DOCUMENT RESUME ED 391 015 CE 070 579 TITLE Managing Assessment. INSTITUTION Further Education Development Agency, London' (England). REPORT NO ISBN-1-85338-410-0 PUB DATE 95 NOTE 81p. AVAILABLE FROM Further Education Development Agency, Citadel Place, Tinworth Street, London SEM 5EH, England, United Kingdom (8.50 British pounds). PUB TYPE Research/Technical (143) Reports EDRS PRICE MF01/PC04 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Accountability; Basic Skills; *Educational Assessment; Educational Planning; Educational Policy; Educational Quality; *Evaluation Criteria; Evaluation Methods; Foreign Countries; National Programs; Policy Formation; P:7ior Learning; Program Evaluation; Quality Control; Student Certification; *Student Evaluation; Technical Institutes; *Vocational Education IDENTIFIERS *Great Britain ABSTRACT This document, which is intended for curriculum managers at British further education colleges, presents guidelines for developing and implementing a college assessment policy based on the principle that the objectives of all assessment procedures and policies are as follows: enhance the assessment provision within colleges; ensure that assessment is consistent and fair to all students; allow colleges to monitor their assessment provision; and provide clear evidence for external bodies. Discussed in part 1 are the following aspects of developing a college assessment policy: principles and assessment entitlements in operation within a codlege; the assessment stages for students from entry to exit; the assessment processes used within colleges; and quality assurance and control procedures for monitoring assessment practice. Part 2 contains codes of practice defining cross-college provision for the following: initial assessment; accreditation of prior learning; core skills a.ssessment; recording of achievement; and access to fair assessment. Examined in part 3, which focuses on implementing policy and codes of practice at the program level, are the following: assessment entitlements and regulations; assessment planning; and assessment design and grading criteria. Appended are the following: national body requirements; sources of information about assessments and audits; and sample auditing questions. (MN) *.A************************************************* Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * from the original document. *********************************************************************** -----tirmrrfrantsr.e .01,itM!"-r-r" Further Education Development .;4 2z; ,Ct- U 111 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS VIKA or Educational Research and Improvement MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has wen raproducoki s received from the person or organization originating it 0 MIMI' changes haws hash made to improve reproduction Quality Pa.-alio! vFew cx Optnions Stated in Ihisdocu- TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES rnant do not necessarily represent official INFORMATION CENTEP (ERIC)" OERI position or policy A*, °.;" 1. koeN s Li rnov Mitti! AP! RFCT Further Education Development Agency managing assessment 3 Cover design based on work by Christopher Raven IS13N 1 85338 410 0 Price: £8.50 Cgpvright 0 Further Education Development Agency 1995 Registered charity number 10044045 Printed by I3lackmore Press, Shaftesbury, Dorset 2 4 ntent-z Executive summary 4 Introduction 6 8 PART 1: DEVELOPING A COLLEGE ASSESSMENT POLICY Section 1 Managing the process 9 Section 2.Key features of a policy 11 Section 3 Quality control 14 19 PART 2: GUIDANCE ON CREATING CODES OF PRACTICE Section 1 Initial assessment 20 Section 2 Accreditation of prior learning 24 Section 3 Core skills assessment 30 Section 4 Recording achievement 35 Section 5 Access to fair assessment 40 PART 3: IMPLEMENTING POLICY AND CODES OF PRACTICE AT PRoGRAmME LEVEL 43 Section 1 Assessment entitlements and regulations 44 Section 2 Assessment planning 47 Section 3 Assessment design and grading criteria 50 APPENDICES 56 Appendix A National body requirements Appendix B Sources of information 72 Appendix C Auditing questions 76 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 79 .; -Of It ;M.% .1 1.1 ` Vv. MO AS a .1 . ma This report examines the development of a strategy for the management of assessment within colleges. It is aimed at curriculum managers and is intended to assist development of policies and codes of practice for assessment and internal verification. It comprises the following three parts: Developing a college assessment policy Part 1: Guidance on creating codes of practice Part 2: Implementing policy and codes of practice at the Part 3: programme level This will include: the principles and assessment entitlements in operation within a college the assessment stages for students from entry to exit the assessment processes used within a college quality assurance and control procedures for monitoring assessment practice PART 2: COLLEGE CODES OF PRACTICE These will define the operation of cross-college provision for: initial assessment accreditation of prior learning core skills assessment recording of achievement access to fair assessment 4 6 1 r2; 1 Cross-college teams on all programmes (NIVQs, GNVQs, GCE A levels, GCSE, OCN and other provision) should produce a set of tutor and student guides outlining the common procedures operating within the college. These guides would include: o.ssessment regulations and requirements assessment planning assessment design and grading criteria The basic principles underlying this publication are that the development of common procedures and policies will: enhance the assessment provision within colleges ensure that assessment is consistent and fair to all students allow colleges to monitor their assessment provision provide clear evidence for external bodies Most of the research for this report is based upon practices found in colleges that have been working on FEDA assessment projects. Included are examples of policies and codes of practice which have been implemented by these colleges and are testimony to their strategic planning and commitment to excellence. My ..., 5 Colleges should have an assessment strategy which: of assessment practice ensures the quality and standardisation meets national body requirements for assessment procedures This should lead to: Assessment activities need to ensure that all students, and in particular ethnic minority groups and those with learning difficulties and disabilities, are not disadvantaged by inappropriate or invalid assessment judgements. This can be done within colleges by agreeing an equal opportunities code of practice. CONSISTENCY OF ASSESSMENT Consistency of assessment is established through the development of Involving staff teams in the consensus on standards and procedures. development of a college-wide code and agreeing procedures for assessment is a positive method of achieving this consensus. Procedures for assessment must meet the needs of the relevant bodies, including: the requirements related to assessment as laid down in the Charter for Further Education (DFEE) and individual college charters the inspectorate requirements (FEFC circular 93/28) regarding assessment as indicated in the guideline areas the assessment implications of the recurrent funding methodology as stated in the 1994-95 guidance document of the FEFC; circular 94/27 and review of the tariff for 1996-97 circular 95/32 the FEFC college performance indicators and data collection requirements regarding college and student achievement, with reference to value added, as indicated in the individualised student data collection circular 94/10 and consultation document on performance indicators 94/12 6 the accrediting and awarding body quality and centre-approval criteria related to assessment and internal verification, the revisions to the TDLB standards; GNVQ Planning and Assessment Units and GNVQ Quality Framework Senior curriculum managers will need to clarify current requirements to programme teams. Appendix A, which draws together the statements from the FEFC circulars and EVB guidelines above, is intended to support this initial process of staff briefing and consultation. 1r There is also an European perspective that is relevant to assessment strategy. The move towards accords, protocols and codes of practice by the awarding bodies reflects the European Union philosophy of attempting to reach agreement on the parity of systems and structures within European member states. - , \ JAI Ja U :": i hit . d The purpose of an assessment strategy is to identify the key functions of assessment and how to fulfil them. Establishing a college-wide assessment system allows monitoring of current provision and identification of potential problems. The final product will be an assessment framework. This could comprise three parts - which correspond to the three parts in this report. Photoula Kypri FEDA Development Officer n .., r 3n ?"t+ alr ,..71, , AAA A` A AAA 1' e ,VIA A-AA A A j A 44/ Part 1 of this report looks at the way in which colleges plan and develop an assessment policy framework. It is divided into three sections: SECTION 1: MANAGING THE PROCESS 9 SECTION 2: KEY FEATURES OF A POLICY 11 SECTION 3: QUALITY CONTROL 14 8