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Imagine, if assessment did not take place? Would you ever trust your dentist if you knew they were never trained or assessed? Would you ever get in a coach to travel on a holiday if you knew the driver was never assessed for a driving license? How would the world function if anyone could have a go at whatever trade they fancy?
Assessment applies in a number of settings and for a number of reasons. It might be to determine a learner’s competency to ensure they fully understand a job role? It could be to check if someone holds adequate skills or can perform certain tasks. It might be to compare performance across departments, locally, nationally or internationally? Assessing when it comes to learning is all about testing learner’s skills, knowledge and understanding.
Although our first attempt to define assessment suggests a grounding firmly settled on testing, the remit of the subject is complex and should never be viewed with narrow lenses?
Assessment should not be viewed just as a testing vehicle. It plays a bigger role and can be used at different times in learning and development? It might be used to find out what has inspired a candidate to choose a particular course during an initial or diagnostic assessment? Such information is then used to support or guide the candidate to ensure they have an enjoyable learning experience.
Assessment can also be used throughout as a learner progresses as part of a formative process. It could also be used at the end of a course where learners are assessed or tested as part of a summative process? There are also different forms of assessments such as peer and self where learners are encouraged to take more ownership or responsibility of their learning. The learner might be given the assessment criteria and encouraged to give their opinion regarding they can easily demonstrate and meet.
Assessment when also applied to organisations play a big part such as installing confidence, integrity of qualifications and safeguarding learning. A number of people make informed decisions based on assessment reports from regulators such as Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Assessors are tasked with having the skill base, which will help them to embrace assessment theories, and characteristics, which are grouped as stages, forms and methods. Assessors should be able to use both formal and informal methods. They should also be flexible and adapt assessment in order to meet the need of learners, assessment requirements, course specification, guided learning and level descriptors.
No discussion about assessment would be complete without discussing its principles. Assessment principles are the written and unwritten rules, which have to be followed as a guide or reference point. For example, you are expected to carry out an initial assessment and check for eligibility and if the candidate is on the right course? Otherwise, you might have set your candidate to fail if it later turned out that they do not have sufficient learning opportunities to be able to fully meet the assessment criteria. For example, a care worker completing a care managers course might never be able to demonstrate how they devise policies, manage and lead a team as these tasks might fall outside their job remit.
Other principles might be based on an understanding of theories and evidence-based practice. For example, an understanding of VAK might inspire or encourage on assessor to use different assessment methods which aim to tap into a learners ideal learning style. Other principles are based on regulation, legislation, and ethics. For example, assessment has to be fair, safe and adequate.
It would not be appropriate to allow a candidate to use defective equipment where they have a risk of harm? Although assessment methods might not be full proof they do provide some sort of comfort? Imagine if learners where not assessed or regularly checked there might have been some discrepancies when it comes to standards?
