Assessment Definitions of assessment VEETAC, 1993 Assessment is the process of collecting evidence and making Judgements on the nature and extent of progress ‘towards the Serformance requirements set out in a standard, or a learning Sutcome, and, at the appropriate point, making the Judgement as to whether competency has been achieved UNESCO IBE, 2013 + The process through which the progress and achievements of a learner or learners is measured or judged. + Assessment is the process of gathering evidence and making judgements about whether the standards specified have een met and whether the evidence is sufficient to indicate competenceMistevy et al, 2003 machine for reasoning BO what students know, C2" A maspave accomplished About Yon a handful of thing> Cosy say, do or make in particular settings. KicD (2017) explains: mesessing achievement he RICO Lane for reasoning sscros assessment (Sis, reaponses, rubrics, S601" ncludes istics, “about what responts know, can GO, ne Secomplished” Celery Ur ate expected learning ‘iecomes and objective’ that afe the eed; the “hand g ourthings they 52¥. Gc. make” asticern the evidence Hof tievements andthe, ‘particular settin Or fnclude classroom interactions, examinations a) Formative assessment (assessment for learning) joing process used by all students and teachers during learning and feaching to elicit and use evidence of student learning to improve student understanding of intended disciplinary Jearning outcomes ‘and support students purposes include:2) He bere ae seni 3 Seems a} rowing neat eed aahuning leering strategies Trove art nekractional” o an meme aaa b) Summative assessment ( Assessment of learning) Assessment of learner’s achievement at the endofa term, stage, course or programme. However, it does not necessarily involve formal testing or examinations. A determination of whether a unit of competency or a learning outcome has been achieved for the purpose of formal recognition of training Purposes include:_ « ranking, grading and/or prom’ «certification authorities 2 about res and training needs e) ‘Assessment for the re Determines whether @ person h competency which have not yet cocognised so that they may gain recognised courses nd managers make oting learners, ource allocation, mine their education cognition of prior learning as achieved standards of ‘been formally assessed oF entry to oF credit inf) Predictive assessment acess of identifying potential successes and s' development and suggesting progress and deal The pri failures in learner: appropriate action to stimulate with anticipated shortcomings. g) Self-referenced assessment arner’s progress and achievement Assessment of le: with reference to himself/herself Interpretation of assessment a) Criterion Referenced interpretation In this approach an individual's performance is assessed against a defined standard and the results can be pass oF fail (e.g. 4 machinist can or cannot perform a ‘turning operation within an acceptable range of tolerance, or an aircraft pilo' turn using instruments within specified altitude deviation). In some cases a percentage of questions are answered correctly (e.8., 4 machinist or pilot must answer at least 70% of the written questions on an assessment to get knowledge certification).b) Norm Referenced interpretation h individuals are compared with he same assessments. Ano a established for pass/fail. This is useful for a be national, and international benchmarking. However, full application of ‘this approach can raise ‘questions’ d safety in some below acceptable e period of f cut off points may be In this approacl others taking th Characteristics of Competency Based Assessment tis criterion referenced. 1) Competency based assessmen! Learners are not assessed against each other, but against standard criteria. ney based assessment is evidence based. 2) Compete! Decisions about whether @ person is competent are based upon evidence provide by the candidate. The evidence may be ‘demonstrated or produced by the candidate or gathered by 3) Competency based assess Candidates are involved in the process 01 4) Assessment links together, the three elements leading to effective workplace performance: ~ competency standards, training and practice ment is partici atory- assessment.——— Pathways of assessment There are two pathways for assessment in a competency based system: 1, Assessment through training Participants undertake training on or off the job, or a combination of both, and competence is assessed upon completion. 2. Assessment only This pathway recognises that individuals gain skills and knowledge in a variety of ways. Wherever these skills and knowledge have been gained they can be assessed against the relevant competency standards. Training outcomes * A training outcome is a very clear description of the skills, knowledge and attitudes that participants should be able to demonstrate as a result of training. It states what the learner is required to achieve in a training program. A competency standard, on the other hand, states the expected performance in the workplace. * The training outcome is instructional, it describes in measurable terms what the candidate is required to know or do in order to achieve workplace competenceCharacteristics of training / learning outcomes 1) They must be observable. a Ca observe the progress of the learners oY S88 OF 2) They must be measurabl le. Can you meas output or progress of the learner? “re the 3) They must be written using language that is clear and cannot be subject to ambiguity or misinterpretation Requirements for outcome statements In competency based training, training outcomes must be clearly specified in terms of: 1) Performance -what the learner will be able to do as a result of what has been learned. 2) Standards - the minimal acceptable performance level the participant must demonstrate to be considered competent. 3) Condition under which the learning will take place. To write a clear and concise training outcome ask "What does the learner have to be able to do at the end of the period of training?" Generally training outcomes begin with the phrase "At the end of the training session, the learner will be able toFor example: By the end of the training session, the le: able to make 6 photocopies of a 10 pag crooked edges, within 10 minutes * This training outcome specifies what the learner has to do (make 6 photocopies of a 10 page report), under certain conditions (within 10 minutes) and the standard of performance expected (without crooked edges). + Training outcomes should be expressed as action verbs. An action verb gives a concise description of the type of activity that the learner should be able to perform. Some examples of the terms that are used are: arner should be © report withoutRole of outcomes 1) They limit the task a of interpretation. ea iguity and difficulties, 2) They provide direction or the trainer and clearly conve hey provide direction f ' e trai learly convey 3) They give clear directio Nn to the learners of expected to achieve GSE. 4) They provide a guide for selecting the subject matter, the training methods and the materials to be used. ) They provide a guide for constructing assessment and other instruments for evaluating learner's progress. 