Quality Assuring the Assessment Process
KCETB is validated to deliver QQI programmes leading to major awards under the Common Awards System (CAS), as well as delivering a number of non-QQI awards, such as City & Guilds, Pearson, ITEC, CIBTAC, and BHS amongst others.
QQI Assessment Processes
The management of QA within FET puts the learner at the core. The assessment and authenticity of results is paramount in ensuring all learners have equality of access and opportunity to attain the required skills and knowledge to progress in their education / employment journey. To ensure a fair and consistent assessment system for the learners, the development of consistent processes and procedures was identified as a key priority in 2017. Prior to the development and implementation of the Assessment Policy in 2020, each centre had its own policies and procedures with the approval of learner results in line with the legacy agreement in operation in their centre. The key benefit of this policy is that it provides a consistent approach to the assessment, authentication and results approval processes for teaching staff, learners, support staff and management across all provision. The roll out of the assessment policy has meant that there is now a fair and consistent system for the assessment of learners across all provision. The content of the policy is displayed in the figure below.
The Assessment Policy has common assessment templates and as a result there is consistency with respect to all aspects of assessment including learner briefs, assessment calendars, etc. Assessment is reviewed by management through authentication processes at centre level to ensure it is consistent with national standards and award specifications. Examinations are drafted by teaching staff and held securely in centres until required. Examination guidelines are issued to learners and it is the responsibility of teaching staff to follow relevant awarding body guidelines. Examinations are supervised by an impartial invigilator, following which completed examination papers are collected, placed in a specific folder, and then locked in a secure location. All learners sign statements of authenticity with respect to their submitted work. Centres store completed examination papers in secure cabinets and electronic files are held securely on OneDrive and can only be accessed by designated people. Files are kept for the time required to complete authentication and certification following which they are securely destroyed/deleted. All assessment instruments, methodologies, procedures, and records are maintained in accordance with the Assessment Policy.
In Training Services AIS packs are used. They are used by Training Services in all ETBs and are essentially assessments prescribed by Training Services for use by external providers. They are stored centrally on a shared drive within Training Services and released to the providers on request. They are password protected and access is removed once the provider has completed the programme of learning.
Assessment Policy Flow Chart
