2025 Standards for RTOs - Skills Education’s Standards Hub 1.4

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Quality Area 1 - Training and Assessment

Quality training and assessment engages VET students and enables them to attain nationally recognised, industry relevant competencies.

Division 2 - Assessment

Requirements

Standard 1.4

Outcome Standard

(1) The assessment system ensures assessment is conducted in a way that is fair and appropriate and enables accurate assessment judgement of VET student competency.

Performance Indicators

(2) An NVR registered training organisation demonstrates:

(a) the assessment system facilitates assessment which must be conducted in accordance with the following principles:

(i) fairness – assessment accommodates the needs of the VET student, including implementing reasonable adjustments where appropriate and enabling reassessment where necessary;

(ii) flexibility – assessment is appropriate to the context, training product and VET student, and assesses the VET student’s skills and knowledge that are relevant to the training product, regardless of how or where the VET student has acquired those skills or that knowledge;

(iii) validity – assessment includes practical application components that enable the VET student to demonstrate the relevant skills and knowledge in a practical setting; and

(iv) reliability – assessment evidence is interpreted consistently by assessors and the outcomes of assessment are comparable irrespective of which assessor is conducting the assessment.

(b) assessors make individual assessment judgements that are justified based on the following rules of evidence:

(i) validity – assessment evidence is adequate, such that the assessor can be reasonably assured that the VET student possesses the skills and knowledge described in the training product;

(ii) sufficiency – the quality, quantity and relevance of the assessment evidence enables the assessor to make an informed judgement of the VET student’s competency in the skills and knowledge described in the training product;

(iii) authenticity – the assessor is assured that a VET student’s assessment evidence is the original and genuine work of that VET student; and

(iv) currency – the assessment evidence presented to the assessor documents and demonstrates the VET student’s current skills and knowledge.

Risks

Using assessment tools that are not contextualised to your student cohort and assessment system.
Making adjustments for a student to accommodate their needs or preferences that compromise the integrity of the training product – i.e. will not ensure that the student attains the required skills and knowledge specified in the assessment requirements.
Undertaking assessment of students in a group environment where it is unlikely that each student is able to be properly assessed as competent.
Not assessing students while on placement, particularly in qualifications where direct observation is required.
Inadequate systems to ensure consistency in assessment judgements across assessors.
Allowing people working under direction to make assessment judgements.
Insufficient governance of academic integrity and/or a lack of mechanisms or systems to identify and respond to academic cheating.
Using generic ‘tick box’ checklists to demonstrate a student has completed observational-type or practical assessments.
Not verifying that the individual completing the assessment is the student who will be issued with a qualification or statement of attainment.
Neglecting to review your assessment systems after completed cohorts have provided feedback and therefore missing opportunities to continuously improve.