Guidance on Assessment and Verification of Full and Part Time Vocational Programmes, including BTEC First, National, Higher National and Professional Development programmes.

The following statements are intended as guidelines to reinforce the assessment and verification of full time college-based programmes (and their part time variants) within the Land Based area and also in other subject areas where access to the countryside may be problematic as a result of Foot and Mouth Disease. The latter group of programmes may include those in areas such as Leisure Management and Public Services.

These guidelines relate to those agreed by, and issued via QCA to, awarding bodies on the assessment and verification of NVQ/SVQs and those covering the conduct of statutory and on-farm practical tests, as available on NPTC's (National Proficiency Tests Council) web-site.

It is intended that, despite the impact of Foot and Mouth Disease on assessment for some candidates and centres, all awards must retain the full rigour of their assessments and the final qualification should remain fully meaningful and valid.

Assessment guidelines:

• Check existing portfolio evidence to see if any may be used in a wider context and might cover areas missing due to Foot and Mouth Disease restrictions
• Use witness testimony where appropriate. This may not have been employed previously for full and part time programmes, but can be a valid way of supplementing/reinforcing evidence
• Use appropriate simulation, where possible, in cases where practical activities cannot be undertaken. (Consult the Awarding Body about the degree of simulation for particular circumstances)
• Be as flexible as possible about the use of alternative methods of assessment. The enhanced use of electronic communication should certainly be considered, if not already employed. Amended assignments, the use of written tests, desk based projects, etc., could also be considered
• Check whether students have gained relevant experience and could present evidence as a result of pre-college work placements, work experience or part time employment. Consider the formalising of such evidence through APL
• Discuss particular assessment issues with External Verifiers.

External Verification guidelines:

• External Verifiers will have contacted their centres already, but it is important that they stay in close contact during the Foot and Mouth Disease situation. All visits and verification activities must be agreed in advance with centre staff
• External Verifiers should communicate by e-mail with centres wherever possible
• External verification activities may need to be modified, sometimes radically, as a result of Foot and Mouth Disease (eg. remote sampling of assessed evidence)
• Remote sampling of assessment should be undertaken where appropriate, to reduce the need for centre visits, although centre staff must be consulted and be in agreement with the approach
• External Verifiers should be as supportive as possible about alternative methods of assessment and may also provide advice upon programme delivery, where appropriate, during the period of the Foot and Mouth Disease epidemic
• The Awarding Body may decide, in some cases where the quality profile of a programme is appropriate, that conventional verification visiting need not be carried out. Close contact with the Awarding Body is important in such cases.

Note

Guidance on progression into higher education has been drawn up by Universities UK, UCAS, representatives from further and higher education institutions and Lantra NTO. This guidance applies to institutions supplying students for HE and accepting HE admissions tutors. It applies to students whose studies or final assessments may have been affected by FMD and will be distributed to colleges by the Association of Colleges; to HE Admission Tutors by UCAS and to University Vice-Chancellors by Universities UK.