Competency Based Assessment

Objectives

By the end of this session trainees will be able to:

• Define Assessment
• Explain types of Assessment
• Differentiate between types and methods of assessment
• Describe the principles of assessment and rules of evidence
• Prepare candidates for the assessment process
• Determine candidate’s readiness for assessment
• Pre assessment meeting
• Conduct assessment according to competency standards
• Provide feedback to candidates

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What is Assessment?

“a process in which

• evidence is gathered and
• evaluated against agreed criteria in order to
• make a judgement of competence for
• development and/or recognition purposes

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What is competency based assessment?

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• The full range of activities that clarify the candidate’s skills, knowledge and attitudes against a specification of competence defined by industry and set down in competency standards.

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Who is Assessor, Assesse ?

• Assessor is a person who is assessing the candidate with the help of the evidence guide and competency standards
• They are certified and responsible for:
• Collecting evidence of competency
• Making judgments
• Assesse/ Candidate
• Performs competently to the standards in the workplace under observation by and Assessor .

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Types of Assessment

1. Formative/Developmental Assessment:

• Sessional
• Continuous assessment and provision of immediate feedback

2. Summative Assessment:

• Final assessment for purposes of certification

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Purpose of Assessment

1. Assessment for Learning (Developmental) (sessional)

• The purpose of developmental Assessment is to provide students with feedback on how they are going. The aim is to help students improve their performance and make their next piece of assessed work better. It is developmental in nature; hence the term ”Developmental Assessment".

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Purpose of assessment … cont.

2. Assessment for Certification (Summative or Integrated)

• The other key purpose of assessment is to gather evidence to make a judgment about a student's level of performance; against the specified learning objectives.
• Students are usually assessed at the end of their session and they are awarded results to represent a particular level of achievement (competent, not yet competent).

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Principles of Assessment: �Open-Transparent

• The overall process should be transparent
• The candidate should understand the assessment process
• The candidate should understand his/her role and responsibilities in the assessment process, as well as the roles of the role players in the process

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Reliability (Consistency)

• The assessment is reliable when:
• The same assessor would make the same judgement in similar situations
• The assessment process should be consistent to the point where a group of assessors would make a similar judgement given a similar circumstance

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Fair

• The method should not unfairly advantage/disadvantage any candidates on the basis of their race, religion, language or gender

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• The method should not present any barriers to achievement in the manner in which the assessment is structured or clarity in terms of what is required from the candidate

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Flexibility (Appropriate)

The assessment is flexible or appropriate when:

• we identify that there is no single approach to the assessment of performance in a competency-based system
• assessment practices reflect a consideration of the widest range of direct, indirect and supplementary evidence

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Rules of Evidence:�Valid

• Does the evidence relate to the specific learning outcomes to be assessed?
• Evidence should be appropriate to what is being assessed

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Authentic

• Can the evidence be attributed to the learner?
• Evidence should be the candidate’s own work

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Current

• Is the evidence related to current competence?
• Evidence should relate to a competence that is applicable in the current situation

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Sufficient

• Is the evidence enough to prove competence?
• Evidence should be adequate to demonstrate the candidate’s competence

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Preparing Candidates for Assessment

Explaining the Purpose of Assessment

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Self-Assessment and Analysis Techniques

Assessor must share the self-assessment instrument to the candidate so that he/she make decision whether to get assessed or not.

In discussion with the candidates, the assessor will identify the standard(s) they are preparing for assessment.

Make sure the candidate understands what a standard is and how standards are assessed.

Purpose of the pre-assessment meeting is to ensure there are no surprises at the time of assessment

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Self-Assessment and Analysis Techniques

Following should be discuss during self-assessment meeting:

• Performance of practical tasks
• Portfolios of evidence, creative diaries, assignments, work logs/records Completed work such as machined parts, produced products, etc.
• Task related projects or assignments
• Role plays or simulated scenarios
• Past competency based assessments
• Questioning
• Completed research

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Self-Assessment and Analysis Techniques

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Sample Self-assessment Instrument for candidate

Assessment Methods

1. Direct assessment
2. Indirect assessment

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1. Direct assessment:

Evidence is obtained by direct observation of the candidate’s performance

• Work performances, e.g. completing the given task in the computer lab.
• Presentations, requiring research and organization of information or knowledge on a set subject to a class or peers.
• Direct questioning, where the assessor will ask the candidate about knowledge and skills gained in the workplace, class room or lab.
• Paper-based assessments, such as multiple choice or short answer questions to be answered in a set timeframe.
• Role plays, mostly used for the demonstration of interpersonal skills.

