Assessment

ICS Addis Ababa - Assessment Policy:

BTEC International Level 3

The ICS Addis Ababa - Assessment Policy: BTEC International Level 3 is designed to ensure that there is alignment between the ICS Addis Ababa Assessment policy and the specfic requirements for delivering the BTEC International Level 3 Qualifications.

Purpose/scope

That assessment of BTEC programmes is to the required standard
That there is equal and fair access to assessment for all learners
To ensure that learners are given realistic targets and informed of their progress
That achievement is accurately recorded and tracked
To ensure that assessment leads to accurate and valid certification claims.
To ensure a regular cycle of review of BTEC qualifications and resources that promote
improvements.

Definitions/terminology

Assessor: the person responsible for making decisions about whether learners’ work achieves the standard required for certification.
Assessment: the definitive assessment decision of the learner’s achievement and must be to the required standards. This assessment contributes to achievement and informs a unit grade (where applicable)
Resubmission: The process of allowing learners to provide improved evidence. Please note there are different rules for allowing resubmission at different levels and different qualification frameworks.
Standardisation: a method of comparison that enables centre assessors to review the consistency and accuracy of their assessment decisions with those of other assessors.
Learning aims/outcomes: what the learner should know, understand or be able to do as a result of completing the unit
Unit content: the unit content gives you the information to devise and plan the programme of learning needed for the learning outcomes to be achieved:
- All elements of the unit content must be taught, except for anything preceded by ‘e.g.’ which is merely an example of what can be selected to teach
- For assessment, a learner is not required to provide evidence for all of the unit content
- To achieve the unit, learners are required to provide sufficient evidence to address the assessment and grading criteria
- Assessment guidance is given in each unit to support the achievement of individual grading criteria
Unit grading grid: each unit grading grid contains statements of the assessment criteria used to determine the standard of learner evidence. Merit and Distinction grading criteria refer to a qualitative improvement in the learner’s evidence, and not a quantitative one. Please note the big difference in how to award grades between Levels.

Responsibilities

Programme Leader: responsible for managing programme delivery and assessment of the learners, to ensure coverage of all units and grading criteria.

Assessor: responsible for carrying out assessment to the required standards. The assessor provides feedback to learners; assures the authenticity of learner work; records and tracks achievement

Internal verifier: a member of staff able to verify assessor decisions and validate assignments. The Internal Verifier records findings, gives assessor feedback, and oversees remedial action

Lead Internal Verifier: The Lead Internal Verifier must agree and sign off assessment and internal verification plans; the Lead Internal Verifier will play an important role in authorising resubmissions and retakes by making an informed recommendation to the High School Principal and/or the High School Curriculum Coordinator.

Aims:

To ensure that assessment methodology is valid, reliable and does not disadvantage or advantage any group of learners or individuals
To ensure that the assessment procedure is open, fair and free from bias and to the required standard
To ensure that there is accurate and detailed recording of assessment decisions.
To ensure a regular cycle of review of BTEC qualifications and resources that promote improvements.

Assessment Procedures

Prior to delivery of the course or Unit

1. Assessment Design:

Prior to the commencement of the course or unit, the designated assessor is to review the Authorised Assignment Briefs and Pearson Set Assignment Briefs that apply to the units of work they are schedule to deliver in the upcoming academic year.
After reviewing the Authorised Assessment Briefs, the designated assessor is responsible for designing the assessment tasks in accordance with the course specification and the BTEC Centre Guide to Internal Assessment. As part of this process, the designated assessor is required to develop an Assessment Brief for each assessment detailed in the Assessment Plan.
The designated assessor is responsible for developing the assessment plan in conjunction with the Lead Internal Assessor. This assessment plan should include:
- names of all Assessors and Internal Verifiers.
- scheduling for assignment hand-out dates including Pearson Set Assignments .
- deadlines for assessments.
- scheduling for internal verification.
- scheduling of the opportunity for resubmission.
- confirmation of the learners registered on the programme.
To ensure that the assessment methodology is valid, reliable and does not disadvantage or advantage any group of learners or individuals. The designated internal verifier is responsible for verifying the assessment design prior to the assignment being issued to students.
The internal verifier is required to document their validation, along with any recommendation on the BTEC Internal Verification of Assignment Brief Template. The designated internal verifier is responsible for providng a copy of the Internal Verification of Assignment Brief to the designated assessor and lead internal verifier.

2. Learner induction: All learners are required to undergo a formal learner induction at the start of the course and prior to the commencement of each unit of study. The learner induction will inform the students of:

The exact qualification name for the specific BTEC programme of study that they are undertaking.
The planned programme of work that they are undertaking including the specific units of study and the planned completion date for each unit.
The assessment process including internal verification, appeals and re-submission/
The assessment plan including assignment issue dates, submission and approved re-submission dates.

3. Assessment Principles: The following principles are to be followed by the assessors and internal verifiers when assessing student work:

Assess learner’s evidence using only the published assessment and grading criteria.
Ensure that assessment decisions are impartial, valid and reliable
Ensure that assessment of learner work: should be to the published unit assessment and grading criteria only. Capping or limiting of learner grades is not allowed if work is submitted late and accepted for assessment.

