022 - Moderation and Assessment Procedure

POLICIES&PROCEDURES

ModerationandAssessment PolicyandProcedure

1.Introduction

Thisproceduresetsouttheassessment,testingandsamplingplanstrategyfortheCompany(see section2fordefinitionofterms).

2.Rolesandglossary

TheCompany-TheCompanyreferstoThinkEmploymentLtd.

Learner-Therearedifferenttermstorefertothepeopleinthelearningprocess:students,learners, candidates.Althoughthereisasubtledifferencebetweentheterms,forthispaper,thegenericterm “learner”willbeusedtorefertoanypersondoinganytypeoflearningandcompletingany assessmenttasks,beitformativeorsummative.

Tutor-Thetutorisusedformembersofstaffwhoteachortrainourlearners.Thetutor’sroleisthen onsupportingthelearnersanddevelopingtheirknowledgeonaspecificsubject

Assessor-Theassessordealswithsummativeassessments Theirroleisto:

arrangeasummativeassessmentthatisfair,reliableandvalidforrelevantlearningoutcomes, markthelearners’summativeassessmentwork, makeajudgementontheworkofalearner,asapass,afailormeetingthecriteria,andensure thatitisauthentic,current,validandsufficient, giveconstructivefeedbacktothelearner, recordassessmentdecisionsandrelevantpaperworktoevidenceachievementoflearning outcomesorqualification,and followtheCompany’sandtheawardingbody’sinternalqualityproceduresandguidelines.

Foranexplanationoftheterms“fair,reliable,valid,authentic,currentandsufficient,”pleasereferto theAccesstoFairAssessment,ReasonableAdjustment&SpecialConsiderationspolicy.

Invigilator–Theinvigilatoristhepersoninvigilatingliveassessments,i.e.ensuringthatlearners adheretotheexamconditionsassetbytheawardingbodies.

InternalQualityAssurer(IQA)-TheIQAisthepreferredtermtointernalverifierorIV.TheIQAroleis toensurethat:

allassessorsinterpretthestandardsormarkalivepaperinthesameconsistentmanner throughmoderationandstandardisationmeetings, allassessmentmethodsarevalid,fairandreliable, allevidenceresultinginclaiminganoutcomeisauthentic,current,sufficientandvalidandthat itmeetsalltherelevantcriteria,

allmoderationactivitiesandfeedbacktoassessorsarerecorded,and internalqualityproceduresareinplaceandrespected.

TheLeadIQA'sroleisto:

supporttheIQAs arrangestandardisationmeetingsandleadthem liaisewiththeEQA,arrangeannualcompliancevisitsasrequiredbytheawardingbodyand facilitatetheEQA'svisits.

ExternalQualityAssurer(EQA)-TheEQAisthepreferredtermfortheexternalverifierorEV.They representanawardingbody.TheEQA’sroleisto:

ensuretheCompanyhasaninternalqualityassuranceproceduresandpoliciesinplaceandthat itisfollowed, ensuretheIQAscarryoutsamplingactivitiesandfulfiltheirrolesasdescribedabove,and supporttheCompanyandtheIQAs

CentreManager–asdefinedbytheawardingbodies,itisthepersonwhoisresponsibleforthe oversightofthequalificationsofferedbytheCompany ThisroleistakenupbytheCompany’sHead ofAdministration

Awardingbodies-Theawardingbodiesaretheorganisationsthatsetoutthestandardsfora particularqualification,sendEQAstotrainingprovidersforqualitymeasuresandreleasecertificates uponsuccessfulcompletionoftherelevantsummativeassessments.Therearedifferentawarding bodiesinEngland.TheCompanyuses:

BritishComputerSociety(BCS)

NCFE

OpenAwards TrainingQualificationsUK(TQUK)

Gateway Skillsfirst VTCT

Summativeassessments-Summativeassessmentsarethemethodsusedtoevidencethatthe learnershavetheknowledgeandcompetenceforthequalification.

ForEnglishandMaths,thesummativeassessmentisthefinalexamthatlearnerssit,referredtoasa liveexam.

