What's in your Assessment Validation Checklist?

 

The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) identified that validation had been one of the Top 3 most common compliance issues identified in Registered Training Organisation audits.

ASQA uses the Assessment Validation Checklist document to help auditors assess this issue.

The checklist is available online and provides an overview of what you need to be able to demonstrate both during an audit and in your organisation.

The issue of "validation" is currently a hot topic for providers, as many providers have had their accreditation revoked due to a lack of evidence of "validation" throughout their organisation. While this is an essential topic for all education providers, it is especially relevant for those who provide courses under the VET FEE-HELP program.

What does "validation" mean?

The term validation can be confusing to some training providers, particularly when you consider that the meaning often differs from what people believe it to be. In simple terms, it simply means that a provider can demonstrate they are meeting quality standards and will likely achieve desired outcomes.

What's the problem?

Validation is not just one thing. It's not like there's one right way to do it, and if you get it wrong, you're in trouble. Validation is a general concept, and there are many ways to implement it well.

It also depends a lot on context. A training program focusing on "how to do something" will have different requirements than a monitoring program, a process assessment, or a competency assessment. There's no one-size-fits-all solution to the problem of how to validate something like that.

The best approach is probably to focus on the end goals for your organisation rather than getting hung up on specific procedures. If you know what you want to accomplish, then you can pick the right tool for the job and get the result you need by making sure your checklist is complete when you walk through the door at your client site.

As mentioned above, many providers have struggled to validate their processes and procedures. There is no set or defined procedure to follow as each provider and course varies greatly. But some basic questions can be asked to determine whether you can demonstrate your ability to meet quality standards and deliver desired outcomes to your students:

·        Do you know your validation deadlines?

·        Are you using risk assessment to determine the focus of your validation?

·        Are your validators qualified to conduct the validation?

·        Do you have a validation policy and procedure document?

·        Is your assessment validation process compliant?

We have had many discussions over the years about what needs to be included in an Assessment Validation Checklist. Here are some of the elements we have identified:

·        Evidence – What documentation do you need to show that you have done work? Evidence may include copies of assignments completed by students, copies of rubrics used or templates used and any other evidence required by your accreditation or regulatory body.

·        Tailoring – You need to show that you have tailored and validated your assessment for your students. This may include evidence of how you designed tasks and/or assessed criteria relevant to your students' prior learning; how you assessed students' prior learning; how you considered the impact of any accommodations on validity; how you considered the impact of any modified criteria on validity; how you considered the impact of any specific conditions (e.g. time limit) on validity; etc.

Here's ASQA's fact sheet on conducting validation for your reference. The Assessment Validation Checklist reduces this risk by encouraging a collaborative approach between the program developers and the person responsible for assessment validation. The checklist helps ensure there is a clear agreement about what will be validated and when validation activities will take place. It also provides that all relevant stakeholders are aware of their responsibilities for assessment and validation.