4. Tracking Assessment: The Lead Internal Assessor is responsible for ensuring that a secure audit trail is maintained in the relevant program files on the curriculum google drive. The Lead Internal Assessor is responsible for ensuring that the Internal Verification File for each assessment cohort includes:

assessment decisions,
internal verification documentation for assignments and learner work;
learners’ achievement both at unit level and at qualification level.

These records are required to be held securely for 3 years after certification.

5. Assessment Verification: The Lead Internal Verifiers is responsible for ensuring that a robust and rigorous internal verification procedure is followed. They are also responsible for:

providing samples of standards verification as required by Pearson,
monitoring standards verification reports and ensuring that any remedial action effectively undertaken.
Sharing good assessment practice between all BTEC programme teams

6. Annual evaluation and review:

The Quality nominee is responsible for ensuring that there is a regular cycle of annual evaluation and review of BTEC provision. This review will be undertaken alongside the review of IB DP and CP results as part of the annual review cycle and should focus on:

student achievement,
delivery structures and resourcing,
assessment design,
operational issues.

This policy will be reviewed every 2 years by The Office Of Learning

Managing Assessment

Submission of evidence

Only one submission is allowed for each assignment including Pearson Set Assignments.
The Assessor is expected to formally record the assessment result and confirm the achievement of specific assessment criteria using the BTEC Assessment Record Template.
Each learner is responsible for submitting (by the due date):
- evidence towards the targeted assessment criteria
- a signed and dated declaration of authenticity with each assignment which confirms they have produced the evidence themselves. The declaration can be:
  - on the assessment record,
  - a separate learner authenticity declaration,
  - an electronic platform, or
  - by incorporating a learner declaration into an Assignment Brief front sheet.

The Assessor is responsible for:
- completing a BTEC Assessment Record Template for each student. This form includes confirmation that the evidence they have assessed is authentic and is the learner’s own work to the best of their knowledge.
- at the conclusion of the internal verification process, formally recording and confirming the achievement of specific assessment criteria within the school learner management system.

Meeting Deadlines

Setting and meeting deadlines for assessment is an essential part of BTEC delivery at ICS Addis Ababa. Learners should be assessed fairly and consistently, and learners should not be advantaged by having additional time to complete assignments.

The ICS High School Handbook clearly identified the processes for Scheduling Assessment , Feedback, Assessment Submission and Grading. This includes specific guidance about the process of of requesting an extension and the consequences for non-submission of work.

In addition to the requirements in the High School Handbook, there are specific impacts that apply to the BTEC International Level 3 qualifications. These are:

Learners are not penalised for submitting work late (within the timeframes specified in the ICS HS Handbook), unless this is explicitly included in the Merit or Distinction assessment criteria and/or the associated assessment guidance.
Learners who have not submitted the work by the deadline are not eligible for resubmission or resitting an assignemnt.

Authenticity and Authentication

Assessors are required to only accept evidence for assessment that is authentic, i.e. that is the learner’s own work and that can be judged fully to see whether it meets the assessment criteria. Learners are asked to authenticate the evidence that they provide for assessment by signing a declaration stating that it is their own work when they submit it.

Assessors should ensure that authenticity is considered when setting assignments. For example,

ensuring that each learner has a different focus for research could reduce opportunities for copying or collusion.
It is important that all evidence can be validated through verification. When practical and performance evidence is used, it is important to consider how supporting evidence could be captured through the use of videos, recordings, photographs, handouts, task sheets etc.

The authentication of learner evidence is the responsibility of each assessor. If through the assessment process it is found that some or all the evidence is not authentic, Assessors need to take appropriate action in accordance with the ICS HS Academic Integrity Proceedure.

Resubmission of Evidence

Opportunities for resubmission of evidence

Because every assignment contributes towards the final qualification grade, learners may be eligible for one resubmission of evidence for each assignment submitted (only targeting the criteria which were not achieved in the original assignment).

At ICS Addis Ababa, the Lead Internal Verifier can recommend the authorisation of a resubmission of evidence for an internal assessment to the High School Curriculum Coordinator and / or the High School Principal.
The High School Curriculum Coordinator and / or the High School Principal can authorise a resubmission which ensures any resubmissions are fairly and consistently implemented for all learners.

When can a designated person authorise a resubmission?

The designated person can only authorise a resubmission if all the following conditions are met:

The learner has met initial deadlines set in the assignment or has met an agreed deadline extension.
The Assessor judges that the learner will be able to provide improved evidence without further guidance.
The Assessor has authenticated the evidence submitted for assessment and the evidence is accompanied by a signed and dated learner declaration of authenticity.

What if a learner does not meet all of these conditions?

If a learner has not met these conditions, the designated person must not authorise a resubmission.

Procedure for resubmission of evidence

If the Lead Internal Verifier does authorise a resubmission, there is a clear, simple procedure which will be applied consistently across all learners and centres.