Forvocationalqualificationswherelearnershavetomeetdifferentsetsofcriteria,thesummative assessmentisanythingthatshowsthatthelearnershavemetthecriteria–answerstoquestions, observationsthattheassessorhascarriedout,statementswrittenbythele

Anypiecesofevidencethatformpartofthesummativeassessmentsandthatassessorsmarkare subjecttobeingmoderatedbytheIQA.Anysummativeassessmentsthataremarkedexternally,for examplebytheawardingbody,arenotmoderatedbytheCompany’sIQAsandarenotsubjecttothis procedure.

3.Liveexams/AssessmentRegulations

WeconfirmthatwewilladheretoallawardingbodytestregulationsaslaidoutintheirOperational RequirementsManual. TheCentreManagerisresponsibleforensuringthemostup-to-dateversion ofthismanualisavailableandfollowedatalltimes.

3.1Liveexams/AssessmentSecurity

Thespecificcontentofanyliveexams/assessmentmustremainconfidential. Itistheresponsibility oftheCompany’scentrestafftoensurethatthisisalwaysthecase.

Thegeneralprinciplesthatmustbeadheredto,toensuretheabove,are:

Locationsusedforstoringremainsecure Contentwillremainsecurewhenintransit

Onlystaffthatneedaccesstofulfiltheirroleshouldhaveaccesstotherelevantcontent Staffwhohaveknowledgeoftheassessmentcontentmustnotsharethisinformation Proceduresforissuingpasswordstostaffandlearnersthatprovideaccesstosystemsthathold thetestquestionsmustbesecure Allusers,invigilatorsandlearnersoftheautomatedsystem musthaveindividualloginswithpasswordsonlyknowntothem.

AnybreachesinthesecurityofliveexamsmustbereportedtotheCentreManagerwhowillinturn immediatelyreporttotherelevantawardingbody.

TheCompany'spreferredassessmentmethod,includingliveexams,iselectronic/online.Wehave movedawayfromcentre-basedpaperassessmentstowhollyelectronic.Formoreinformationon liveassessmentsecurity,pleaserefertoourRemoteInvigilationPolicy.

3.2ProofofIdentity

AllLearnerswillbeaskedtoprovidevalidproofofID,accordingtotheawardingbody’sacceptable evidencelist(s),priortotheregistrationoftheirqualification. Thisevidencewillberecordedonour centralrecordingsystemandmadeavailableforcomplianceandauditchecks.Duetodata protection,theIDdocumentsaredeletedfromoursystemafterbeingchecked.

Alearner’sidentitywillagainbecheckedpriortothestartofanyliveexamsandappropriately recorded. Anylearnersnotabletoprovidethisevidencewillbestoppedfromtakingtheliveexams.

3.3Recognisedpriorlearning(RPL)

TheCompanyrecognisesthatsomelearnersmaycometoourcentrewithknowledge,skillsand competencethattheyhaveacquiredthroughdifferentlifeactivities,suchascommunityand volunteeringactivities,familyactivities,workactivitiesetc.,butthesearenotformallyrecognised throughaqualification.

Alllearnersmustgothroughaninformation,adviceandguidance(IAG)sessionwithoneofourtrained IAGadvisorsandcompleteaskillsscan,initialassessment,diagnosticorequivalenttogaugetheir currentknowledge.Somelearnersmaynotneedtocompletethefulltrainingsessionsduetotheirprior knowledge.Thismustbeascertainedattheonsetsothatthetutorsareawareofthesessionsthatthese learnersdonothavetoattend.

RPLcanalsobeclaimedwhenthelearnershowsthattheknowledge,understandingorskillsthey alreadyhavemeansthattheydonotneedtorepeatunitsorcompleteadditionalassessmentactivityfor aqualification However,forthelearnerstoachieveaqualification,theymustevidencethattheymeet thecriteria,asgiveninthequalificationspecifications Theevidencemaybeintheformofwitness statements,workproducedwhileonavoluntarypositionetc

TheRPLevidencemustbeassessedtothesamestandardasanyotherpiecesofevidence–thisevidence mustbecurrent,valid,authentic,sufficientandreliable(Foranexplanationoftheseterms,pleaserefer totheAccesstoFairAssessment,ReasonableAdjustment&SpecialConsiderationspolicy)–and mappedtotheappropriatecriteria Itshouldthenbesubmitted,alongthemapping,totheleadIQAno laterthan4weeksfromthelearner’sstartdate TheIQAwillthenmoderatetheevidencebefore submittinganRPLformtotherelevantawardingbody.

