Principles of training and assessment

Training and assessment strategies developed by FiT will adhere to the following principles:

• Training and assessment strategies are developed for each qualification/unit of competency that will be delivered and
• All training programs will require the development of a training and assessment strategy for full and partial completion of a
• Each training and assessment strategy will be developed in consultation with industry representatives, trainers, assessors and key
• Training and assessment strategies will reflect the requirements of the relevant training package and will identify target
• Training and assessment strategies will be validated annually through the internal review

Quality training and assessment principles

FiT will apply the principles of assessment and the rules of evidence.

Principles of assessment

To ensure quality outcomes, assessment should be:

• Fair
• Flexible
• Valid
• Reliable

Fair

Fairness in assessment requires consideration of the individual student’s needs and characteristics, and any reasonable adjustments that need to be applied to take account of them. It requires clear communication between the assessor and the student to ensure that the student is fully informed about, understands and is able to participate in the assessment process, and agrees that the process is appropriate. It also includes an opportunity for the person being assessed to challenge the result of the assessment and to be re-assessed if necessary.

Flexible

To be flexible, assessment should reflect the student’s needs; provide for recognition of competencies no matter how, where or when they have been acquired; draw on a range of methods appropriate to the context, competency and the student; and support continuous competency development.

Valid

Assessment is valid when the process is sound and assesses what it claims to assess. Validity requires that:

• Assessment against the units of competency must cover the broad range of skills.
• Knowledge that are essential to competent performance.
• Assessment of knowledge and skills must be integrated with their practical application.
• Judgement of competence must be based on sufficient evidence (that is, evidence gathered on several occasions and in a range of contexts using different assessment methods). The specific evidence requirements of each unit of competency provide advice on sufficiency.

Reliable

Reliability refers to the degree to which evidence presented for assessment is consistently interpreted and results in consistent assessment outcomes. Reliability requires the assessor to have the essential competencies in assessment and relevant vocational competencies. It can only be achieved when assessors share a common interpretation of the assessment requirements of the unit(s) being assessed.

Rules of evidence

These are closely related to the principles of assessment and provide guidance on the collection of evidence to ensure that it is:

• Valid
• Sufficient
• Authentic
• Current

Valid

Assessment is valid when the process is sound and assesses what it claims to assess. Validity requires that:

• Assessment against the units of competency must cover the broad range of skills.
• Knowledge that are essential to competent performance.
• Assessment of knowledge and skills must be integrated with their practical application.
• Judgement of competence must be based on sufficient evidence (that is, evidence gathered on several occasions and in a range of contexts using different assessment methods). The specific evidence requirements of each unit of competency provide advice on sufficiency.

Sufficient

Sufficiency relates to the quality and quantity of evidence assessed. It requires collection of enough appropriate evidence to ensure that all aspects of competency have been satisfied and that competency can be demonstrated repeatedly.

Supplementary sources of evidence may be necessary. The specific evidence requirements of each unit of competency provide advice on sufficiency.

Authentic

To accept evidence as authentic, an assessor must be assured that the evidence presented for assessment is the student’s own work.

Current

In assessment, currency relates to the age of the evidence presented by a student to demonstrate that they are still competent. Competency requires demonstration of current performance, so the evidence collected must be from either the present or the very recent past.