Internal Quality Assurance Policy

Internal Quality Assurance
April 2022

1.    Internal Quality Assurance Policy statement

The Assessment and Verification Policy is designed to ensure that all employees are aware of and compliant with all aspects of assessment and verification. As a result of this policy all our students will experience timely, accurate and fair assessment which is underpinned by robust verification processes and outcomes.

2.    Scope

This policy applies to all employees who are involved in any way in the assessment and/or verification process within the organisation and is based on the following principles:  MEaP Academy Community Training and Research Institute (MaCTRI) will have effective procedures for:

• designing, approving, supervising and reviewing the assessment strategies for programmes and awards;
• the consistent implementation of rigorous assessment practices which ensure that the academic/professional standard for each award and award element is set and maintained at the appropriate level and that student performance is properly judged against this. In addition:
• The principles, procedures and processes of all assessment will be explicit, valid, and reliable. Students will have access to clear criteria for the marking and grading of assessments.
• MaCTRI will have effective arrangements for diagnosing and supporting students in the development of the skills required for assessment.
• MaCTRI will have effective mechanisms to deal with breaches of assessment regulations, and the resolution of appeals against assessment decisions.
• MaCTRI will ensure that assessment is conducted with rigour and fairness and with due regard for security.
• MaCTRI, through its curriculum areas, will ensure that the scheduling and amount of assessment is consistent with an effective and appropriate measurement of the achievement by students of the intended learning outcomes and effectively supports learning.
• MaCTRI will ensure that there are robust mechanisms for assessment and internal verification and for the standardisation or moderation of marks or grades, and that assessment decisions are recorded and documented accurately and systematically.
• MaCTRI will ensure that appropriate feedback is provided to students on assessed work in a way that promotes learning and facilitates improvement. In each pulse students will be given marked or graded feedback that enables their progress towards their qualification goals to be gauged.
• MaCTRI will ensure that all staff involved in the assessment of students are competent to undertake their roles and responsibilities.
• Assessment and examination policies, practices and procedures will provide disabled students with an equivalent opportunity as their peers to demonstrate the achievement of learning outcomes.
• Student work will be returned to the student within ten working days.

3.    Definitions

3.1 Assessment is a generic term for a set of processes that measure the outcomes of students’ learning, in terms of knowledge acquired, understanding developed, and skills gained. It serves many purposes. Assessment provides the means by which students are graded, passed, failed or referred. It provides the basis for decisions on whether a student is ready to proceed, to qualify for an award or to demonstrate competence to practise. It enables students to obtain feedback on their learning and helps them improve their performance. It enables staff to evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching. Assessment plays a significant role in the learning experience of students. It determines their progression through their programmes and enables them to demonstrate that they have achieved the intended learning outcomes. It is assessment that provides the main basis for public recognition of achievement, through the awarding of qualifications and/or credit. Definitions of these terms within this policy are:

• diagnostic assessment provides an indicator of a learner’s aptitude and preparedness for a programme of study and identifies possible learning needs or difficulties;

• formative assessment is designed to provide learners with feedback on progress and inform development. It may or may not contribute to the overall assessment;
• summative assessment provides a measure of achievement or failure made in respect of a learner’s performance in relation to the intended learning outcomes of the programme of study. Any assessment instrument can, and often does, involve more than one of these elements.

3.2 Verification is a generic term for a set of processes that ensure the quality of all internal assessment in a framework that is scrutinised by external awarding organisations. It is essential that there are quality assurance systems in place to ensure that student assessment is fair and consistent and meets with awarding organisation standards. At MaCTRI, an Internal Verification (IV) process (also known as Internal Moderation by some awarding organisations) is used as an integral part of each course cycle from the planning stage, through assessment design to assessment of students’ work and recordkeeping. The purpose of internal verification is to appraise and support assessment delivery to ensure that it is valid and reliable.

IV involves:

• evaluating assessors by sampling performance and documentary evidence of their activities;
• assuring the quality of the systems and procedures used for assessment and verification;
• supporting and advising assessors;
• monitoring the conduct of assessment;
• sampling evidence to verify assessment decisions;
• keeping records up to date;
• providing information for analysis by the institution and the awarding organisation;
• assuring the standard of assessment (with practical/craft subjects being assessed through direct observation).

