Adapting assessments in the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA)

Adapting assessments in the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement

Assessments could and should be adapted to meet the needs of your learners. When you complete your Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA) you should adapt your assessments to meet your learners needs. Learner needs or anything that affects your learners. It could be a disability, leaning style, a preference or personal things. For me, my needs include being around for my children, working from home and my learning styles are being a kinaesthetic learner. I don’t have any learning disabilities, but I may have an injury, such as a football injury so these needs could change at any given time. So, remember learner needs may change throughout the programme.  

You need to decide what you are assessing. When completing the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA) you will assess both vocational skills and academic knowledge and maybe both at the same time. You may be assessing informally to check learners progress or formally to confirm if they’ve achieved the qualification. Let’s use the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA) as an example. You will be assessed informally during the course checking for progress through questions and activities and then will be assessed formally at the end of each unit through your portfolio, assessment plans, assessment practice and self-reflection which if all goes well allows you to obtain your Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA) certificate.  

If it’s a regulated qualification such as the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA), you need check with the qualification specifications and the awarding body to see what you can adapt. Remember regulated qualifications are approved by Ofqual and recognised nationally. Changing assessment methods in agreement with the awarding body is known as making reasonable adjustments. If you are assessing a non-regulated activity such as a job specification or in-house training, you are likely to be free creating your own assessments and will give you that creative freedom to assess.  

Learners’ needs may include changing resources or equipment for learners who have sighting difficulties. You may adapt the environment for disabled individuals such as using rooms with better access or those that possess an injury, you may delay assessment. Covid-19 is a good example where someone becomes ill and then needs to change their assessment date. Those that are dyslexic are usually given more time to complete exams or maybe able to use verbal questions in completing their portfolio for the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA).

If someone is deaf, you could potentially use sign language or show them more visual resources. We have learners all other the country, but they may move their assessments to locations nearer to them. We could change our assessments depending upon a learner’s learning style or maybe change assessment methods depending on someone’s ability to use technology. And some individuals have preferred to handwrite their portfolios and post them as opposed to using computers. Its all about making adaptions to make your learners lives that little bit easier.