BTEC Quality Assurance Policy Document produced by: Lisa Emblen

Date produced: April 2017

Adopted by SLT: May 2017

To be reviewed: May 2018

Reviewed and agreed to be correct by Tracey Webb – December 2019

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Contents1. Quality Assurance: Roles and Responsibilities

2. Standards Verification: Roles and Responsibilities

3. Assessors and Internal Verifiers

4. The Standards Verification Process

5. Enhanced Confirmation Sampling

6. The Visit

7. The Sample

8. Useful Links

9. Other Polices/Documents

IntroductionQuality Assurance is at the heart of vocational qualifications. The majority of assessment on BTEC programmes is completed by Dorset Studio School as a Pearson Centre.

Quality assurance is used to ensure that teachers, Internal Verifiers and Assessors are standardised and support.

Pearson use quality assurance to check that all centres are working to national standards. It gives the opportunity to identify and provide support where it is needed in order to safeguard certification. It also allows us to recognise and support good practice.

This policy will provide our Assessors and Internal Verifiers with the information they need to ensure quality assurance is undertaken successfully.

Further guidance regarding key documents can be found on the Pearson website http://www.edexcel.com/btec/delivering-BTEC/quality/Pages/Key-documents.aspx

This Quality Assurance Policy will be reviewed annually.

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1. Quality Assurance: Roles and ResponsibilitiesHead of Centre/PrincipalTo be responsible for the management and delivery of BTECs at Dorset Studio School, with main responsibility for ensuring that the school acts in accordance with BTEC’s conditions of approval, regulations and any other terms and conditions or policies.

Vice-PrincipalTo be responsible for overseeing the exam process.

Exams OfficerTo liaise with awarding and examining bodies, undertake registration and exam entry processes.

Teachers/AssessorsAssessors are responsible for teaching and assessing learners against the learning aims and assessment criteria of the course specification.

At the request of the Quality Nominee, Assessors may be required to attend the Quality Management Review practitioners’ meeting to provide: verbal evidence of how centre systems and procedures are understood and implemented at

programme level evidence of programme management of BTECs in their subject area (e.g. programme files, live

quality assurance documentation).

Internal VerifiersTo ensure that assessment decisions are consistent across the programme by checking that assignments are fit for purpose, standardising assessors and sampling assessment decisions.

At the request of the Quality Nominee, Internal Verifiers may be required to attend the Quality Management Review practitioners’ meeting to provide: verbal evidence of how centre systems and procedures are understood and implemented at

programme level evidence of programme management of BTECs in their subject area (e.g. programme files, live

quality assurance documentation).

Lead Internal VerifiersTo act as a single point of accountability for the quality assurance across a subject area and be responsible for managing the assessment of units and qualifications as well as signing off assessment and internal verification decisions.At the request of the Quality Nominee, Lead Internal Verifiers may be required to attend the Quality Management Review practitioners’ meeting to provide: verbal evidence of how centre systems and procedures are understood and implemented at

programme level evidence of programme management of BTECs in their subject area (e.g. programme files, live

quality assurance documentation).

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Quality NomineeThe Quality Nominee is Dorset Studio School’s point of contact for quality assurance. They are responsible for ensuring effective management of the BTEC programmes. The Quality Nominee will have responsibility for the BTEC curriculum at Dorset Studio School.

Standards VerifierExam Board responsible.

2. Standards Verification: Roles and Responsibilities

Teachers/AssessorsAssessors will provide assessment records and learner work for Standards Verification, and undertake any action required to bring the assessment in line with national standards.

Internal VerifierEnsure that all assessment plans, assignments and assessment decisions have been internally verified and that assessors take appropriate action based on their feedback.

Standards Verifier Pearson appoints a Standards Verifier to undertake sampling each of the BTEC (NQF) programmes. They will be a subject specialist and their primary focus is to ensure you are assessing to national standards. This includes:

assessing learners to national standards as set out within the BTEC qualification specifications;

maintaining effective mechanisms for the internal verification of BTEC programmes; demonstrating effective recording of assessment and internal verification.

Regional Quality Manager Each centre has a designated Regional Quality Manager. They have a responsibility for centres within a geographical area and provide quality assurance support and guidance for anyone managing or delivering BTECs. Where a second sample has been undertaken and national standards have still not been met, the Regional Quality Manager will work with the centre to agree a remedial action plan. If major concerns are raised by a Standards Verifier at any point in the process, the Regional Quality Manager will be able to provide centre support.

