Person specification

During the training you will be expected to quality assure the assessment processes that take place in your school, college, department, university, or place of work. You will act both as a facilitator of change within the institution, as well as challenging and validating the change process. You will also be expected to complete a portfolio outlining your activities.

Requirements

Successful applicants will have experience in, or the potential to undertake:

  • Preparing for assessment
  • Conducting assessments
  • Feeding back after assessment
  • Managing others
  • Managing yourself

Further guidelines on these requirements are given below.

Preparing for assessment

A prospective Chartered Educational Assessor (CEA) must show evidence of the ability to design assessment specifications, interpret the assessment requirements of specifications and design assessment instruments and criteria which are valid, fit for purpose, reliable and robust, fair and equitable and consistent over time. Appropriate evidence might include:

  • Determining the knowledge, skills and understanding to be assessed in General Qualifications (GQs), Vocational Qualifications (VQs), and National Curriculum Tests (NCTs);
  • Designing the method by which assessment in schools is monitored and the criteria by which it is validated;
  • Setting generic assessment instruments and assessment criteria relating to the nature and purpose of the assessment;
  • Designing external examinations and mark schemes;
  • Designing tasks and their associated criteria, which will produce appropriate outcomes for internal assessments to national standards or to fulfil internal policy guidelines.

Conducting assessment

A prospective CEA will also understand assessment criteria as described in subject specifications and will be able to incorporate them into assessment tools or generate criteria. You should be able to devise and deliver suitable assessments within a centre which are understood, agreed, and applied fairly, consistently and reliably across the specification.

These skills should apply equally to work with external agencies such as awarding bodies, trade organisations or local networks.

You will be able to assess the outcomes of the learners by implementing suitable standards of performance, appropriate mark schemes and level descriptors for all forms of assessment.

Evidence to support this might include:

  • Suitable samples of mark schemes and/or level descriptors;
  • Showing an understanding of setting and maintaining expected standards of performance.

Management of the assessment process is essential. The successful candidate is able to ensure that all members of the assessment team fully understand the expected standards of performance,  application of the assessment criteria within each centre or assessment in your charge, and that this is communicated clearly and efficiently to all members.

Managing others

A prospective CEA should also provide evidence that he/she can effectively train and support individual assessors and assessment teams.

Evidence of these abilities might include:

  • Leading INSET sessions;
  • Leading examination standardisation meetings;
  • Leading marking and moderation meetings in Higher Education;
  • Contributing to the design of teacher/trainer-assessor support materials and formal records of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) delivery.

Managing yourself

Applicants must be able to show evidence of the knowledge, skills and understanding relevant to self-management in the assessment field. You must show evidence of your ability to:

  • Identify requirements;
  • Plan and organise yourself;
  • Apply criteria consistently over time;
  • Take appropriate initiatives; reflect on performance and use feedback;
  • Undertake personal development to enhance performance.

I found the training to be extremely useful in refocussing my assessment role which impacted positively on my students. It also qualified me to reach out to other institutions and advise on best assessment practice. - Bruce Warburton CEA

Feeding back to others

A successful applicant will be able to analyse and challenge data output accurately and use current technology relevant to high quality assessment practices.

A CEA is expected to show evidence of the knowledge, skills and understanding relevant to working with and managing a team in the assessment field. This will include evidence of an ability to:

  • Establish teams;
  • Develop teams
  • Communicate effectively;
  • Work with, support, train, encourage, challenge and inspire others;
  • Ensure deadlines are met;
  • Help colleagues to apply criteria consistently over time and to facilitate change;
  • Generally, enhance the performance of all.