Forms and deadlines

If the Lead Internal Verifier does authorise a resubmission, it must be:

recorded on the assessment record
giving a deadline for resubmission within 15 working days* of the learner receiving** the results of the assessment
undertaken by the learner with no further guidance.

Standards Verification

Pearson External Standards Verifiers will require you to include evidence of resubmitted work in sampling, including:

Evidence of Lead Internal Verifier authorisation signed and dated, with the resubmission deadline clearly stated
- The initial assessment record
- The resubmitted learner evidence accompanied by a signed-and-dated declaration of authenticity by the learner
The resubmission assessment record, detailing the additional learner evidence submitted and showing any related changes to the assessment decisions.
Confirmation from the assessor that the resubmitted evidence is authentic and is the learner’s own work

Re-Sitting a new assignment

If a learner has met all of the conditions listed above in the opportunity for resubmission, but has still not achieved the targeted Pass criteria following the resubmission of an assignment, the Lead Internal Verifier may authorise one retake/re-sit opportunity to meet the required pass criteria.

The Lead Internal Verifier must only authorise a retake/re-sit in exceptional circumstances where they believe it is necessary, appropriate and fair to do so.
The retake/re-sit must be a new task or assignment targeted only to the pass criteria which were not achieved in the original assignment. For Pearson Set Assignments, a different PSA version should be used for a re-sit.
The assessor must agree and record a clear deadline before the learner starts a retake/re-sit.
The learner and the assessor must sign declarations of authentication as they both did for the previous submissions.
The assessor cannot award a merit or distinction grade for a retake/re-sit assignment i.e. capped to a Pass.
The learner will not be allowed any further resubmissions or retakes/re-sit.
Pearson External Standards Verifiers will require the school to include evidence of any retake/re-sit in sampling where applicable

Feedback

The ICS HS Handbook Assessment Practice guidance provides general guidance about the provision of feedback to students during different phases of the teaching and assessment programme. In addition to this, there is specific guidance that applies to the BTEC International Level 3 qualifications.

Feedback during Teaching and learning – preparing for assessment

During the teaching and learning program, and prior to the commencement teachers will provide formative feedback to students. This feedback could include:

Identifying areas for learner progression, including stretch and challenge.
Explaining clearly how BTEC assessment works and what learners need to do to achieve a Pass, Merit or Distinction.
Set “dry run”, “mock” or “Sample Assessment Materials” tasks and scenarios to help learners understand what level they have reached and prepare for assessment.
Feedback on how to improve knowledge, skills, understanding, behaviour, approach, grammar etc.

Feedback During Assessment

Once learners are working on assignments which they will submit for assessment, they must work independently to produce and prepare evidence for assessment.
While learners are working on an assessment, teachers can continue to give general feedback and support, particularly around the development of knowledge, understanding and skills. This feedback could include, for example:
- Guidance on how to approach the knowledge and skills requirements.
- Guidance on appropriate behaviour and approach, confirmation of deadlines etc.
- Confirmation of which criteria the assessor is targeting and clarification of what the assignment brief requires.

Feedback following Assessment

Following assessment, the assessor formally records their assessment decisions against individual assessment criteria on the assessment record. The assessment record provides a formal opportunity for the assessor to give feedback to support earner progression.

The assessor should:

give feedback on which criteria the learner has achieved – and not achieved – giving clear reasons why so the learner can learn and progress.
avoid giving direct, specific instructions on how the learner can improve the evidence to achieve a higher grade.

Guidance on Annotating Student Work

The BTEC International Level 3 guidance recognises that it is good practice to make annotations on learner work during feedback. This helps the learner, Assessors, Internal Verifiers and Standards Verifiers identify where evidence towards specific assessment criteria can be found.

However, the annotations themselves do not constitute confirmation of achievement of specific assessment criteria; they are merely indicators to where the evidence can be found.

Marking spelling, punctuation, and grammar

It is good practice for Assessors to "mark" spelling and grammar i.e. correct mistakes on learner work and expect the learner to correct them. Mistakes in spelling and grammar should not influence assessment decisions unless:

the mistakes are so problematic that they undermine the evidence of learner understanding, or
specific assessment criteria require good communication, spelling and grammar and/or correct use of technical language.

If learner work has consistently poor spelling, grammar or language below the standard expected at the level of the qualification, marking should be delayed before the first submission until the learner has resubmitted work considered to be up to standard. This should be within a timeframe not considered to provide an unfair advantage to the learner.

Learner appeals and malpractice

The process for lodging an appeal is articulated in the ICS HS Handbook with the specific guidance for BTEC programs available here.

Recognition of Prior Learning

Policy Framework

Assessment for the BTEC International Level 3 Qualifications offered at ICS Addis operate under the following policy frameworks:

ICS Assessment Policy

ICS Addis Ababa Assesment Policy

ICS Addis Ababa HS Academic Integrity Procedure

High School Assessment Practise

BTEC International Centre Guide to Internal Assessment 2023-24.pdf

BTEC Centre Guide to Internal Assessment

btecint-bus-spec (1).pdf

BTEC International Level 3 Business Course Specification

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