Understanding How to Plan Assessment

583 Words3 Pages
Understanding how to plan assessment When planning assessment, the following key factors need to be considered: • Planning around the persons actual work activities, thus aiming to assess across the whole award rather than individual units or criteria. • Planning to cover most routine and predictable performance criteria through several holistic or activity based observations. • Always carrying out a benefit/effort analysis when planning an assessment. For example is it worth using a research project to cover a couple of criteria when a simple question might provide the same evidence? • Using personal and witness statements to fill small gaps rather than to cover whole elements or units. These are much easier and quicker to write and assess. • Assessing product of work live in the workplace rather than expecting the learner to photocopy and present as 'evidence'. This can be very effectively combined with verbal questioning or professional discussion methods of assessment. • Planning around the individual needs of each learner. The starting point for assessment planning should be to consider existing evidence before planning for new assessment, for example from accreditation of prior learning and achievement or from previous assessment. • Planning a suitable time and place to meet with the learner as well as ensuring it is convenient with other affected members present at the place of work. • Addressing regulations and standards of the learner/employer/workplace needs. Benefits of using a holistic approach to assessment: • Cost and time effectiveness as more than one unit can be linked i.e. having the opportunity to observe another unit or aspect of the learners’ qualification as it happens. • It can be motivational for learners, promoting learner responsibility and learner involvement, use of naturally occurring
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