Purpose
This policy outlines our commitment to ensuring that assessment methodology is valid, dependable and does not disadvantage or advantage any group of Students or individuals. Making the assessment procedure is open, fair, and free from bias and to the recognised national standards. We will ensure that assessment decisions are fair and provide detailed feedback, as well as providing Students with stretch and challenge targets.
Following completion, we will ensure that our process for certification is sound and will provide Students with the necessary documentation that reflects their achievement.
It is S4S’s aim to ensure all students are regularly assessed to determine their level of achievement against the national standards for their programme.
To achieve the above goals Francis James will strive to:
Ensure that the appropriate parties are clear about their individual responsibilities.
Carry out a full initial assessment to establish where additional support may be needed.
All students will be registered for the correct award a minimum of 10 weeks prior to certification.
Identify and take account of prior achievement and/or learning.
Ensure that Students are provided with learning that is fit for purpose, to enable them to produce appropriate evidence of assessment.
Produce a clear and accurate assessment plan at the start of the programme.
Assess Students’ evidence using only the published assessment and grading criteria.
Ensure that assessment decisions are impartial, valid, and dependable.
Develop assessment procedures that will minimise the opportunity for malpractice.
Ensure the Appeals Procedure is explained and completed.
Maintain accurate and detailed records of assessment decisions.
Maintain a robust and rigorous internal verification procedure.
Provide samples for verification as required by the awarding organisation.
Monitor assessment reports and undertake any remedial action required.
Share good assessment practice between all Students and team members.
Ensure our delivery team follow the latest Student assessment methodology.
Provide resources to ensure that assessment can be performed accurately and appropriately.
Inform Students who are going through induction about all aspects of assessment and progress with respect to the national standards.
Have a practical vocational focus that references the assessment criteria and uses a variety of methods to achieve competency.
Provide a secure audit trail that will be maintained, comprising assessment decisions, quality assurance activity and Students work. These records will be held securely for 3 years after certification.
Ensure that certification claims are based on accurate audited records.
Submission Guidelines
Formative assessment
Formative assessment is an integral part of the assessment process, involving both the Assessor and the Student/apprentice in a two-way conversation about their progress. It takes place prior to summative assessment (it MUST take place at least one week before the summative hand-in date) and does not confirm achievement of grades but focuses on helping the student/apprentice to reflect on their learning and their assessment submission to improve their performance.
Following formative assessment and feedback, Students/apprentices can:
revisit work to add to the original evidence produced to consolidate a Pass grade or to enhance their work to achieve a higher grade
submit evidence for summative assessment and final unit grade on the date of the deadline.
A record of formative assessment is kept for each Student/apprentice, and for each formative assessment undertaken and this is made available to external verifiers for auditing purposes.
Summative assessment
Summative assessment is the final consideration by an Assessor of a Student/apprentice's assignment, agreeing which assessment criteria, the student/apprentice has met in the assignment and recording those decisions. However, Students/apprentices are aware that summative assessment is subject to confirmation by the Academic Board, and thus is provisional and can be overridden by the Academic Board.
Students/apprentices need to familiarise themselves with the assessment criteria so that they can understand the quality of what is required. They are informed of the differences between grading criteria so that higher skills can be achieved.
Marking Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar
It is good practice for Assessors to "mark" spelling and grammar, i.e. correct mistakes on Student/apprentice work and expect the student/apprentice to either correct them (at the formative feedback stage) or note them (at the summative feedback stage).
If Student/apprentice work has consistently poor spelling, grammar, or language it should not be accepted for marking but are returned to the student/apprentice to be corrected.
The student/apprentice will be given a deadline by which to correct the work (Usually 5 working days).
Mistakes in spelling and grammar should not influence assessment decisions unless:
the mistakes are so problematic that they undermine the evidence of Student/apprentice understanding,
or specific assessment criteria explicitly indicate that good communication, spelling and grammar and/or correct use of technical language is required.
Meeting assessment deadlines and mitigating circumstances
Students/apprentices be aware of the importance of meeting assessment deadlines - and only in exceptional circumstances will an extension to the deadline be approved.
Students/apprentices may be given authorised extensions for legitimate reasons, such as illness at the time of submission, but any requests to extend the deadline MUST be made BEFORE the original hand-in date.
All students/apprentices will be assessed according to the same conditions.
Francis James will apply a grading cap to work that has been submitted late. However, the submitted work is assessed ‘without penalty' in the first instance, the late submissions are recorded, and the student/apprentice will be made aware that the lateness of submission may have an impact on their grade for the assessment. All late submissions, along with any formal requests to take into consideration mitigating circumstances, will be discussed, and acted upon accordingly by the Academic Board at the appropriate time.
Extensions
Students/apprentices will only be given authorised extensions for legitimate reasons and extenuating circumstances, such as illness at the time of submission. If an extension is granted, the new deadline will be recorded and adhered to. Extension requests are made prior to the assessment deadline and MUST be formally approved by the Francis James Quality Lead. The duration of any extensions will be a maximum of 14 days.
Resubmissions
A Student/apprentice who, for the first assessment opportunity, has failed to achieve a Pass for that unit specification shall be expected to undertake a reassessment.
Only one opportunity for reassessment of the unit will be permitted.
Reassessment for course work, project or portfolio-based assessments may involve the reworking of the original task.
For examinations, reassessment shall involve completion of a new task.
A Student/apprentice who undertakes a reassessment will have their grade capped at Pass for the unit.
Repeat Units
The following applies to a student/apprentice who, for the first assessment opportunity and resubmission opportunity, still failed to achieve a Pass for that unit specification:
At Francis James ’s discretion, a decision could be made to allow a student/apprentice to repeat a unit.
The student/apprentice must study the unit again with full attendance and (if required) payment of the unit fee.
The overall unit grade for a successfully completed repeat unit is capped at a Pass.
Units can only be repeated once.
If a student/apprentice repeats a unit and still does not achieve a Pass, they will be required to either complete a different unit in full or take the unit as compensation. In either instance, the centre must make sure that the relevant rules of combination and requirements have been met.
Compensation
Students/apprentices can still be awarded a qualification if they have not achieved a Pass in one of the individual credit units completed but have completed and passed the remaining units.
Students/apprentices can still be awarded a qualification if they have attempted but not achieved a Pass in one of the individual credit units completed at level 4 and similarly if they have attempted but not achieved one of the individual credit units at level 5. However, they must complete and pass the remaining units for a qualification as per the unit rules of combination of the required qualification.
Compensation is awarded only on very exceptional circumstances. Where students fail a unit, they will be asked to undertake an alternative unit to meet assessment requirements.
External verification and moderation
All assessment outcomes subject to some form of external verification, standardisation or moderation, consequently all learners should be informed that all grades are provisional until this process has been completed.
Malpractice
All incidences of academic misconduct, such as cheating and plagiarism, must be dealt with according to Francis James’s Malpractice and Maladministration Policy.
Learners must be informed of this policy during Induction and given careful guidance about what constitutes malpractice and guidance on the study skills required to avoid it.
Appeals
Students who have concerns about the outcome of an assessment should, in the first instance, discuss the matter with their tutor. If they wish to take the matter further, they should do so through Francis James’s formal appeals procedure. The Assessment Appeals Process should be explained to all students at the start of their course.