Inmanyinstances,though,RPLalonewillnotbesufficienttocoverallthecriteriaofaunit.Ifa qualificationisachievedthroughaliveassessment(anexamtosit),thenthereisnoalternativeforthe learnersbuttocompletetheliveassessment.

TheRPLformwillbesubmittedto:

Awarding body Where to submit the RPL form Link to the RPL process

Complete “Request for Recognised Prior Learning” form, downloadable from Verve, and email it to qualifications@tquk.org

Complete an RPL Application Form and submit it through an Enquiries Form in QMIS.

Accredited-and-Recognised-Prior-Learning-Policy.pdf (tquk.org)

https://www.skillsfirst.co.uk/policy/recognition-of-prior-learningpolicy/ VTCT

Email qualityassurance@vtct.org.uk

Gateway

3.4Exemptions

Complete an online RPL form and submit supporting evidence.

Recognition-of-prior-learning-policy_V9.0_January23.pdf (vtct.org.uk)

Recognition-of-Prior-Learning-Policy-Process-1.pdf (gatewayqualifications.org.uk)

TheCompanyalsorecognisesthatsomelearnersmayhavealreadyachievedsomeelementsorunitsof aqualificationthrougharecognisedqualification.TheIAGadvisorsmustascertainthisandliaisewith theleadIQAtogaugewhatelementsorunitsofthequalificationcanbeclaimedthroughexemption–theleadIQAwillcheckrulesofcombinationandthequalificationaccreditednumber(QAN)oftheunit tobeexempted.Thelearnersmustsupplyevidence,usuallyintheformofacertificatewithdetailsofthe unitsachieved,toclaimexemption.AnyevidenceofexemptionmustbesubmittedtotheleadIQAfor approval.

Anexample:learnershaveachievedaunitoftheReformedFunctionalSkillsinEnglishqualification, suchastheReadingunit,butnottheothertwounits,suchastheWritingunitandtheSpeaking, ListeningandCommunicating(SLC)unit.Inthissituation,anexemptionforReadingisrelevant,asthe ReadingunitcoversthesamecriteriaastheReformedFunctionalSkillsReadingunitofanyother awardingbody.Thisunit,however,isnotthesameastheLegacyFunctionalSkillsReadingunit,so exemptionofaLegacyunittoaReformedqualificationisnotpossible.

Tobenoted,exemptionsdonotattractcredit,astheknowledge,skillsandcompetencesasdetailedin theunitstandardshavealreadybeenrecognisedthroughachievementofacertificatedqualification thatincludestheunit(s)tobeexempted

Assess the evidence as any other evidence, which will be moderated by IQA and checked at EQA visit.

recognition-of-prior-learning-rpl-credit-accumulation-and-transfer-catpolicy.pdf (ncfe.org.uk)

Awarding body

Where to submit the RPL form Link to the RPL process

TQUK

Skillsfirst

Awarding body

How to exempt the unit(s) Link to the exemption process

NCFE

3.5Credittransfer

TheCompanyacknowledgesthatsomelearnersmayhaveaccumulatedcreditsoveraperiodoftime. Credittransferisrelevantwhereaunitinaqualificationisthesame(sameunit/qualification assessmentnumber)asaunitinanotherqualification.Apracticalexampleofcredittransferwouldbea learnerwhoachievesanawardwhichiscomprisedofunits‘A,B&C’transferringtheircreditsto progresstowardsacertificatecomprisedof‘A,B,C,DandE’ Inthiscasetheunitsintheawardhave beennestedinthecertificateenablingtherecognitionofthepreviouslyachievedunits

IfontheotherhandalearnerregisteredfortheCertificatecontainingunits‘A,B,C,DandE’without havingdonetheaward,butthenwithdrewfromtheirprogrammeoflearningaftercompletingonly‘A,B &C’,theycouldtransfertheircreditsandconsequentlyobtaintheAward

PotentialcredittransfermustbeidentifiedattheIAGstage Evidencewillberequiredandmustbe submittedtotheleadIQA

recognition-of-prior-learning-rpl-credit-accumulation-and-transfer-catpolicy.pdf (ncfe.org.uk)

Awarding body

Awarding body How to exempt the unit(s) Link to the credit transfer process

NCFE

Ensure the validity of the evidence and inform the IQA. The evidence will be checked at EQA visit.

