Competency based teaching and assessment |
Competency |
One feature that makes accredited vocational courses different from other courses offered in years 11 and 12 is that they are competency-based. Competency is
- the performance of outcomes (knowledge/skills/attributes)
- under particular conditions (preferably workplace conditions)
- to a required standard (specific to a particular industry)
Accredited vocational courses reflect the competency standards of the relevant industries. Most Australian industries have developed profiles of occupations within their industry which describe what people do, and the levels at which they are expected to perform. In general, accredited vocational courses are aligned to the level of performance required at entry to an industry.
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What is competent performance? |
Being 'competent' encompasses all aspects of workplace performance including - carrying out tasks at an acceptable level
- organising and managing a range of different tasks
- responding appropriately to breakdowns in routine
- applying existing skills and knowledge to new situations
- using communication and interpersonal skills that suit the work environment
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The focus of accredited vocational courses is on what students can actually do – and the standard at which they are able to perform. Performance is measured in terms of whether students meet the prescribed levels of competency, not how well they carry out tasks relative to each other, or how long it takes to attain a skill. |
Competency-based assessment |
Assessment in a competency-based system is the process of collecting evidence and making judgements on progress towards satisfying the performance criteria set out in a standard, or learning outcome. At the appropriate point, judgement is made as to whether competency has been achieved.
(Competency Standards for Assessment.
Australian National Training Authority, 1995. p. iv) |
Competency-based assessment is largely activity-based and practical. However, competence also implies that an individual displays an understanding of the knowledge that underpins the practical performance of a task. In accredited vocational courses, students are assessed according to whether or not they have achieved the performance criteria for each element specified in the units of competency they are undertaking. This form of assessment – known as ‘criterion-referenced’ – judges performance against a prescribed standard, not against other students. Students are assessed either as competent, or not yet competent. It is up to the teacher to make sure that all aspects of the assessment process are - valid
- reliable
- fair
- flexible.
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What’s involved? |
Competency-based assessment is conducted by - gathering evidence about a student’s performance. Because assessment is linked to the requirements of the workplace, evidence about a student’s knowledge and skills should be collected in a situation that closely resembles the conditions under which the competency would normally be practised.
Direct evidence through observation in a workplace is the ideal.
Where this is not possible or desirable, indirect evidence can be gathered in a situation that simulates the usual workplace.
Also useful are more traditional assessment tools such as written tests and assignments. These can be used to gather supplementary evidence about a student’s grasp of underpinning knowledge.
- identifying performance criteria to be used to judge whether a student is performing to the standard required.
- measuring the evidence against the performance criteria.
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