4.    External awarding organisations

Where MaCTRI delivers courses that are validated by external awarding organisations, it will ensure that:

• courses have the relevant current awarding organisation approval
• staff are aware of and implement the awarding organisation’s requirements regarding assessment
• MaCTRI’s internal verification procedures are applied and meet awarding organisation requirements
• students are informed in good time of awarding organisation registration and entry requirements, costs and deadlines
• examinations are scheduled and conducted according to awarding organisation procedures, and all invigilators are trained and aware of the specific requirements
• there are robust procedures for checking students’ registrations and entries with the awarding organisation, for the reporting of marks and grades to the awarding organisation, and for the receipt from the awarding organisation and distribution to students of results and certification
• results supported by achievement evidence are centrally recorded for use in quality audit processes
• the recommendations of external verifiers are responded to and acted on as appropriate

5.    Assessment malpractice (misconduct)

It is considered good practice by awarding organisations that all centres have in place a specific assessment malpractice policy that covers what will happen to staff or students who are found to have breached assessment procedures and requirements. This section of the Assessment and Verification Policy seeks to meet that requirement for all courses, all students and all staff.

Malpractice consists of any act by staff or students which undermines the integrity and validity of assessment, certification of qualification and/or damages the authority of those responsible for conducting assessment and certification.

• Awarding Organisation rules take precedence in the event of a clash with the policy
• Curriculum areas are responsible for compliance with the rules of the awarding organisations and implementation of this policy
• The Exams department is responsible for liaison with curriculum areas over assessment requirements where necessary
• There is a right of appeal specified within the policy for those accused of assessment malpractice
• Appropriate action under disciplinary and capability procedures will be taken where malpractice is proven. Students may be involved in an investigation following alleged staff assessment malpractice as appropriate.

Examples of malpractice by staff include, but are not limited to:

• Alteration of assessment and grading criteria.
• Assisting learners in the production of work for assessment, where support unduly influences the outcomes of assessment.
• Producing falsified entries statements.
• Allowing evidence which is known not to be the learner’s own, to be included in a learner’s assignment / portfolio.
• Failing to keep learner computer files secure.
• Falsifying records / certificates.
• Fraudulent certificate claims, i.e. claiming prior to completion.
• Failure to keep assessment / examination / test paper secure.
• Obtaining unauthorized access to assessment / exam / test material prior to assessment / exam / test.
• Attempting to do any of the above

Examples of malpractice by students include, but are not limited to:

• The presentation by a learner, as their own work, material which is wholly or partially the work of another, either in concept or expression, without acknowledgement of source through the correct use of citation i.e., quotations, references and bibliography.
• Copying the work of another learner.
• Seeking to obtain / obtaining access to examination papers prior to the commencement of the examination process.
• Any infringement of MaCTRI procedures for the conduct of examinations, including failure to comply with invigilator’s instructions.
• Offering a bribe or other inducement to any person connected with the assessment process.
• Being party to an arrangement whereby a person, other than the named learner to be assessed, fraudulently represents them in that assessment.
• Any other arrangement intended to gain unfair advantage.
• Collusion by working collaboratively with other learners to produce work that is submitted as individual learner work. (Learners should not be discouraged from teamwork, but mechanisms for making this explicit must be made clear to the learner)
• Impersonation by pretending to be someone else in order to produce the work for another, or arranging for another to take one’s place in an assessment, examination or test
• Fabrication of results or evidence relating to an assessment
• Introduction or use of unauthorised material contra to the requirements of a supervised assessment, examination or test conditions, for example: notes, study guides, personal organisers, calculators, dictionaries (when prohibited), personal stereos, mobile phones or other similar electronic devices
• Obtaining, receiving, exchanging or passing on information which could be assessment, examination or test related (or the attempt to) by means of talking or written papers during supervised assessment, examination, or test conditions
• Behaving in such a way as to undermine the integrity of the assessment, examination or test
• The alteration of any results document, including certificates
• Attempting to do any of the above

6.    Investigating alleged malpractice (misconduct)

See Procedure for Investigating Academic Misconduct

7.    Definitions

7.1 Reasonable Adjustment

• A reasonable adjustment is any action that helps to reduce the effect of a disability or difficulty that places the learner at substantial disadvantage in the assessment situation.