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2. Indirect assessment:

Assessor cannot observe the performance and therefore the evidence is gained indirectly.

• Reference from an employer.
• Homework - assignments to be completed at home.
• Final project - usually assigned to check the ability of the candidate to unify all the previously acquired competencies and which may take a significant time to complete, e.g. a 15-20 day web design final project.
• Portfolio, which is a visual or documented representation of the candidate’s current range of skills. Often used to present skills than those likely to be demonstrated in the national assessment tasks.

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Case 1

An assessor informs all candidates that she will be conducting assessments any day from 12-20 October 2012 at 3:00 pm only. One candidate tells the assessor, “I will not be available in any of those times as I am to attend a very important meeting”. The assessor replied, “If you cannot make within the given schedule, wait for the next assessment which is a year from now”.

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Question: Which principle of assessment is missing in this example? What should the assessor have done?

Case 2

Hussain has just been assessed for carrying cement, sand and gravel loading to and from the mixing area. He said, “My assessment is too easy.” Three months later, he is assessed by a different assessor at the next higher level. This time the assessment is much more difficult and he was required to do a variety of things. To his surprise, he is found to be “not yet competent” even at the level where he was first assessed.

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Question: What do you think is wrong with the first assessment? What should the assessor do to ensure the candidate is found competent by another assessor? Which principle of assessment has been ignored here?

Case 3

Khalifa has been working in the Izhar Construction Industry for 25 years, and conducting assessments for the last ten years. Recently he has become involved in CBT assessment of new recruits after having undergone some training. Khalifa believes that every assessment conducted should include some written material, as good literacy is vital in performing a job well. He insists that all candidates either answer some written questions or write a short paper on the area of competency no matter what it is.

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Question: What are the disadvantages of this approach to both the candidate and the assessor? What should the assessor consider before assessing the candidate in every assessment situation?

Case 4

An assessment event has been scheduled at TTB. One candidate, Khalid, arrives feeling sick, and not fit for the assessment. When he meets Kabir, his assessor, he says “Do not to worry, you will pass”. Khalid insists he is sick and asks for another schedule. Disregarding that, the Kabir wants to continue. They go through the assessment and the candidate is found to be not yet competent.

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Question: What principle of assessment has been ignored in this scenario? How would this experience make the candidate feel about assessment and the assessor? What should the assessor have done in this situation?

Conduct of Assessment

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Requirements for Conduct of Assessment

1. Complying with Processes and Standards
2. Introduction of Assessor and Candidate
3. Briefing Candidate about Assessment
4. Fairness of Assessment
5. Do not accept any Gift or Remuneration from Candidates
6. Completing all Documentation

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Sequence of Events in an Assessment Day

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Assessment Procedure�

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What is Evidence and what not?

• Candidate’s explanation of how to do it, or parts of it, and their answers to specific questions.
• Specific, competency-related references, preferably on letter-head, signed and dated by appropriate person.
• Personal references making general comments about character.
• Unauthenticated products which the candidate cannot prove are their work.

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• Candidate’s verbal assurances they can do it “I’ve been doing it for years.”
• Performance reviews/appraisals relevant to the competencies being assessed.
• Job descriptions/position descriptions, especially if not signed off.

What is Evidence and what Not?

• Emails and minutes of meetings attended by the candidate which provide proof of work undertaken
• Authenticated (e.g., signed off) and dated photographs or videos of work in progress or products.
• Unauthenticated pictures, video or photographs of work or products.
• ‘Evidence’ by exception – “I must be working safely – I’ve still got all my fingers!”.

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• Journals and diary entries written by the candidate.
• Old products – especially if methods of work have changed.
• Observed performance
• Observation of inappropriate simulation/role play (e.g., swimming on dry land)
• Recently produced products (anything from a report to a cake or building) and proof they have been produced by the candidate.
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Evidence Gathering Methods and Tools

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Common Mistakes Made by Assessors

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Making Assessment Decision

1. Is the evidence valid?
2. Is the evidence authentic?
3. Is the evidence sufficient?
4. Is your judgement consistent?

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Making Assessment Decision

1. Is the evidence valid?
• Does the evidence match standards and assessment criteria?
• Does the evidence assess what you set out to assess?
• Does the evidence show the candidate can perform the function/s?
• Is the evidence in a form that will allow accurate judgements to be made of the candidate’s level of competence?