Quality Nominee Dorset Studio School will appoint a member of staff to act as the main point of contact between Pearson and the school. The Quality Nominee should ensure the effective management of BTEC programmes and actively encourage and promote good practice. For standards verification, your Quality Nominee will:

be the initial point of contact for all Standards Verifiers and liaise with appropriate

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practitioners; liaise with appropriate practitioners and internal verifiers to ensure that Standards

Verifiers are able to carry out their role.

Lead Internal Verifier The Lead Internal Verifier is the person designated by you to act as the point of sign-off for the assessment and internal verification of each BTEC (NQF) First. The Lead Internal Verifier needs to be registered with Pearson, which can be achieved via the online standardisation platform (OSCA). For standards verification, the Lead Internal Verifier will:

ensure that assessment plans, records of assessment and verification are available for scrutiny by the Standards Verifier;

ensure that current learner work is available for scrutiny by the Standards Verifier; liaise with the Standards Verifier to ensure that appropriate sampling takes place; sign a declaration to confirm that each learner has declared the sampled work is authentic

and valid.

3. Assessors and Internal VerifiersThe programme team consists of the teachers or tutors who are responsible for the delivery, assessment and internal verification of BTEC programmes.

For standards verification, assessors and internal verifiers will: ensure that the assessment plan, assignments and assessment decisions are internally

verified and appropriate action is taken by the team. This is coordinated and monitored by the Lead Internal Verifier;

provide records of assessment and samples of learner work as required; undertake any actions required as a result of standards verification.

The appropriate minimum size of the programme team will depend on the number of units and the number of learners. No person can internally verify their own assessment decisions. Therefore, where there is a single specialist practitioner delivering a programme, arrangements must be made for their assignments and assessment decisions to be internally verified by someone appropriately experienced.

Internal Verification Internal verification is the quality assurance system you must use to monitor assessment practice and decisions, ensuring that:

assessment is consistent across assessors; assessment instruments are fit for purpose; assessment decisions accurately match learner work to the unit assessment criteria; standardisation of Assessors takes place.

Full evidence of internal verification should be provided in the standards verification sample:

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All assignment briefs should have evidence that they were internally verified before being handed out to learners

All learners selected by the Standards Verifier for sampling must have been subject to internal verification. By this, we mean that for each learner, the assessment decisions for at least one assignment towards the unit have been internally verified

Before the sample is sent to the Standards Verifier your Lead Internal Verifier should check the sample and confirm that the standards are met.

Centre Guides to Assessment and Internal Verification and templates for use can be found on the Key Documents page of the BTEC website: www.btec.co.uk/keydocuments. These templates are not mandatory and you are free to design your own, but using them will help to ensure that you are meeting requirements.

4. The Standards Verification ProcessConfirmation Sampling

In December a selection of centres with accredited programmes will be identified for confirmation sampling. We will inform Quality Nominees which programme(s) have been selected.

The Standards Verifier will contact the Quality Nominee to agree the sample. You should confirm with the Standards Verifier which unit(s) will be included within the

sample. After consultation with the Quality Nominee, the Standards Verifier will confirm by email:

- the unit(s) to be sampled; - the date of the sample (we advise that sampling be carried out as early as possible); - the date by which the learners will be selected.

Accreditation sampling At the end of each standardisation window Pearson issue results to Lead Internal Verifiers

who have completed online standardisation. Based on a Lead Internal Verifier’s results, there are two possible outcomes:

- Accredited: A Standards Verifier is not allocated in the current year, but confirmation sampling will apply during the accreditation period.

- Accredited, subject to Standards Verification: We feel that the Lead Internal Verifier would benefit from immediate support. A Standards Verifier will be allocated to support them in gaining accreditation and undertake sampling.

The Standards Verifier will contact the Quality Nominee to agree the sample. You should confirm with the Standards Verifier which of the unit(s) will be included within the

sample. After consultation with the Quality Nominee, the Standards Verifier will confirm by email:

- the unit(s) being sampled; - the date of the sample (we advise that sampling be carried out as early as possible); - the date by which the learners will be selected.

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Please note: if Dorset Studio School starts a new programme at a higher level than the one for which we are accredited, we will complete online standardisation for this new level. If we are subsequently selected for accreditation sampling, we will still be required to provide a sample for all levels you deliver.

Self-Accreditation Not Attempted Where online standardisation (self-accreditation) has not been attempted, standards

verification will only allow certification release for the current year. A Lead Internal Verifier will need to undertake online standardisation during the following

academic year to gain accredited status.