7.2  Special Consideration

• Special consideration is a process that allows learners that suffer from temporary illness, injury or indisposition at the time of an assessment to demonstrate the achievement they are capable of for the units that are subject to special consideration. The right to fair assessment applies to all programmes and all learners studying at MaCTRI, including initial and practice assessment MaCTRI undertakes to make all reasonable adjustments and to give special consideration to learners in order to ensure that they have access to fair assessment. Assessment must continue to be valid, reliable and consistent after any special consideration has been given or reasonable adjustments made. Different types of assessment make different demands on the learner and will influence whether reasonable adjustments will be needed and the kind of reasonable adjustment which may be put in place. The adjustments that are appropriate for a particular assessment will depend upon:
• the specific assessment requirements of the units and/or qualification
• the type of assessment
• the particular needs and circumstances of the individual learner

8.    Assessments which are not taken under Examination Conditions

These types of assessment form the basis of the majority of Awarding Organisations assessment activity. With these types of assessments MaCTRI has greater flexibility to be responsive to an individual learner’s needs and choose an assessment activity and method that will allow the learner to demonstrate attainment. These types of assessments may include, for example, coursework, set assignments which are researched in the learner’s own time, assessment activities devised by MaCTRI, or assessments where the learner has to collect evidence in order to demonstrate competence. The assessment requirements for the majority of vocationally related units and qualifications fall into this category. In these types of assessments, the learner may meet the specified assessment criteria in any way that is valid. To facilitate access where there is evidence of need, MaCTRI may allow the learner to use any mechanical, electronic or other aids in order to demonstrate achievement as long as the aids:

• are generally commercially available
• reflect the learner’s normal way of working
• enable the learner to meet the specified criteria
• do not give the learner an unfair advantage MaCTRI may present assessment materials or documents in a way that reflects the learner’s normal way of working and enables him or her to meet the specified assessment criteria. For example, materials do not have to be in written format, unless specified by the assessment requirements. MaCTRI may allow the learner to present their answers or evidence in any format as long as it enables them to demonstrate that they have met the assessment criteria. For example, answers or evidence do not have to be in written format unless specified by the assessment criteria. The outcome produced by the learner must at all times:
• meet the requirements of the specifications regardless of the process or method used
• be as rigorous as assessment methods used with other learners
• be assessable
• be able to be moderated or verified. In the case of long-term illness of an individual learner or when a permanent health condition/disability means a learner’s completion of assessment takes additional time it may be possible to permit an extension to the deadline for the submission of work for certification. It should be noted that Awarding Organisations will not allow time extensions for all units and qualifications. Where reasonable adjustments are put in place for assessments not taken under exam conditions, MaCTRI should check whether permission needs to be obtained from the Awarding Organisation.
  • Assessments which are taken under Examination Conditions

Where the method of assessment is more rigidly determined, such as for assessments taken under specified conditions, there may be a greater need for adjustments to standard assessment arrangements in order to give access.

• Identifying Learners who are eligible for Reasonable Adjustments

Any adjustment to assessment will be based on what the learner needs to access the assessment. Below are some examples of learner needs that may require adjustments to assessments. This list is not exhaustive and it should be noted that some learner needs will fall within more than one of the categories set out below.

• Communication and interaction needs
• Cognition and learning needs
• Sensory and physical needs
• Behavioural, emotional and social needs.

o The learner will be eligible for reasonable adjustments if their performance during an assessment is likely to be substantially affected by a particular impairment. Many of these learners will be defined as being disabled under the Disability Discrimination Act/Equality Act 2010. An adjustment to assessment should only be considered where the difficulty experienced places the learner at a substantial disadvantage, in comparison with persons who are not disabled. Where the difficulty is minor, MaCTRI should assist the learner by offering help with study and assessment skills. A learner does not necessarily have to be disabled (as defined by the Disability Discrimination Act) to be entitled to reasonable adjustments to assessment. Every learner who is disabled will also not necessarily be entitled to or need an adjustment to assessment. The learner may have developed coping mechanisms which minimise or remove the need for assistance.

