment validation meeting)
• leading the validation meeting
• ensuring student personal details remain private
• reviewing units of competency and assessments as part of validation
• actively participating in validation activities (preparation, meetings, follow-up)
• recording and documenting validation outcomes and completing validation reports
• providing validation reports to the Head of Department Education Quality.

3.3.9 Educator

The Educator is responsible for:

• designing and writing assessment tools
• completing pre-delivery assessment reviews for new and updated assessments
• participating in assessment validation when required
• reviewing and making planned assessment changes resulting from the pre-delivery assessment review or post-assessment validation

4. Documentation

4.1 Related Legislation/Regulation

• Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015

4.2 Related Policy and Procedures

• Assessment Validation Procedure
• Assessment Policy
• Amendment to Scope of Registration Policy
• Amendment to Scope of Registration Procedure
• Privacy Policy

4.3 Related Documents

• Pre-delivery Assessment Validation form
• Quality Review Prior to Scoping template
• Assessment Quality Review
• Assessor Decision Review
• Validation Report
• ASQA Fact Sheet Conducting Validation
• Fact Sheet: Assessment Validation (www.wa.gov.au)

5. Definitions

Validation is a quality review process for completed assessments that confirms the assessment system can consistently produce valid assessment judgements. Validation involves confirming that assessment tools have produced valid, reliable, sufficient, current and authentic evidence—evidence that allows CIT to make reasonable judgements about whether training product requirements have been met.All terminology used in this policy is consistent with definitions in the CIT Definition of Terms. Specific definitions relevant to this policy are:

6. Policy Contact Officer

Executive Director, Education Futures and Students.

Contact CIT Student Services on (02) 6207 3188 or email infoline@cit.edu.au for further information.

7. Procedures

This policy is implemented through the associated procedure. Authority to make changes to the procedures rests with the policy owner.