Please note: if Dorset Studio School starts a new programme at a higher level than the one for which we are accredited, we will complete online standardisation for this new level. If we are subsequently selected for accreditation sampling, we will still be required to provide a sample for all levels you deliver.

Direct to standards verification Where a Principal Subject Area is not covered by Lead Internal Verifier accreditation,

standards verification will only allow certification release for the current year. A Standards Verifier will be allocated to the programme annually.

5. Enhanced Confirmation SamplingIn order to comply with on-going regulatory requirements and to ensure that the assessment of learner achievement is consistently to national standards, Pearson are undertaking an enhanced form of confirmation sampling for a clearly defined group BTEC Level 3 National Certificate and Extended Certificate programmes.

This enhanced confirmation sampling focuses on centres where a significant proportion of learners achieved the top grades of D or D* in the previous academic year. Centres in scope will be contacted directly, prior to Standards Verifier allocations being made. This process currently focuses on BTEC Level 3 National provision across the country but Pearson may sample further programmes via this method, this academic year and in future. Pearson will contact you in advance if this is the case.

If our programmes are included, please be assured that Pearson are not suggesting that there is any issue with assessment of your BTEC programmes, but that they need to ensure that their quality assurance processes are supporting accurate and standardised assessment, particularly at the higher grades. This will further support the integrity and value of BTECs in future.

Sampling will cover the Principal Subject Area from Entry Level to Level 3, as is usual for confirmation

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sampling. However, for the programmes in scope this enhanced sampling will be conducted by a visit, rather than via post, and will have a greater focus on Distinction assessment decisions for our BTEC Nationals.

6. The Enhanced Confirmation Sampling VisitBefore the VisitYou will be contacted by a subject-specialist Standards Verifier to arrange a visit to the specified programme area.

Before the visit, the Standards Verifier will request your Assessment Plan(s) which must show: all Assessors for the programmes you run in the specified Principal Subject Area; the units they are assessing; assessment and internal verification dates.

The Standards Verifier will contact you to request a list of learner grades for completed units, before the agreed sample date.

The Standards Verifier will confirm which learners will be sampled for any Entry Level, Level 1 or Level 2 programmes you deliver.

For Level 3 BTEC Nationals, you must make all portfolios available for units completed on the day of the visit. The Standards Verifier will select a sample from these on the day.

During the Visit At the visit, your Standards Verifier will:

undertake sampling of current learners; review assessment records from last year’s BTEC National cohort; provide verbal feedback at the end of the visit.

After the VisitThe Standards Verification Report will be completed within 10 working days of the visit and made available via Edexcel Online once submitted.

If any resampling is required, your Standards Verifier will contact you to arrange this. Any resample will be postal, unless you are informed otherwise.

7. The SampleSamples will be selected from all levels you are currently delivering within the Principal Subject Area.

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Programmes from Entry to Level 2 will be sampled as normal: One unit will be required from Entry Level-Level 1 programmes; Two units will be required from Level 2 programmes.

For Level 3 BTEC Nationals, you must make all portfolios available for completed units on the day of the visit. The Standards Verifier will select a sample from these on the day.

The following criteria will be used, which may increase the sample size compared to the usual confirmation sampling sizes:

Every Assessor should have work sampled. The Standards Verifier should be provided with a list of assessors and the units they have assessed, with learner lists showing achievement;

Work selected must include Merit and Distinction achievement where available; If any concerns are found, further learner samples may be requested.

At the Enhanced Confirmation Sampling visit, your Standards Verifier will also look at the following information:

Assessment and internal verification records for the last BTEC National cohort, to be compared to the final certificate claims data;

Certification data provided by us; Your procedure for recording and monitoring assessment and internal verification decisions

on programme.

It is already a requirement at approval that assessment records are kept for at least six months following certification. It is also a requirement to be able to make records and evidence available for awarding body scrutiny on request. Therefore, your programme team should be able to accommodate this.

Outcomes of enhanced confirmation sampling Outcomes of enhanced confirmation sampling are the same as the usual confirmation sampling process. The report will recommend a certification Release or Block. If you have any questions about the enhanced confirmation sampling, please contact: btecdelivery@pearson.com or discuss them with your Standards Verifier when they are allocated.

Accessing the standards verification report Once the report has been submitted by the Standards Verifier, your Quality Nominee will receive an automatic email alert and you can access your report through Edexcel Online. If you are not already a user of Edexcel Online, ask the Exams Officer to set you up with access.

Outcomes of first sample To ensure the accuracy of assessment decisions you must:

have appropriate assessments instruments which guide learners to achieve the criteria; be assessing accurately to national standards; have appropriate standardisation of Assessors; undertake appropriate monitoring of assessment through internal verification.

