The Assessment Process – Good Practice Tips

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When it comes to assessing learners, it is really important that you have a well-rehearsed assessment process. This not only helps with standardisation, but also to ensure you have a good process in place that works time and time again. There are lots of things you can do to improve your assessment process, but here are our top tips.

Preparation is key

Your assessment plan should be clear and reliable. It should enable your learners to have a clear understanding of what is required by them. If they require extra resources in order to be assessed, then it is your responsibility to ensure they have access to these. By taking the time to plan out each assessment, you will feel much more prepared. Which, in turn, will make everything run more smoothly. The less stressed out you are, the less stressed your learner will be; remember they will have assessment nerves as it is!

Over assessment is a thing

The idea behind assessments is to determine whether learners have the knowledge, skills and behaviours in order to either progress further, or carry out their job role effectively. It can be easy to over-assess candidates by setting the standards of assessment slightly higher than they should be. Learners should be assessed at the appropriate level for their qualification, and this is easy once you have a good quality assurance system in place.

Support your learners

A supportive environment is always important for any learner. Otherwise, they will feel like they are not good enough and will struggle to pass their assessments. Like with any exams, some learners find these very stressful and anxiety-provoking. As an Assessor, you need to keep things as calm as possible. There are several ways you can do this:

    • Ensure learners are comfortable during their assessment. If they’re being assessed under exam conditions make sure there is an appropriate distance between desks.
    • Give clear instructions about what the learner is expected to do.
    • Ensure there is good lighting in the assessment room.
    • Take into account any special requirements learners may have.
    • Treat all candidates fairly – you have to be unbiased and treat everyone equally.

Keep feedback constructive

If learners pass or fail their assessment, they still need to receive feedback in order to understand where they could have done better, and where they did well. Just like with the assessment itself, feedback should also be unbiased and you should remain objective. Delivering feedback promptly after the assessment is also key, while it is all still fresh in the mind of your learner. It should always be a two-way process; your learners should come up with some of their own actions for improvement as well.

Record any assessments

The assessment process doesn’t stop as soon as a learner leaves the classroom. There is lots of paperwork Assessors need to complete as part of the assessment. Records need to be stored and filed in a safe place so that if your assessment decision is questioned further down the line then you can back this up using your records. Also when standardisation occurs, you may be required to show some of your assessment records to prove you have been unbiased and the evidence is authentic.

We hope this has been helpful in giving you some tips on good assessment practices. If you would like any further information on the assessment process, get in touch today by calling us on 01205 805155.