Principles of the Overall Assessment Process

Open

Definition - The process is transparent and there is no “hidden agenda” i.e. assessment candidates understand the assessment process and the criteria that apply and can contribute to the planning and accumulation of evidence.

To assist the assessor in planning transparent, open assessments, the following guidelines must be followed by the assessor:

• Plan with the learner what has to be assessed,
• Plan with the learner when the assessment is to take place, and
• Make sure that the learner understands how the assessment is going to take place, in other words, make sure that the learner is prepared.

Reliable

This means that the tools or instruments used for the assessment process are standardised and can be adapted without compromising the principle of fairness.

The actual assessment methods and instruments cannot fail e.g. computer failure or machine failure, and therefor cause the candidate’s competence to be in question.

Definition - The same assessor would make the same judgment again in similar circumstances and judgments match judgments made on similar evidence.

Reliable and consistent assessment refers to an assessor’s ability to display the same methodology to each and every assessment and to each and every learner, without bias or prejudice to the learner/s.

Learners With Special Needs

Accommodating learners with special needs during assessment without compromising reliability and validity.

Provision should always be made to accommodate learners with special needs. This can be done by first determining and understanding how possible special needs might be observed, and how to respond to each.

The assessor can use the following checklist to determine possible special needs:

Flexible

This means that the assessment tools can be adapted to accommodate special needs or different contexts, without compromising the validity and sufficiency of the evidence gathered.

Systematic

Definition - The overall process ensures assessment is fair, effective, repeatable and manageable.

A systematic approach to assessment will ensure that evidence is gathered timeously and in such a way that the learner is not placed under unnecessary pressure. Systematically planning their assessment will help the assessor to gather evidence as and when it occurs (workplace evidence/classroom evidence), to avoid repetition of assessment activities where integration is possible which in turn will make sure that all evidence is collected, showing fairness and making sure that the same method can be followed again for another learner.

Consistent

Definition - All assessments are conducted in a similar manner, without bias and according to the same benchmarks and standards for all learners.

Addressing the learner in a specific way in preparation for assessment will help the learner to understand what his expected from him/her during assessment:

The method in which the final assessment will take place for this learning module is as follows:

• 1st tool to prove your competence. You have to hand in a signed-off logbook which confirms that you have correctly performed specific first aid tasks in front of a qualified expert, facilitator or assessor.
• Additional standard evidence required.

It is very important that you ensure that you include/supply the following standard evidence as part of your proof of competence:

• Attend the theory and practical learning sessions and sign all registers.
• Complete all documentation and activities in this workbook and hand it in to the facilitator or assessor as arranged.