Complete “Request for Recognised Prior Learning” form, downloadable from Verve, and email it to qualifications@tquk.org Microsoft

org.uk

4.ConflictofInterest

TheCompanyhasstrictrequirementsinplaceinordertoavoidandremoveanypotentialconflictof interest. Thisensuresregulatoryrequirementsaremetandprotectsourcentrestaff.

Thefollowingareexamplesofpotentialconflictsofinterest:

ForBCS,aTutorhavinganyinvolvementwithinvigilation,markingorassessingforaLearnerwho theyhavetaughtforthatunit(additionally,aTutorisnotpermittedtobepresentintheexamination room,unlesstheyarecalleduponfortechnicalsupport,andthismustbedocumentedontheTest IncidentLog).

Forallawardingbodies,anInvigilatorinvigilatingaLearnerpersonallyknowntothem.However, fortheReformedFunctionalSkills,foranyawardingbody,atutormustnotinvigilateanyexamsof his/hersubject,eventhoughthelearnersbeinginvigilatedarenotknowntohim/her.

Forallawardingbodies,anobservercarryingoutanobservationofinvigilationonanInvigilator personallyknowntothem.

AmemberofstaffdoingaqualificationwiththeCompany.Therelevantawardingbodymustbe notified(statedinthequalitydocumentationforNCFE) TheIQAwillcarryouta100%samplingfor membersofstaff,whichevercolourcodeisallocatedtotheassessor(Green,AmberorRed)

ThefollowingrequirementsMUSTbeadheredto:

Reformed Functional Skills English and Maths

Vocational qualifications

Support their LearnersAssess sample assessmentsAssess EL3 live assessmentsObserve the Speaking, Listening and Communicating activities

Deliver a workshop and support their learnersAssess their learner’s assignments

Invigilate live assessments of their own subject, even though the learners are not known to themInternally verify their own assessments

Assess assignments of learners known personally to themInternally verify their own assessments or assessments carried out by assessors personally known to them

All learners invigilated by the awarding body staff. The use of internal invigilators to be discussed with the Centre Manager, who will be responsible to ensure there is no conflict of interest.

The Head of Operations assigns the assessors. Assessors must notify the Head of Operations if their assigned learner is personally known to them. The Head of Operations will then allocate this particular learner to another assessor. The Head of Quality assigns the IQA.

Qualifications taken by staff

Deliver a workshop and support the staff memberAssess the staff member’s assignment

5.Awardingbodyregistration

Be working in the same centre as the staff member, unless there is no other alternative – to be approved by the Head of QualityBe invigilated by one person – we require 2 Invigilators, one of them being from a different centre to the staff member

All internal qualifications must be agreed with the member of staff's line manager.  Whenever possible, an external provider should be considered first. The Centre Manager will notify the awarding body of a possible conflict of interest.

Theadministrationteamisresponsibleforallregistrationsandcertifications.

AssessorssubmitarequestforregistrationthroughCRMwhenthelearner’sportfolioisreadyfor assessment.

Therequestsareprocessed:

within24hoursofthesubmissionwhentheyarereceivedduringworkinghours,or thenextworkingdaywhentheyarereceivedoutsideofworkinghours

TheadministratorsupdateCRMwiththelearner’sregistrationnumberandthedateoftheregistration ForStaffDevelopmentqualificationsthroughNCFE,HeadOfficenotifiestheawardingbodiesonthe firstsessiondaytoinformthemofinternalstaffdoingqualificationsthroughtheCompanyaspertheir guidance

Formoreinformation,pleaserefertotheLearnerRecruitment,Registration,andCertificationPolicy.

6.Samplingstrategy

6.1Colourratingsystem

TheRAGratingsystemisusedforthreepurposes:

Progression.EachassessorisgradedRed,AmberorGreen(exceptforFunctionalSkills–only AmberandGreenareused).AllnewassessorstotheCompanyareRedtostartwith.Thepromotion ordemotionfromoneratingtoanotherdependsonthenumberofreferredportfolios.TheIQAs recordthisintheirsamplingplans(forEnglishandMaths,thereisaseparateTutorAGRating Recordspreadsheet)toevidencepromotionordemotion.Promotingordemotinganassessoris decidedduringtheIQAstandardisationmeetings,whichoccurevery3months.Thissystemgivesan indicationontheperformanceoftheassessorsinthatiftheystayRedforalongerperiodoftime thanexpectedinrelationtothenumberofportfoliossubmitted,theIQAswouldquestionthisand wouldinvestigateastothereasonforthis.

