Hints and Tips on Preparing for the new Approach to Apprenticeship Assessment

After a brilliant day at the EP/AO conference on 23^rd September, I thought I would share some reflections / ideas from the presentations, panel discussions and conversations to help prepare for the transition. 

We may not yet have every piece of the jigsaw, but the essentials are there: the learner at the heart, rigour and independence in assessment, and all parties working together. What will complete the picture is continued engagement, collaboration, quality, proportionality, and consistency with flexibility, ultimately building lasting confidence in apprenticeships.

But enough of the rhetoric, what can we all do to support and prepare for the changes on the way?

In brief the changes can be summarised as follows:

1. EpAOs are now Assessment Organisations to the DfE (an all-encompassing term no matter who regulates the organisation), and Awarding Organisations to the regulator Ofqual (a term embedded in legislation)
2. Assessment plans will be shorter with less prescription and more flexibility
3. Assessments Plans will introduce Assessment Outcomes that will be mapped to the knowledge and skills of the occupation
4. Formal assessment of behaviours will be removed and the ability to sample knowledge and skills will be introduced (employers will verify behaviours)
5. Assessment details, including grading will be determined by the assessment organisation
6. Assessment will be able to be delivered throughout the apprenticeship as opposed to all at the end, although the synoptic aspect of assessment is likely to be at the end. The AO will determine the balance. This will also mean end to the traditional gateway to EPA.
7. Training providers (Centres) may be able to be involved in the delivery of assessment subject to approval and external quality assurance by the assessment organisation (the AO will design the assessments and determine which can be delivered by a Centre)
8. There are no current planned changes to the funding of apprenticeship assessment from the current system of a maximum of 20% of the funding band.

In terms of guidance, we know that DfE will release a companion document to their apprenticeship funding rules to support the changes to apprenticeship assessment, and that Ofqual will release the results of their consultation later this year alongside a technical consultation document. I will also continue to write articles to support the transition, offering hints and tips.  For those AOs that need to delve into the detail I am also running some small group interactive webinars in partnership with ProAssess on Assessment Strategies, Centre Management and the CASS.

As many people highlighted at the conference, we have a lot of known unknowns, but that does not stop us from beginning to prepare.  It is also important to remember that no one has all the answers; conversations will be the key to developing solutions. 

Here are some of the areas where I think we can all make a start in readiness for the new system:

1.  Explore and Analyse your Data

You will already be interrogating data as part of your quality assurance procedures, but you may find that it helps to identify where it may be possible to build on the new flexibilities whilst retaining validity. For example:

• For an EpAO (AO), examine your data to see if there are any challenges or blockages that could be addressed though the new system, such as staggering assessment across the apprenticeship to reduce blockages / delays, or adapting assessment methods such as using projects during an apprenticeship as opposed to at the end.
• For a training provider, examine the reasons for withdrawals and share those with the AO where it may help, for example, if apprentices are withdrawing due to factors such as a lack of recognition of progress until the end, could it be an indication that on programme assessment could help/encourage retention? Or, if they are failing or dropping out due to nerves could a mix of assessment by the provider and AO across the apprenticeship help reduce nerves?

2. Explore Behaviours

We know that behaviours will not be formally assessed, but there will be a role for employers / providers to play in verifying that the behaviours have been met/demonstrated. We do not know what shape this will take, but there are things you can do in readiness for the change:

• For a training provider and employer, explore your approaches to apprentice reviews. Could your current approaches enable the employer to verify that the behaviour requirements have been met / demonstrated over the course of the apprenticeship?
• For an AO, share your experience from assessing behaviours to explore and/or see how or if they could be used to create a successful approach for an employer to verify behaviours.

3. Scrutinise your Current Assessment Plans

Instead of waiting for the first 5 new assessment plans to be released, use the new assessment principles, and the foundation apprenticeships to familiarise yourself with what those changes may be. For example, are there areas of duplication across the assessments? Are there different ways the knowledge and skills could be assessed? Or, if you stripped out behaviours, would it change the type of assessment required?

For example, knowledge could be tested by multiple choice, written tests, professional discussions/interviews. Practicals could be assessed via observations, tasks, simulated or in the work place, projects, and portfolios. In terms of a behaviour based example, if behaviours no longer need to be formally assessed would a simulation or a task be a more effective assessment option than an observation in the workplace?

