Standardisation is an activity that verifies that delivery, assessment and internal quality assurance practices within a centre are consistent. This ensures that learners have equal access and opportunity to achieve and that one assessor is not expecting learners to meet a higher standard than another assessor for the same qualification.
Standardisation should be documented. Typically, standardisation would take the form of meetings (recorded with minutes) between tutors, assessors and quality assurers to discuss a qualification, the content, a specific unit and understand what the qualification is asking for and suitable assessment methods.
Suggested content for standardisation could include:
- begin with recording the date and attendees.
- record any actions that were set from previous meetings and then minute the outcomes.
- discuss any external or internal quality assurance comments. Has good practice been identified? Have developmental actions or advice and guidance been set? If so, what actions need to be set to meet requirements or improve practice?
- discuss any regulatory or sector updates.
- discuss your learners – who is on programme, are they on target to achieve? Can they be supported further?
- use sampling activity and examples of learner work to discuss delivery/assessment activity. Have any trends been identified? Are all assessors expecting learners to meet a consistent standard?
- note any actions and the next meeting date.
However, standardisation can take other forms. It can in some instances be shown by IQA practice where an IQA can show that they have ensured all assessors meet the same standard or understand the same principle within a qualification. It could be evidenced through communications within a centre that show all personnel have understood and implemented a new way of working.
Ultimately, Highfield will be looking to ensure that all of the personnel undertake standardisation activity for a specific qualification at least once every 12 months. This evidence will need to be submitted with the learner work a centre submits for sampling.