Samplingstrategy.Thenumberofunitssampleddependsontheassessors’rating.Fulldetailsin section6.3below.

Performance.TheIQAsusetheRAGratingsystemwhenmoderatingunits.Foreachunitreferred, theyapplyaRedcolourtotheunitiftherearemajorissues(morethan10%ofcriteriareferredfora givenunit);iftheunitisreferredforaminorreason(10%orlessofcriteriareferredforagivenunit), theyapplyanAmbercolourtotheunit;iftheunitmeetsthestandard,meaningtheassessmentwas accurate,theyapplyaGreencolourtotheunit.TheIQAskeepaSamplingPlanspreadsheetto recordthis.

6.2Samplingprocedure

TheIQAskeepaSamplingPlanspreadsheetinwhichtheyplantheirmoderationbyselectingwhich unitstosampleandinwhichtheyrecordtheoutcomeoftheirmoderationbyapplyingared,amberor greencolourasindicatedinsection61above(in“Performance”) TheIQAsendeavourtosampleall unitsacrossarangeoflearners’portfoliosforallassessors Tofacilitatethistask,theykeeparecordof unitstheyhavesampledforeachassessorinasamplingplan

6.3Samplingstrategy

TheCompanyhassetupaprocessregardingthenumberofunitstosampleforeachqualification However,additionalrandomsamplingwillalsobeinstigatedtoensurethestandardofassessingis consistent Insummary,theIQAswillincreasethenumberofunitstosampledependingonthequality ofthefirstunitssampled.ForEnglishandMaths,foreachreferredunit,anotheroneissampled.

ThebelowtablessummarisetheCompany’ssamplingstrategy:

6.3.1FunctionalSkills(FS)

TheCompanyoffersFSqualificationsatEntry3,Level1andLevel2.Theyarealltestbased.InMaths, thereisonlyoneelement,buttwoparts(Non-calculatorandCalculator);inEnglish,thereare3 elements,namelyReading;Writing;andSpeaking,ListeningandCommunicating(SLC).

Allfunctionalskillsexamsareelectronic:

AtLevel1andLevel2,thelearners'workismarkedbytheawardingbodyandmoderatedbytheminternalverificationnotrequired,exceptfortheSLCelementwheninternallyinvigilated.Internal verificationisnotrequiredwhentheSLCsareinvigilatedbytheawardingbodystaff.

AtEntry3,theCompany'sstaffmarksthelearners'workwithin5workingdays.Oncemarked,the awardingbodymoderatesit.

ThereisarequirementforremoteinternalinvigilationforSLCstobevideo-recordedandtherecording uploadedtotheawardingbodysecurelocation.

6.3.2Vocationalqualifications

Forvocationalqualifications,wewillapplythefollowingsampling:

∙Redassessors:100%sampling.

∙Amberassessors:50%sampling.

∙Greenassessors:20%sampling.

Thebelowtablesummarisesthesamplingstrategy:

TheabovetableisaroughindicatorastheCompanyoperatesa20%samplingforGreenassessors.The IQAwilljudgehowmanyunitsrepresent20%.

7.Portfoliosandfeedback

Thereare2typesofportfoliosthattheCompanyuse:eitherelectronicorpaperbased.Thepreferred typeistheelectronicportfolioasitallowstheIQAstomoderatetheportfoliosremotelyatanytimeand place

7.1Electronicportfolios

ElectronicportfoliosmaybeusedforanyqualificationsthattheCompanyoffers However,werecognise thatitisnotappropriateforsomelearnersandweacceptthattheselearnerscompleteapaper-based portfolio

7.1.1Process–assessingandmoderatingfunctionalskills

TheCompanyrecognisesthatinternalinvigilationmayhappen,butexpectsthistobeonrareoccasions. InternalinvigilationismorelikelytohappenwithSLCs-theinvigilatorisanassessorastheywillassess theSLCactivity.

