Quality Assurance

BTEC International Quality Assurance Handbook 2023-24.pdf

ICS Assessment Policy

The Quality Assurance policy framework for the delivery and assessment of the BTEC International Level 3 in Business at ICS is guided by the two key policy documents outlined above.

Roles & Responsibilities

Head of Centre:

High School Principal: Dr James Brightman III

The Head of Centre is formally responsible for management and delivery of BTEC programmes at ICS Addis Ababa. Key responsibilities of this role include:

ensuring the Terms & Conditions are signed and uploaded on Edexcel online (EoL).
ensuring the provision of appropriate resources.
recruiting learners with integrity.
providing full and fair access to assessment maintaining full and accurate records of assessment.
complying with all our quality assurance processes.
ensuring that all certificate claims are secure and accurate.
identify a Quality Nominee to act as a key point of contact with us.
liaising with the Quality Nominee to ensure that all processes are being conducted effectively.
supporting the Quality Nominee to take action to respond to reports on quality assurance.
dealing with appeals from learners that have not been resolved by the programme team.
investigating malpractice allegations related to learners or members of staff.
liaising with Pearson where any serious breach of approval conditions has occurred.
oversight of any aspect of quality assurance which relates to the overall integrity and security of BTEC qualifications.

Quality Nominee:

High School Curriculum Coordinator: Deanna Milne

The Quality Nominee is responsible for ensuring the effective management of the BTEC programmes at ICS as well as actively encouraging and promoting good practice.

Key Responsibilities include:

acting as the key point of contact between ICS and Pearson BTEC.
liaising with senior management to ensure that all processes are being
conducted effectively.
acting as the initial point of contact for Pearson BTEC Standards Verifiers/External Examiners, to ensure that Pearson BTEC Standards Verifiers/External Examiners are put in touch with the relevant Lead Internal Verifier to conduct sampling
review actions identified in the Standards Verifiers/External Examiners’ reports and put systems in palace to ensure that these are carried out.
Ensure that learner registrations’ in the BTEC qualifications are accurate.
Ensure that learners’ claimed certificates are accurate.

The Quality nominee is also responsible for liaising with the appropriate Pearson and ICS Addis Ababa Staff to ensure that:

all programmes are approved, and registrations are accurate and up to date.
the Pearson approval conditions and policy requirements are being implemented consistently and effectively.
all staff are aware of all support and guidance available and understand requirements.
assessment and internal verification are effective on all BTEC programmes.
there is a Lead Internal Verifier in place (where appropriate) for each Principal Subject Area.
standards verification is completed successfully.

Examinations Officer:

High School Curriculum Coordinator: Deanna Milne

The examinations officer is primarily responsible for the correct administration of learners within the Pearson digital systems including Edexcel Online.

The responsibilities of the Examinations Officer include:

Liaise with programme leaders to maintain information on which programmes are running and when they start and finish.
Registering learners within 60 days of enrolment in a BTEC course at ICS Addis Ababa, taking into considerations that:
- Higher fees are payable for late registrations
- The name given at registration will be printed on the certificate.

Registering learners onto the correct programmes and checking that these are the specific titles and versions that learners are following.
Checking registrations carefully to ensure that all data is correct, accurate and following correct procedures if amendments are required.
Claiming learners’ certificates into the correct programme and ensure that certificates claimed are accurate.
Providing Edexcel Online access to the Quality Nominee.
Providing Edexcel Online basic access to all other BTEC staff as necessary.

Programme Leader:

High School Curriculum Coordinator: Deanna Milne

The Programme Leader, Programme Manager or Head of Department is a person appointed to take overall responsibility for the effective delivery and assessment of BTEC qualifications. The key responsibilities of the Programme Leader include:

Liaising with the Quality Nominee to be aware of information updates and quality assurance requirements.
Liaising effectively with the Examinations Officer to ensure accuracy of registration and certification of learners.
Liaising with programme team to confirm assessment and internal verification schedules.
Ensuring that records of assessment and samples of student work are being retained for sampling by the Standards Verifier/External Examiner.

