Assessment and Learners

4 Understand how to involve learners and others in assessment 4. 1 Explain the importance of involving the learner and others in the assessment process Assessment is all about making judgements. A major argument for involving students in self and peer-assessment is that it helps them to develop the ability to make judgements, in particular about themselves and their work. This is an important life skill as well as an academic one.

If an assessor wants to observe a specific piece of evidence but is unable to because maybe it hasn’t occurred in any methods of assessment; this is where it’s important for others to get involved for example the managers or the colleagues. The workers can motivate the learner when the assessor is not around. The workers can act as an expert witness, so when the assessor goes to visit the candidate he/she could provide the assessor with a witness testimony, and this will be put as evidence in the portfolio 4. Summarise types of information that should be made available to learners and others involved in the assessment process Students should be made aware of the criteria in which they will be assessed from the start of the course as well as the forms of assessments that will be used during the process and the length of time it will take. The learners should be given information on what the outcome will be for the different assessments undertaken as well as what qualification is expected on completion of the course. 4. Explain how peer and self-assessment can be used effectively to promote involvement and personal responsibility in the assessment of learning There are many benefits of peer assessment. Students assessing each other’s learning can help the learners to feel supported by their peers. There is also the benefit that the learners may be able to relate more easily with their peers than with a tutor. Peer assessment assists the learners gain confidence and social skills and shares the roles of assessing and being assessed equally between the learners.

One suggested peer assessment activity is to have students work in groups, discussing each other’s’ in-class assignments and ways to improve, develop and adapt for improvements providing their peers with peer led feedback and assessment. Self-assessment is a natural progression and grows out of peer assessment. It allows the students to examine their own work and discover strengths and weaknesses for themselves. This can be carried out through reflective practice through a diary of learning or learning log that allows the student to see progression and reflect upon the journey.

It’s important to incorporate some aspect of self-assessment every day, if possible, in order for students to take responsibility and interest in their abilities. Another way of using self-assessment is by asking the students to give themselves a grade on the work that they have completed before handing in the work to the marking criteria set, or for student looks at their assignment and marks green for questions that they feels confident about, yellow for questions that they are unsure of and red for questions that will require help. 4. Explain how assessment arrangements can be adapted to meet the needs of individual learners Assessment arrangements can be adapted by allowing the learners to have an element of choice on how the criterion is assessed. This will allow the learners to feel included and means that the tutor is not offering an alternative or necessarily forcing the learner to disclose their lack of understanding or forcing adjustment. An example would be giving all learners the choice of having a Unit assessed either by portfolio or by written examination or by observation.

In short, as long as the assessment criteria are being assessed to the same standard, the assessment method can be flexible and should meet the needs of the learners 5 Understand how to make assessment decisions 5. 1 Explain how to judge whether evidence is: sufficient, authentic and current All assessments must be valid, reliable, practicable, and equitable and assessors must apply the standards of assessment uniformly and consistently. . Ensuring assessments are capable of generating sufficient evidence for learners’ to demonstrate that they have met the assessment criteria.

Having this process gives the learners clear instructions to the assessments that will be used during the course as well as clear and precise guidelines for completion. It gives both the tutors and the learners the recommended guidelines on how work for the course should be presented and what evidence is required for verification, this in turn allows the tutor and the organisation to map the developments of the learner through the assessment criteria being met.

This ensures that all courses awarded are valid and that the course has worked to the set Quality Assurance of the awarding body and organisation; thus being assessed accurately, consistently and fairly to set standards. Sufficient evidence must cover all aspects of the assessment criteria for each unit the learner is seeking to achieve and collect enough evidence to demonstrate knowledge and competence. The learner must be able to show that the work produced is authentic and able to explain and substantiate the evidence the learner has put forward.

It is important, therefore, to ensure that any work that the learner submits is only evidence relating to your own performance. Current’ means evidence relating to skills, attitudes and knowledge you can currently demonstrate in relation to the criterion and unit being taught. 5. 2 Explain how to ensure that assessment decisions are: made against specified criteria, valid, reliable and fair The assessor should follow as far as possible the criteria set down in the relevant unit and qualification.

All qualifications go through a standardisation process that enables each assessor to consistently make valid decisions; that all assessors make the same decision on the same evidence base and all candidates are assessed fairly. All corresponding evidence from the learner should be reliable in that they have concrete knowledge and skill to back up their evidence. The evidence should be fair in that any leaner will have the same opportunity to complete the assignment.