SLCsareexpectedtohappenremotelythroughZoomandalltoberecorded.Detailsofhowtocarryout remoteSLCsareintheCompany’sRemoteInvigilationPolicy.Theassessorisrequiredtodownloadthe recordingandsubmititformoderation,alongwiththenecessarypaperwork.TheremoteSLCsgo throughthesamemoderationprocessasabove,althoughtheIQAwillbecheckingtherecordingsto ensurequalityofassessmentandprocess.

TheassessorsmaytypeuptheSLCrecordsheetsforanylevel;theyarerequiredtocollecttheirlearner’s preparationnotes/researchfortheSLCandsubmitthemwiththeirrecordsheets.Theassessorsmust completetheSLCrecordsheetswithin48hours.

Learnerswhodidnotmeetthecriteriamustbemarkedasa"fail"inOpenAwardsEXAMSsystem. Evidenceofthefailmustbesubmitted,althoughthepreparationnotes/researcharenotrequired.

TheIQAschatthelinktotheirmoderationreportstotheassessors.

TheCompany'sassessmentandmoderationprocessdoesnotapplytothelearnersassessedbyOpen Awardsinvigilators,includingSLCs Theawardingbodywillgothroughtheirownprocess

Itispossibleforamemberofstafftobea"ghostcandidate"foranSLCliveassessmenttomakeupthe numberofcandidatesrequiredforanSLCassessmenttobecarriedout,orforspecialconsideration, suchasalearnerhavingautismandneedingtodoanSLCwithpeoplethattheyknow Theghost candidateswillneedtocompletetheSLCtaskasiftheyarerealcandidates

7.1.2Process–assessingandmoderatingotherqualifications

TheassessorandIQAneedtorefertotherelevantproceduredocumentfortheprocessofelectronic portfolios.TheLeadIQAwillbeabletodirectthemtotherelevantdocument.

7.2Paper-basedportfolios

Paper-basedportfoliosmaybeusedinsituationswhencomputersarenotavailable,thelearnershave lowITskillsorforanyothervalidreasons.However,theassessorsarestillrequiredtoscantheportfolios andsubmitthemelectronicallytotherelevantelectroniclocation.

7.3StaffDevelopment

Allstaffwillbeusinganelectronicportfolio.

8.Tracking,completions,achievementsandcertification

8.1Tracking

Atrackerisusedtorecordthelearner’sportfoliostatus–ifassessed,ifsentformoderation,if satisfactorilymoderatedorreferredetc.AssessorsandIQAsmustupdatethistrackerateachactivityso thatallrelevantpartiesareclearlyshowntheprogressionofthelearners.Thishelps:

theIQAstoplantheirmoderationactivity theassessorstoorganisetheirassessmentactivityandtochecktheirlearners'progression,ifany unitswerereferredorsignedoffbytheIQA theseniorleadershipteamtochecktheworkloadoftheassessorsandtohaveanoverviewofthe learners'progression

TheassessorsandIQAsareallrequiredtofollowthecolourcodingasprovidedinthekey(firsttabinthe tracker).

Theassessorsarerequiredtoactionanyreferredpointsfollowingmoderationwithin5workingdays.

8.2Completions,achievementsandcertification

TheIQAssubmitanachievementrequestontheCompany’sCRMfortheadministrationteamtoprocess theachievements,includingclaimingcertificates

TheadministratorsupdateCRMwiththefollowing:

Thecertificationdateisadded Thelearner’sstatusischangedtoAchieved

Regardingpostingthepapercertificatestothelearners,pleaserefertotheCertificateDistribution Policy.

9.Standardisation

Therearetwotypesofstandardisationmeetings:theIQAstandardisationmeetinggathersalltheIQAs onlyandthecommonstandardisationmeetinggatherstheassessorsandtheIQAs.