8.3 Identifying Learners’ Needs

MaCTRI has a responsibility to ensure it has effective internal procedures for identifying learners needs and that these procedures comply with the requirements of Disability and Equal Opportunity legislation. The following should be used as a guide:

• Identify those learners who are having difficulties or are likely to have difficulties accessing assessment
• Identify whether reasonable adjustments may be needed
• Identify the appropriate adjustment
• Ensure that the adjustment is in accordance with the Awarding Organisation guidelines.

8.4 Identifying and Obtaining Supporting Evidence

In order to ensure that any adjustment to assessment will only provide the learner with the necessary assistance without giving him or her an unfair advantage over others, MaCTRI must be clear about the extent to which the learner is affected by the disability or difficulty. Where evidence of the disability or difficulty can be verified and where the implications are clear, such as for a learner with physical difficulties, profound hearing impairment or who are registered as blind or partially sighted, further evidence of these physical difficulties is not required. Where the implications of the difficulty are not obvious, such as some mental health difficulties, MaCTRI will have to provide additional evidence of the effect of the impairment on the learner’s performance in the assessment.

MaCTRI should decide what evidence will best assist understanding of the learner’s situation: Evidence of assessment of the learner’s needs in relation to the particular assessment, carried out by an appropriate member of staff with competence and responsibility in this area should be provided. Such staff could include learning support staff, teaching staff, trainers, assessors and other specialist staff. If necessary, external experts may be called upon to assess the learner. This evidence should include an indication of how MaCTRI plans to meet the learner’s needs and should show that the candidate can cope with the level and content of the assessment.

The evidence should be documented for audit purposes. Information from previous colleges attended by the learner may also be included;

• History of provision within MaCTRI o This should include information about the support received by the learner during the learning or training programme and during formative assessments. Evidence of the way in which the learner’s needs are being met during the learning programme should be documented for audit purposes;
• Written evidence produced by independent, authoritative specialists.

o This could take the form of medical, psychological or professional reports or assessments. These reports should state the name, title and professional credentials of the person who wrote the report. The report should set out the nature of the difficulty and extent to which the learner is affected by the difficulty, including the effects of any medication that the learner may be taking. In cases where it might be expected that there could be changes in the way the learner is affected by the difficulty, there will have to be recent and relevant evidence of assessments and consultations carried out by an independent expert.

• Adjustments Permitted by MaCTRI

In some cases, Awarding Organisations may permit MaCTRI to implement reasonable adjustments without seeking prior permission. Awarding

Organisations are likely to require the Institute to report back when they have permitted reasonable adjustments. MaCTRI must declare that the information provided is accurate and that the adjustments to assessment have been made in accordance with guidance. The declaration should be signed and dated by a member of MaCTRI staff who has formally been given delegated authority for this. If in doubt, staff should contact the Institute Exams department for guidance.

• Adjustments permitted by the Awarding Organisation

Where MaCTRI is required to apply for permission to make adjustments, a separate form should be completed for each learner and submitted by the deadline stipulated by the Awarding Organisation. It should be noted that applications received after the deadline may not be processed in time for the learner to take the assessment. The application should be signed and dated by a member of the MaCTRI staff who has formally been given delegated authority for this and should include the following declaration:

• The information in the application is accurate
• MaCTRI will be able to provide the arrangements requested if their use is approved by the Awarding Organisation
• The reasonable adjustment will be implemented in accordance with the guidance.
• MaCTRI will not exceed the allowances given.
• The Range of Reasonable Adjustments

The Permissions Table lists the most commonly requested adjustments to standard assessment arrangements in a template which can be used when considering where the decisions on applying different reasonable adjustments need to be made. It is not intended to be a comprehensive list and staff are advised to contact the Awarding Organisation for advice on alternative ways of accessing assessment for particular situations.

