Assessment Methods in Assessing Vocational Achievement

The limitations are that the skills are not applied in a real life situation, therefore more difficult to undertake when under pressure in real time.

Written assessment can be used to give a differentiation of questions to the learner and can be used to judge knowledge at a given level. It also provides a good paper trail. Problems could arise if the learner did not have good reading skills or was dyslexic, evidence could be lost.

A formative assessment provides informal feedback and information during the teaching process. This assessment measures student progress and performance thus allowing further improvement and development. It can also assess the teacher’s progress as an instructor, enabling the teacher to evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching methods.

Our process for internal quality assurance involves planning the units that will be sampled for each student. This is planned on an internal verification sampling plan (Evidence index 5) and we use the alphabetical listings and diagonal lines that cross the units to be sampled. If however, the units are infrequently selected then I will ensure that they are sampled and also with the new NVQ specification that has recently taken place then I would carry out a 100% check. We also like to carry out formative assessment as this is good practice and aids to our standardisation process in supporting all our assessors. Regarding support I always liaise with our more senior assessors and the external verifier to ensure I am continually meeting the quality standards required and they are always available to offer their assistance and advice. If we have a very inexperienced assessor or new assessor then the NVQ’s they assess would be sampled far deeper and more support would be given to them. I would ensure that I assess a variety of evidence ranging from Observations, Recorded discussions, Reflective accounts, Witness statements and Work products to list a few. I ensure that the levels and quantities of these are consistent, authentic, valid, and reliable especially regarding new standards.

The assessment strategy should state how the subject should be assessed, and subsequent results recorded. It should also state the experience, professional development and qualifications that assessors should hold. Quality assurance requirements, for example internal and external verification or moderation, will also be stated. Organisation may also have an assessment policy which an assessor should familiarise him/herself with.

For example, assessment provides clear measurement and recording of achievement during a course that provides identification of individual

With focus on the quality and standards of assessors to meet the learning needs of the candidates, where a lack of progress is highlighted or an inconsistency within assessments will result in further support for the assessment team, potentially in the form of further standardization

e) Questioning is another method of sampling evidence and will involve the questioning of both the assessor and the candidate. To ensure that the evidence has the necessary validity the questions to the learner should happen in private away from the assessor. The need for the learner to feel that they have the confidence to disclose the true picture of the assessment process is very important. The question sessions can be recorded on the necessary portfolio documentation but can add validity if they are recorded on tape or digitally and used as evidence.

The assessment should be based on the job related behaviour and not let personal issues cloud the discussion and employees should not be compared against each other. It should be objective and it is important that you do not generalise about

While observing students. Use a check list to formally assess students progress and understanding of the objective.

With all of the activities carried our by the learner (with or without the assessor) the assessor needs to make decisions on the learner's competence in relation to the requirements of the qualification. The assessor should make their judgements of success or not and provide constructive feedback to the learner in a way that best suits the individual. If any further action is necessary for the completion of the qualification criteria (i.e. more training, description of knowledge or other evidence of ability) then a further plan should be agreed to achieve this. All such information discussed and agreed should be recorded appropriately at each stage.

When planning assessments you will need to take a holistic approach, you will need to make sure assessment is specific to a qualification, it needs to be clear and relevant to the topic being taught. The assessment also needs to be measurable, you will need to be able to give a pass/fail or grade on any assessment given and show any areas not covered during the training. Assessment and to be achievable, the level of difficulty needs to match the candidates being assessed as well as the importance of the qualification, four example children would possibly need easier assessments, but assessments concerning life-saving need to have a relative difficulties so the assessor knows that the learner could react in a real life situation. Realistic assessment, this is important when it comes to transferring skills learnt in the classroom to a real life situation, they need to be as real as possible where they can, Four example manikins used in CPR with given scenarios from real life case studies. And finally assessments need to be time bound, assessment dates and times are agreed, this is to incorporate preparation time (Not too much – not too little).

The function of assessment in learning and development is to provide a measurable way of planning and supporting students’ progress. Assessment is carried out by means of checks and tests carried out throughout the course. Assessors should provide feedback throughout ensuring that learning is occurring and the learner is at the correct level. It is also important that assessor’s decisions are also consistently reviewed and internally and externally verified.

Assessment, both formative and summative, plays a significant part in the learning experience as it determines progression and enables learners to demonstrate that they have achieved their desired learning outcomes.

Evidence gathered from the learner allows the assessor to make an assessment judgment. Different forms of evidence can be gathered from the learner to show that they are competent.