9.1IQAstandardisationmeeting

TheIQAstandardisationmeeting’saimisto:

discussthequalityofportfolios raiseconcernsanddiscussthemtofindasolution sharegoodpractice discussthecriteriaofqualificationsandagreeonastandardisedapproachtomoderatingthem, throughajointmoderationactivity reviewtheassessors’performanceand,whenappropriate,agreeonanactionplanfortheassessor

9.2Commonstandardisationmeetings

Duetothedisparatenatureofallthequalificationsoffered,thestandardisationmeetingsdonotgather alltheassessorsforallthequalificationstogether.Forbestpractice,theCompanywelcomesother relevantthirdparties(suchasqualityteamsofotherproviders)toattendthestandardisationmeetings. ThereareseparatemeetingsforEnglishandMaths,forStaffDevelopmentqualificationsandfor vocationalqualifications

Thepurposeofthestandardisationmeetingsisto:

sharegoodpracticeandhighlightareasofimprovement ensurethatallassessorsinterpretthecriteriaofdifferentqualificationsinthesamemanner ensurethatallassessorsunderstandandfollowtherelevantproceduresinrelationtoassessing alleviateanyconcernsanddiscusssolutionstoproblems

Standardisationmeetingsmayhappenremotely(throughanonlineplatform)oronsite,dependingon theavailabilityoftheassessors/IQAs,practicalityandaspartofourSustainability&Environmental Policy.

AllassessorsandIQAsinvolvedinagivenqualificationarerequiredtoattendthestandardisation meeting

9.2Frequency

Standardisationmeetingsoccuratleastonceayearwithalltherelevantassessors.Moremeetingsare setupdependingontheassessors'needs-eitherwhentheassessorsrequestit,orwhenneedsare identifiedthroughmoderationandqualityprocess.

Internalqualificationsarenotdeliveredonaregularbasisduetodifferentfactors,mainlystaffalready holdingtherelevantequivalentqualificationsorstaffstudyingwithanexternalprovider.Duetothis, therecouldbelongperiodsoftimewhenthereisnostaffundertakingaqualificationwiththeCompany. Forthisreason,standardisationmeetingsareheldwhenrequiredandwhenappropriatebetweenthe relevantassessorandtherelevantIQA.

9.3Minutetaking

Allminutesforallstandardisationmeetingsaretaken,sharedwiththerelevantpartiesanduploadedto theCompany’sshareddrive.Ateachmeeting,theactionsofthepreviousmeetingarecheckedtoensure thattheyareachievedortodiscussthereasonsastowhytheyarenotachieved.

10.Observation

PleaserefertotheObservationPolicy.

11.Reviewoftheprocedure

ASeniorLeaderwillreviewthisprocedureannuallyormorefrequentlywheretherearesignificant changesincircumstances

To be disseminated to: All Staff

Authorised by:

Lead IQA Head of Quality

Amendments:

Issue Date: June 2017

Policy Ref: 022

Review Due: December 2024

March 2019 – ‘Test / Assessment Regulations’ (section 3) & ‘Conflict of Interest’ added (section 4)

August 2019 - Subject tutors not allowed to invigilate live assessment of their own subject (English and Maths)

January 2020 – Removed OneFile, added new awarding bodies and shorten the description of processes when duplicated by another document

November/December 2020 – Removed any apprenticeship-related information (as no longer offering apprenticeship); added staff members completing a qualification with the Company as a conflict of interest; added RPL, exemptions and credit transfer; added remote SLCs moderation

March 2021 – Added point 8 Tracking, completions and achievements, including mitigation

May 2021 – Replaced “pre-employment qualifications” with “vocational qualifications”; added TQUK

August 2021 – Added SFEDI; removed mention of the links to the SLC recording to be added to the SLC recording sheets and added the recording to be downloaded; added 50% sampling

November 2021 – Removed Entry 3 for Functional Skills; added the new cohort sampling strategy for vocational qualifications and the change in the assessor RAG rating system; added the change in requesting certificates

April 2022 – Changed Head of Central Support to Head of Administration; removed City & Guilds and ProQual; added Gateway

Dec. 2022 - Removed BCS, BSC, Skillsfirst, Ascentis and SFEDI; updated 7.1.1 in relation to SLC's fails; added ghost candidates; amened standardisation frequency

Aug. 2023 - Added Skillsfirst / VTCT.

October 2023 - Updated sections 5 and 8

Dec 2023 - Removed British Safety Council (BSC); added VTCT and Gateway Updated the Glossary Changed "test" to "live exams " . Updated conflict of interest with solutions. Added Entry 3 FS and updated all section 6 Section 7 SLC internal invigilation and staff development updated Section 9, frequency of standardisation meetings updated.

Feb 2024 - Section 3 updated, including adding a timescale for actions following moderation added and using the key.