• Records

MaCTRI should keep records for audit purposes where they are permitted to agree reasonable adjustments, when they apply to the Awarding

Organisation for permission. MaCTRI should retain a copy of the application form and supporting evidence sent to the Awarding Organisation, and relevant documentation received from them. These records are classed as assessment records and should be kept for at least 7 years from the end of the year to which they relate.

• Special Consideration

Each request for special consideration will be unique to each learner or assessment. These guidelines offer some broad principles for staff to follow. Further information should be sought in each case from the Awarding Organisation. A learner who is fully prepared and present for a scheduled assessment may be eligible for special consideration if:

• performance in an assessment is affected by circumstances beyond the control of the learner for example recent personal illness, accident, bereavement, serious disturbance during the assessment
• alternative assessment arrangements which were agreed in advance of the assessment prove inappropriate or inadequate
• part of an assessment has been missed due to circumstances beyond the control of the learner

There is a sufficient difference between the part of the assessment to which special consideration is applied and other parts of the qualifications that have been achieved to infer that the learner could have performed more successfully in the assessment. A learner will not be eligible for special consideration if:

• no evidence is supplied that the learner has been affected at the time of the assessment by a particular condition
• any part of the assessment is missed due to personal arrangements including holidays or unauthorised absence
• preparation for a component is affected by difficulties during the course, for example disturbances through building work, lack of proper facilities, changes in or shortages of staff, or industrial disputes. Note that, where an assessment requires the learner to demonstrate practical competence or where criteria have to be met fully, or in the case of qualifications that confer a Licence to Practice, it may not be possible to apply special consideration. In some circumstances, for example for on-demand assessments, it may be more appropriate to offer the learner an opportunity to take the assessment at a later date. Special consideration should not give the learner an unfair advantage neither should its use cause the user of the certificate to be misled regarding a learner’s achievements. The learner’s result must reflect his/her achievement in the assessment and not his/her potential ability.

8.10 Applying for Special Considerations

Any application for special consideration using the appropriate form. A separate form should normally be completed for each learner for each unit or qualification. However, in cases where a group of learners has been disadvantaged by a particular event (for example fire alarm) a single form should be submitted. A list of learners affected should be attached to the form. The learner needs to submit evidence in support of a special consideration. This may include medical evidence or a statement from the invigilator or any other appropriate information. The application should be signed and dated by a member of MaCTRI staff who has formally been given delegated authority. The signatory must declare that the information given is accurate. The application for special consideration should be submitted to as soon as possible after the assessment and not later than seven working days after the examination. Requests for special consideration may only be accepted after the results of the examination have been released in the following circumstances:

• The application has been overlooked at MaCTRI and the oversight is confirmed by the Group Examinations Manager
• Medical evidence comes to light about a learner’s condition, which demonstrates that the learner was affected by the condition at the time of the examination, even though the problem revealed itself only after the assessment
• For on-screen assessments where results are immediately available. If the application for special consideration is successful, the learner’s performance will be reviewed in the light of available evidence. It should be noted that a successful application of special consideration will not necessarily change a learner’s result.

9.    Internal Verification & Moderation Procedures

It is MaCTRI policy that whenever a programme involves assessment and accreditation that assessment will be fair and consistent, and IV provides a system to assure this. MaCTRI recognises that awarding organisations and external verifiers require some teams to use forms specific to the board or the programme and these should be used in all cases. Teams should use the MaCTRI proformas for IV in the absence of paperwork provided by the awarding organisation.

9.1 Roles within Internal Verification Lead Internal Verifier

The Lead Internal Verifier takes responsibility for planning of the IV schedule for designated courses, for example this may be a Programme Leader or experienced Lecturer. The Lead IV is also responsible for identifying assessors and internal verifiers and for recognising and addressing any training needs in relation to occupational or subject updating or to assessment skills within the assessor and verifier team. (For BTEC courses only) In order to gain Lead Internal Verifier accreditation, complete an online standardisation exercise using their OSCA platform, accessed via Edexcel Online. OCSA is only open for a set period on the year, around Aug-Nov, go to www.btec.co.uk/osca  for further information.