Developing plans to set aside examples of work that have been verified to different levels and grades, where applicable,
- Liaises with the Standards Verifier/External Examiner to ensure that appropriate sampling takes place.
Ensures that there are sufficient resources to deliver the programmes and units.
Ensure that programme staff have the necessary expertise and, where relevant, qualifications.
Review reports arising from quality assurance and ensure that appropriate actions are taken.

Lead Internal Verifier:

Business Management Teacher: Rob Love

The responsibilities of the Lead Internal Verifier include:

Oversee the internal verification activity in their subject and ensure that it is consistently applied.
Ensure that there is an assessment and verification plan for your programmes which is fit for purpose and meets requirements.
Sign off the plan and check that it is being followed at suitable points.
Liaise with the Standards Verifier/External Examiner to ensure that appropriate sampling takes place.

Ensure that assessment plans, records of assessment and samples of learner work are retained for standards verification if necessary. Plan to set aside examples of work verified to different levels and grades.
Support the development of Assessors and Internal Verifiers.

Under the Pearson BTEC Guidelines For levels 2 and 3, the Lead Internal Verifier will be responsible for:
- authorising resubmission of assignments for learners who are thought to be able to achieve more without any additional guidance.
- authorising re-takes for those learners who, after a re-submission have not yet achieved the Pass criteria on levels 2/3 Qualifications.
- ensuring any resubmissions and retakes are administered fairly and consistently.

Under ICS High School Assessment Policy, the approval authority for approving resubmission of assignments and re-takes lies with the High School Principal and High School Curriculum coordinator. Consequently, the Lead Internal Verifier will make recommendations regarding approval of applications to resubmit or retake an assignment to the High School Principal and High School Curriculum coordinator in accordance with the Pearson BTEC requirements,

Internal Verifier:

Business Management Teacher: Rob Love

Business Management Teacher: Brian Greenough

The designated Internal Verifiers are responsible for implementing the quality assurance system in order to monitor assessment practice and decisions, ensuring that:

assessment is consistent across the programme.
assessment instruments are fit for purpose.
assessment decisions accurately match learner work to assessment and grading criteria.
standardisation of Assessors takes place.

Note: Internal Verifiers can be anyone involved in the delivery and assessment of the programme. Internal Verifiers CANNOT undertake internal Verification of their own assessments.

The key responsibilities of the Internal Verifiers include:

Agreeing an assessment and verification plan for each programme.
Checking the quality of assessment instruments to ensure they are fit for purpose.
Ensuring an effective system of recording learner achievement is in place.
Keeping accurate and up-to-date records of the internal verification process.
Advising on the appropriateness of assessment evidence with regards to level, sufficiency, authenticity, validity and consistency.

Using subject specialism to sample assessments to verify Assessors’ judgements, ensuring that they are consistent, fair and reliable.
Ensuring your own assessment decisions are sampled when teaching on the programme.
Ensuring that appropriate corrective action is taken where necessary.
Taking part in the formal stages of any appeal.

Assessors:

Business Management Teacher: Rob Love

Business Management Teacher: Brian Greenough

An Assessor is anyone responsible for the assessment of learners. Their responsibilities include:

Ensuring that they have read and understood the programme specifications and the requirements of all units being assessed.
Agreeing an assessment and verification plan for each programme ensuring full coverage of the required units.
Teaching learners the knowledge and skills required to achieve the qualification.
Designing assessment activities which guide learners to produce evidence that meets the targeted learning aims and assessment criteria, using the associated assessment guidance to provide sufficient coverage of unit content.

Deciding when learners are ready to independently complete an assignment for formal assessment.
Ensuring opportunities for plagiarism are minimised and that learners’ work is authentic.
Providing summative assessment of the completed work submitted by learners, checking authenticity and sufficiency of evidence produced against the relevant learning aims, assessment criteria and unit content.
Accurately recording all summative assessment decisions.
Following up any advice from your Internal Verifier.

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