Furthermore, we know that there may be the potential to sample knowledge and skills statements, could any of the knowledge and skills be combined, or assessed in a different way, to enable a sampling based approach, without compromising validity? 

4. Examine your Current Staff Resources and Likely Costs

It was clear from the conference that the new approach to apprentice assessment will not save money, but what is not clear is the overall impact on the cost of delivery.   In order to understand the resource implications, there are things that providers and AOs can do to begin modelling:

• As a training provider, do you have expertise or experience in carrying out assessments and internal quality assurance? Do you have current assessment / IQA staff, if yes what skills and qualifications do they hold? If not, how would you go about identifying and recruiting them? Do you have someone that could act as the lead between you and the AO?  These are the sorts of things AOs will be asking, as part of their checks for capacity and capability, if you are to become a Centre for the delivery of assessment. By exploring it now you will start to build a picture of your readiness to assess apprenticeships, even if, at this stage, you do not know the exact assessments you would be involved in.
• As an AO, you will need to take on additional design and development functions as well as the operation of Centres and EQA which requires staffing and expertise. You may also be exploring mixed delivery models across AO and Centre delivered assessments. This will incur costs, however, there may be way to reduce costs, for example, with the removal of behaviours, and the introduction of the concept of sampling knowledge and skills could that change how, and how much, you assess?

5. Review Policies and Governance

The move to a greater role for AOs in assessment design and a Centre based delivery model will necessitate a change to some policies and procedures at the AO and training provider:

• Look at your policies and identify which ones may need adjustment to cater for Centre based delivery. In particular, conflict of interest, malpractice, appeals, and complaints. Even if you already operate a Centre based model (AO) or operate as a Centre (training provider), it is worth reviewing your policies as apprenticeship assessment is likely to involve a mix of AO and Centre based delivery.
• Look at your organisational structure and reporting lines in case aspects need to be strengthened to cater for the changes as roles and relationships change. 

6. EpAOs/AOs – Start Developing your Approach to Centres and Assessments

An AO does not need to wait for the new assessment plans to be released in order to begin developing their organisational level Assessment strategies and approaches to Centre approval, management, monitoring and scrutiny. It is worth getting started now so that you can be ready to add the finishing touches once the new assessment plans are released.

7. EpAOs/AOs – Review your Current Approvals

Ofqual is moving towards an approval model based on SSA and level, as opposed to per individual standard. As a result it is worth looking at your standards to understand the SSAs and levels you currently operate within. This will inform opportunities for future expansion, subject to your capacity and capability.

8. Never forget the Regulators

We have already seen, through the Ofqual consultation, that the changes to apprenticeship assessment will mean a change to the regulation of Awarding Organisations.  What we don’t yet know is the OfS approach, or if there will be a knock onto Ofsted, especially given that assessment may now be delivered by providers, on programme, where appropriate. Keep a look out so that you can make sure you are always up to speed with the latest information.  And to add to the mix, make sure you add DWP to your watch list now that the responsibility for apprenticeships, adult further education, skills, training and careers, and Skills England has moved to the Department for Work and Pensions.

9. Technology

The assessment principles refer to considering “the best use of technology and digital tools when setting assessment methods”. As a provider or AO, what technology / systems do you have at present that could facilitate the delivery of secure fit for purpose assessment, the capture and combining of results and the operation of quality assurance? Both Ofqual and Ofsted have papers around the use of AI and technology that would be worth reading as a means to checking the robustness and appropriateness of the systems you use.

10. Talk to your Networks

I have already mentioned that sharing knowledge and ideas will help identify solutions, but there is another reason, in particular for AOs. Ofqual is proposing to apply Condition E1 to apprenticeship assessment which means that AOs will need to take steps to secure employer support for the detail of their assessment design and delivery decisions. As a result, AOs will need to seek views from potential users of apprenticeship assessment, and record evidence of user support when designing and developing the assessments.  This means that engagement will be key.

And on a final note, curiosity and initiative will become your strength.  There is a lot of speculation and confusion, but we are expecting information very soon, so make sure you keep looking at the key websites for updates. I will also keep an eye on things and will share any updates as they are released.

By Jacqui Molkenthin from JEML Consulting