Internal Verifier

The Internal Verifier should act in a supportive and encouraging role and identify and highlight good practice in assessment as well as concerns. It is the Internal Verifier’s responsibility to ensure that any necessary support mechanisms have been put in place prior to an External Verifier’s visit.

Competences required

Competency can be by experience or qualifications. Where possible Internal

Verifiers should hold or be working towards appropriate accreditation such as TAQA. All internal verifiers will have direct responsibility for quality control of assessments. Each course should place all internal verification documentation in the course (quality) file or a dedicated internal verification file.

9.2 Internal Verification Process

10.   Equality and diversity statement

It is the policy of MaCTRI to recognise and encourage the valuable and enriching contribution from all who work and learn here and the rights of all individuals who come into contact with MaCTRI such as prospective students and job applicants. We believe that people from a range of backgrounds and experiences can enhance the life and development of the institution and that all individuals should be treated on the basis of individual merit and without prejudice. MaCTRI will, therefore aim to provide an education service which actively promotes equality of opportunity and freedom from discrimination on grounds of age, cultural background, economic status, disability, ethnicity, gender, religion/belief, marriage/civil partnership or sexual orientation in both education and employment. We will strive vigorously to remove conditions which place people at a disadvantage and will actively combat bigotry and discrimination. MaCTRI expects all employees, students, and associated partner organisations to adopt this policy. MaCTRI is committed to carrying out Equality Impact Assessments on its policies and procedures in order that some measurement is made of the contribution that the policy/procedure makes towards equality and diversity objectives.

APPENDIX 1

Role Description for Internal Verifier

A1. Evaluating Assessors

It is necessary to monitor and evaluate how assessors carry out their work in practice in order to highlight problems with the system in general, and misunderstanding or misuse in particular cases. Essentially you should be reviewing and considering whether:-

• The activities selected by the assessor match the element and performance criteria upon which he/she is gaining evidence of competence
• The environment and context in which the assessment in taking place is appropriate for assessment and allows for suitable evidence to be gained on the element and performance criteria.
• The assessor accurately interprets the performance criteria and does not add or subtract any of his/her own to make the judgements.
• The assessor is as unobtrusive as is practicable when they make the assessments and the assessment encourages the candidate to perform to the maximum of their ability (without providing undue help or assistance which means that the performance is not in fact that of the candidate).
• The assessor completes accurately, legibly and completely all the necessary assessment documentation as close as possible to the time of the assessment to ensure that all necessary aspects are covered.

A2. Monitoring and Verifying Assessment Decisions

As well as evaluating how assessors are performing their role overall, it will be necessary for you to countersign and verify that in your opinion the assessments made of an individual are consistent with the standards detailed  in the performance criteria and that the assessor has carried out their job faithfully. The purpose of this countersigning is to act as a guarantor to the system as a whole. In effect you will be signing to testify that you, as the internal verifier, are confident that:

• the assessment has taken place in the manner laid down in the guidance
• evidence collected for each element matches the performance criteria
• sufficient evidence has been collected by that individual to safely infer competence This scanning of the available evidence can lead to three decisions:
• You are satisfied that there is sufficient valid and reliable evidence for each element and each of its associated performance criteria. You therefore countersign the records and pass them on to the next stage in the process.
• Having examined the evidence which is presented to you, you are not satisfied that there is sufficient evidence available. You request further demonstrations of the individual’s capability before you are prepared to countersign and ‘guarantee’ the evidence.
• You are unclear about some of the evidence presented to you by the assessor and wish to gain further information from the assessor or candidate. You question them further as to the evidence provided. This may lead you to then verify the evidence, collate and countersign it. Alternatively, you may decide that the evidence is insufficient and ask for more to be collected (perhaps focusing on a particular area). Detailing these decision routes is not intended to suggest that the process is mechanistic and that you, as the verifier, should sit apart from the assessment process as a whole. The whole process will work better if you are involved with the assessors on a regular basis and discuss with them the form and type of evidence which should be sought. Many potential problems can be short-circuited through the discussion of possibilities before they arise. The central question to ask yourself is whether you would feel confident to employ that person to perform the element of competence under consideration with the evidence available. If you feel that you are unsure because there are some aspects which have only lightly been looked at, then it is likely that there is insufficient evidence at the present time. All this may mean is that you ask for further evidence to be gathered. From the candidate’s point of view, the purpose of the system is to recognise and record their achievements in order that they

can progress and build on these should they have the desire and ability to do so. It is not in their interest to keep them in the continual state of assessment. No assessment can ever have 100% validity. It is impossible to prove once and for all that someone is competent. The aim is to be as confident as one can be on that particular element that the right decision has been made, given the constraints of cost and time and remembering that it may be difficult to gain evidence on every performance.