Successful outcome

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The Standards Verifier agrees that you are assessing to national standards and have successful quality assurance procedures for the Principal Subject Area. A second sample is not required.

The Standards Verifier may agree that standards are being maintained but offer recommendations to the centre on how to improve on good practice. You should read the report carefully for recommendations. As part of Quality Review & Development we check how your centre responds to Standards Verifier reports.

Depending on the sampling activity undertaken, a successful outcome means: Confirmation sampling: the Lead Internal Verifier retains accreditation for the full

accreditation period and certification release is confirmed Accreditation sampling: the Lead Internal Verifier gains accreditation for the current

academic year plus 3 years, subject to future confirmation sampling. Certification is released Accreditation sampling (self-accreditation not attempted): certification is released for the

current academic year only. A Lead Internal Verifier will need to take online standardisation during the following academic year.

Unsuccessful outcome The Standards Verifier does not agree that you are assessing to national standards. If the Standards Verifier finds that any assessment decision is incorrect or that the approach to assessment and verification is not valid, a second sample will be requested. Depending on the sampling activity undertaken, an unsuccessful outcome means:

Confirmation sampling: certification is blocked but Lead Internal Verifier accreditation is unaffected, pending the outcome of the second sample

Accreditation sampling: certification is blocked and the Lead Internal Verifier does not gain accreditation. A second sample will be requested. The Lead Internal Verifier will be required to undertake online standardisation the following year

Accreditation sampling (self-accreditation not attempted): certification is blocked. A second sample will be requested. A Lead Internal Verifier will be required to undertake online standardisation the following year.

Second sample A second sample is required if the first sample blocks certification. The second sample should include the elements of the first sample that caused the initial certification block, with evidence to show that the issues have been addressed. These will be clearly identified in the standards verification report.

The Standards Verifier will need to ensure that standards are being reapplied consistently across each programme that was blocked at first sample. Therefore, the Standards Verifier will:

check that amendments have been made to the original sample of learners check a further sample of learners to ensure that standards are being correctly applied

The number of extra samples will depend on the registrations on the programme.

What is the process? The Standards Verifier will contact you when the first standards verification report is submitted to agree a timescale for a second sample to be provided and the format of the sample required. The Lead Internal Verifier should conduct a review of assessment, addressing whether:

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an individual Assessor has not been correctly standardised; individual learners have not been assessed accurately; there is consistent misinterpretation of unit specifications.

Successful outcome at second sample The Standards Verifier agrees that you are now assessing to national standards and have successful quality assurance procedures for the Principal Subject Area.

Depending on the sampling activity undertaken, a successful outcome means: Confirmation sampling: the Lead Internal Verifier retains accreditation for the full

accreditation period, subject to future confirmation sampling. Certification is released; Accreditation sampling: the Lead Internal Verifier does not gain accreditation but

certification is released for the current academic year only. The Lead Internal Verifier will be required to undertake online standardisation the following year;

Accreditation sampling (self-accreditation not attempted): certification is released for the current academic year only. A Lead Internal Verifier will be required to undertake online standardisation the following year.

Unsuccessful outcome at second sample The Standards Verifier still does not agree that you are assessing to national standards.

At this point the relevant Regional Quality Manager will meet with you to agree a remedial action plan.

Once the remedial action is completed satisfactorily, the Regional Quality Manager will release certification for the current year only.

Accredited Lead Internal Verifiers may lose their accreditation and be required to undertake online standardisation the following year.

Appeals If you have concerns about the outcomes of standards verification, we have a formal enquiries and appeals process. Details can be found on the Policies section of the Pearson website: www.edexcel.com/policies.

8. Useful Linkshttp://qualifications.pearson.com/content/demo/en/support/support-topics/quality-assurance/btec-quality-assurance-handbook.html

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http://qualifications.pearson.com/en/support/support-topics/assessment-and-verification/btec-assess-verify-forms.html#tab-From2016

9. Other Policies/Documents:This Policy should be read in conjunction with the following Policies/documents:

BTEC Quality Assurance Confirmation Sampling Flow Chart BTEC Quality Assurance Accreditation Sampling Flow Chart Late Arrival to Exams Policy Early Examination Entry Policy Staff Malpractice (Controlled Assessment) Policy Risk Management Internal Appeals Procedures Policy Exams Archiving Policy Disability Policy Management of Non-Examination Assessments Policy Exams Policy Word Processing Policy Exams Contingency Policy Access Arrangements Policy Emergency Evacuation Policy

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