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Making Final Judgement

• Always try to make judgement as objective as possible by observing evidence, criteria, guidelines and rules
• No decision can be made in an impersonal vacuum, so we acknowledge that a degree of informed subjective judgement on your part will be involved.
• When making your judgement about competency, be clear about the reasons you have for reaching your decision. These reasons will form the basis of your feedback to the candidates.
• If you cannot make a decision about competency, you should ask the candidate to submit additional evidence. If after submission you are ready to make a decision, do so

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Reasonable Adjustment

When we make arrangements to change something for a candidate who has some special requirement, it is called a Reasonable Adjustment.

Still allows for an accurate decision to be made about whether the candidate has demonstrated the nationally agreed standard as set down by the Qualification.

It would be unreasonable to make a decision, if we only had information that they could meet a lower standard of performance.

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Question Types

There are two basic types of questions that an assessor can ask. These are:

• closed questions

• open-ended questions

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Closed Questions

Closed questions require a specific response such as the name of an item, a yes/no answer, a date or title. For example:

• What colour is used to signify a positive in electrical wiring?
• When was this product last used?
• What are the four types of fuel used in this workplace?
• Who would you ask first, if you needed further information?
• How long will the fish stock take to cook?
• What type of bolt would you use to attach X?
• Is part A the correct part for this job?

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Open-ended Questions

Used when a more detailed response from the candidate is required. They often involve problem solving, interpretation and the application of knowledge and skill to new situations. They can be used to:

• probe the candidate’s underpinning knowledge and understanding - that is, the what, when, where, why and how of what the candidate is doing
• explore contingency situations such as emergencies, breakdowns and unusual situations that are not likely to occur during the period of observation
• check on critical safety knowledge and understanding needed for the activity
• probe knowledge and understanding of relevant regulations and procedures

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Hints for Effective Questioning

• Keep questions short and focused on one key concept
• Ensure that questions are structured and not ambiguous
• Keep questions clear and straightforward and ask one at a time
• Link the questions to work experience
• Use words that the candidate will understand
• Look at the candidate when asking questions

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Provide Feedback to the Candidate

Importance of Feedback

• Constructive feedback during formative assessment ensures that the learner understands how to overcome any problems or weaknesses in learning.
• Even when the trainee has provided evidence of competence, or has achieved the specified learning outcomes, the feedback session can be used to explore the next stage in learning or development.
• Always ask the learner how he/she felt about the assessment before offering your feedback. The learner’s self-esteem should be enhanced by having the opportunity to critically reflect on their own performance.

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Give and Receive Feedback

For effective feedback, the following rules should be adopted:

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1. Feedback should be about behaviour and never personality
2. Feedback should be as specific
3. Feedback should be timely
4. Feedback should be courteous

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Recording Feedback and Forms

• Record your assessment decision on the forms supplied for that purpose and any other supporting information including feedback given to the candidate on the same day as the assessment.
• The form to be used is the National Evidence Guide, where all pages must be completed correctly and sufficient for you to recall the details some months later when required to defend your decision-making at moderation.
•  It is recommended, you document the feedback on separate sheet and attach to the Evidence Guide. The feedback should reflect the comments made in the column provided in Section 4 Assessor Judgement Guide of the Evidence Guide.

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Requirements for Recording Assessment Results from Awarding Body’s Perspective

1. Complete all assessment forms and supporting information

Complete all assessment forms and supporting information well in time and to ensure that the information in the Evidence Guide is entered into National Skills Information System (NSIS) database.

2. Record assessment information carefully

Assessment information must be recorded carefully because it could be required later as part of the moderation or appeal process. It can also be demanded by awarding body or the assessment center in future.

3. Store and secure assessment data properly

All records must be kept secured and access must be restricted, in accordance with the Awarding Body’s requirements. Storage will be within the training institute in which the assessments took place or the assessor’s place of work.

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Evidence Guide for Formative Assessment

Comp_Operator-Prepare Word Documents.docx

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