A3. Providing Feedback

The provision of feedback to assessors on their performance is a key method of improving assessment practice through ensuring that assessors learn about:

• those things where they are clearly meeting the requirements of their role and
• those on which there is room for improvement. Feedback should not only be one way and assessors should be encouraged to talk about any difficulties which they are experiencing either in interpreting the standards or the guidance, in the use of the records or more specifically with assessing a particular candidate. They should also be asked whether there are general improvements which could be made to the system or the means of ensuring quality within it.

A4. Exchanging Information

You have first line responsibility for the oversight of assessment and therefore make a significant contribution to the success of this accredited centre. As your expertise develops, a necessary part of the role is concerned with exchanging information (with assessors, candidates, and colleagues). This should be a two-way process and involves discussing and identifying concerns, trends, changes and evaluating their significance (and noting examples of good practice) as well as passing on knowledge and detailed facts.

A5. Record Keeping

All Internal Verifiers are required to keep their own records, as part of the Centre’s quality system. It is suggested that a portfolio be compiled and this will include:

• Records of meeting with Assessors
• Newsletters, updates, circulars from awarding organisations
• Copy of assessment records and verifier reports
• Development plans
• Previous relevant information

APPENDIX 2

Internal Verification Documentation

Course teams should use the forms and procedures stipulated by the relevant

Awarding Organisation. If these are not provided by the Awarding Organisation please use the generic procedures and forms below:

Procedure

The generic procedure for internal verification has four stages:

1. Course Planning
2. Course Delivery
3. Assessment
4. Appeals Procedure – each Awarding Organisation has a structured appeals procedure. All students are given the appeals procedure during induction. The Lead Internal Verifier should ensure that he/she monitors any student appeals.

The forms to be completed for stages 1, 2 and 3 are:

APPENDIX 3

Courses that use moderation rather than IV

Staff teaching on some courses are invited to attend coursework standardisation meetings in accordance with the awarding organisation regulations. Coursework marking is standardised within the teaching team prior to marks being submitted to the awarding organisation. This process is carried out in accordance with awarding organisation regulations. Where teaching teams are inexperienced, a more experienced member of the relevant team, who may not necessarily be a specialist in the subject, samples the coursework to ensure that marking meets with awarding organisation guidelines. This provides an additional level of standardisation enabling external advice to be obtained where necessary. Where a single member of staff teaches a subject, sampling is carried out either by a staff member teaching a cognate subject or an experienced member of the relevant team. The cross marking / standardisation sample is approximately 20%. The paperwork completed for this process is that provided by the awarding organisation. Coursework samples are submitted to the moderator for external moderation according to the awarding organisation’s subject regulations.

APPENDIX 4

Organisational structure

The overall responsibility for assessment and internal verification lies with the

Director of Training. The Programmes Leader (who reports to the Director of Delivery) is responsible for ensuring that all staff within their area are aware of their responsibilities with regards to assessment of students and that the Lead Verifier has the authority to manage the internal verification process. Programmes Leader may also be the Lead Internal Verifier.

Each course will have named assessors and internal verifiers. Internal Verifiers may assess on another course within their subject area and be assessors for the course on which they teach. For courses delivered or co-delivered by MaCTRI Apprenticeships it is the Programmes Leader who is responsible for ensuring that all staff within their area are aware of their responsibilities with regards to assessment of students and that the Lead Verifier has the authority to manage the internal verification process.

REVIEW

The effectiveness of this policy and associated arrangements will be reviewed annually under the direct supervision of the MaCTRI Head of Institute.
Date: April 2022
Review Date: April 2023