6) They enable both the learner and trainer to distinguish between different varieties or types of behaviour and so it helps them decide which learning strategy is likely to be optimal.| | + familiar to all | * Provides Interaction and 4 * usually course delivery pace ' social opportunities set by trainer | between participants ‘ * adjustments can be * time and place dependent made continually * inaccessible to distant potential participants * structured time allocation Provides interaction _ may impinge on workplace and problem solving Activities, time allocation of opportunities peers or mentor peer support real work place Situations 4 . |'Sa form Of ref} ection that h "Skill level on Spe PPortunities cat 2 Persona y * Competent in the areas they are bei assess their team members * Have a regular exposure to the team members exhibiting the competency areas Ing asked to» a Expert or Experienced Operative People who are experts or highly experienced in © area of competency are often suitable to assess others in that competency area. This is Particularly true for technical competencies where the assessor must have the capabilities themselves 4. Multi-rater and 360 degree feedback The use of more than one assessor to minimise any inherent bias. Multiple assessors can help provide additional perspectives. 360 Degree Feedback is an approach designed to provide an all round perspective on a person's competence. It brings in the perspectives of not just the individual and their manager, but also colleagues and direct reports (subordinates). It is frequently used when a person is being assessed against leadership competenciess Assessment Centres and RTOs Assessment Centres and Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) provide assessment services, articularly in the case of certifications. In addition reviewing a person's existing evidence of npetence, they utilise other techniques such as ation exercises. assessinent Process Pe » ae Le POD «FEE Cis3 D> OS Nace is Ruasseonment deStep 1- Self assessment The first step in competency based assessment is for a person to conduct a self-assessment. This could be as simple as, completing a competency assessment form or it might be as detailed as a collection of evidence that they can perform ski Step 2 - Assessor review While a self-assessment may be sufficient for some processes, many require an assessor to also assess an individual. This usually requires completing a competency assessment form and in some cases reviewing the evidence a person has collected that they can perform a skill. For more robust competency assessment processes an assessor may observe a person performing some skill on-the-job Step 3 — identification of development needs An assessment will identify the areas where a person is already competent and the areas in which they need development. Using this information a development plan can be created. Step 4 - on and off the job learning A good approach to a person’s development plan is to include a mix of on-the-job and off-the-job learning. For instance, shadowing an expert, attending a training course or special assignments.Step 5 - re-assessment If development needs were identified a person will Need to be re-assessed once learning has been completed. Once the assessment has been successfully completed a person is deemed competent and in some cases awarded a certification. Reasons for using competencies 1- Clear expectations: Competencies help define how a person should perform their role. Consider this small subset of leadership behaviours: [+ Defines clear standards and measures for individual and team performance. * Plans are developed in accordance with | the organisation's objectives. * Provides regular and specific performance | feedba These communicate to the leader that they are expected to do these things. Without this information a person is unaware of everything that leadership entailsStep 5 - re-assessment If development needs were identified a person will need to be re-assessed once learning has been completed. Once the assessment has been successfully completed a person is deemed competent and in some cases awarded a certification. Reasons for using competencies 1-Clear expectations: Competencies help define how a person should perform their role. Consider this small subset of leadership behaviours: [+ Defines clear standards and measures for | individual and team performance. Plans are developed in accordance with the organisation's objectives. Provides regular and specific performance | feedback 4 These communicate to the leader that they are expected to do these things. Without this information a person is unaware of everything that leadership entails “2 ~ Evaluation, knowing where you are now: This is important because it identifies where you currently are. Continuing with the previous leadership example it would be vital to know that your planning and organising skills were super effective, but you weren't doing a good job of providing feedback. If you didn’t know this, you will not improve. 3 - Coaching: For many people at work, their manager is their primary coach. Competencies make it possible to pinpoint highly specific behaviours that need development effort. 4—- Career planning: Not only can you evaluate how well you meet the expectations of your current role, you can also do this for desired roles. What capabilities will you need and what will you need to develop? The answer is competencies. Your career plan can include specific develop activities to get you ready for the next role.5 - Succession planning: It’s crucial that succession plans are in place. Being able to review career plans and understand competency gaps is vital for succession planning 6 - Capability development and workforce planning: It’s knowing where you are now, and where you want to go. Then understanding the capabilities an organisation has now compared to the skills that will be needed. 7 —- Recruiting: The benefit of using competencies for recruiting is that you have detailed and specific criteria for the person you are seeing. It’s makes it much more likely that you'll find the right match. You're evaluating all candidates against the same criteria. It’s less subjective and more objectiveDimensions of competence Being competent means being able not only to perform a skill in isolation but also involves: 1) Performing at an acceptable level of skill. 2) Managing a number of different tasks. 3) Responding and reacting appropriately when things go wrong. Fulfilling the responsibilities and expectations of the workplace. Transferring skills and knowledge to new situations and contexts 4 |