Quality assurance

Delivering ITQ within QCF requires a greater understanding of quality assurance (QA) as the qualification gets broader and deeper to allow for Awards, Certificates and Diplomas.

There’s no longer a requirement for trained quality assurers, previously known as verifiers, to accompany the quality assurance process. However, to make sure ITQ is delivered smoothly awarding bodies ask centres to maintain systems to support qualified assessors and new assessors.

Centres will need to carry out activities such as:

moderation of externally set examinations or tests
records to authenticate candidate’s evidence for assessment
moderation of scenario-based assessments
moderation of internally assessed evidence

The role of the quality assurer

If you’re a qualified quality assurer you’ll need to maintain your systems and support your assessor team. You’ll also need to:

have good systems in place to handle documentation
confirm good quality assessment is taking place
make sure candidates present evidence in portfolios in a way that’s approved by your awarding body

It’s advisable to use a flexible, task-centred approach and holistic assessment rather than a unit by unit approach. This means you’ll need confident assessors who are comfortable with the new standards and with helping learners find the right path to learning.

What qualifications do quality assurers and assessors need?

Quality assurers, assessors and external moderators will need:

IT skills at a suitable level, ideally holding an ITQ at Level 3
enough experience to assess and judge evidence

Centres need to provide staff CVs and details of continuing professional development.

If you’re a tutor who wants to take on the role of quality assurer or ITQ moderator, you’ll need to have some or all of these skills:

a suitably high level of IT skills
a knowledge of how to interpret standards and criteria and relate to evidence
good communication skills so you can give feedback and talk to employers to identify their needs
the ability to maintain systems to monitor and support the assessor team
the ability to implement systems to ensure quality of provision and learning
an understanding of ITQ portfolios and electronic evidence
the ability to design and implement ITQ induction programmes

Standardisation

Monitoring candidate evidence and confirming quality assessment procedures is done by sampling. ITQ quality assurers need to record and report when sampling is carried out.

It’s good practice to look at selected units, not check 100% of every assessment decision an assessor makes.

It’s poor practice when a quality assurer only sees a portfolio of evidence when it’s complete rather than carrying out checks throughout the process.

Many quality assurers validate the Mandatory Unit as a benchmark. However, we recommend ITQ quality assurers see and validate all decisions made by new or inexperienced assessors.

Over time, an ITQ internal quality assurer should assess all:

assessors responsible to the internal verifier
units
centres where assessment is carried out
assessment methods

Standardisation meetings

These should be called regularly by ITQ quality assurers. They give the ITQ assessor team an opportunity to:

see candidate evidence
discuss a standard approach to assessment and feedback
explore professional development for assessor team

Rules of evidence

A candidate's evidence must adhere to the rules of evidence. It must be:

valid – the evidence must be relevant against the standards it’s being matched to.
authentic – the evidence must be the candidate's own and this must be proved to the assessor. To do this, candidates can sign and date each piece of evidence. For electronic evidence, a manager or supervisor could give a statement confirming the evidence is the candidate's own work and has been achieved in the workplace.
current – normally evidence should not be more than 2 years old.
sufficient – there must be enough evidence to prove the candidate's ability. There must be at least 2 different types of evidence for each unit. A good piece of evidence may prove the candidate’s competence in more than 1 area.

ITQ quality assurers must monitor and make sure the procedure is rigorously put into practice.

Assessors should also get an ‘Authenticity Statement’ – a written and signed declaration that evidence is authentic – from the candidate.

Portfolio evidence

Decisions records, observation forms, feedback reports or video/audio recordings of professional discussions are evidence of a candidate's competence and achievement

Not all evidence needs to be in their portfolio – it can remain “in situ” and be referred to in the ITQ documentation.

e-skills UK and the Joint Awarding Body forum encourage the use of e-portfolios

Supporting ITQ assessors

A key part of the ITQ quality assurer’s role is to guide, support and ensure the continuing professional development of ITQ assessors.

Keep ITQ assessors up to date

Provide opportunities in standardisation meetings to develop new skills or approaches.
Carry out an observation of the assessor at least once a year, perhaps when feedback is being offered to the candidate.
Give feedback about how the assessor supports candidates.
Look at technologies and how they can support candidates and the assessment process. Provide training and support in using technologies for the assessor team.
Look regularly at ITQ documentation. Get the assessor team involved if any redesign is necessary. Always flag up changes to your awarding body for approval.
Keep up to date on e-portfolio systems.