Equality in assessment

Julie SwanAssociate Director, Regulatory Policy and VocationalQualification Policy

Aims of the session

To highlight: the links between equality & accessibility and validity the issues to be considered at each stage of the qualification lifecycle your legal and regulatory obligations with respect to equality and the

accessibility of your qualification

And to get a sense of: current practice the need for further guidance

Validity

Well designed assessments will differentiate between learners who have the knowledge, skills and understanding the qualification is intended to recognise and those who do not

They will not differentiate on other factors

The starting point

Clear learning outcomes

That are all necessary for the qualification’s purpose

So any barriers are justifiable

In line with General Condition of Recognition, Condition D2

Assessment

Valid assessments will:

use appropriate language and stimulus materials (General Condition of Recognition, Condition G3)

differentiate on relevant factors only

Protected characteristics

Age Disability Gender reassignment Marriage and civil partnership Pregnancy and maternity Religion or belief Sex Sexual orientation In Northern Ireland also political opinion and those with dependents

Examples of potentially unjustifiable barriers in assessments

Use of unnecessarily complex language Use of diagrams or pictures that are distracting or are hard to see Tasks that disadvantage learners who have not had particular experiences,

where these are not relevant to the knowledge, skills and understanding being assessed

Assessments of skills that are not relevant to the learning outcomes Requirements to demonstrate skills in contexts that are not essential for the

qualification

Reasonable adjustments

Awarding organisations are subject to a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled learners (some exceptions for some general qualifications)

A person is disabled if:• they have a physical or mental impairment • the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their

ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities (the Equality Act 2010) Reasonable adjustments are made to remove or reduce the disadvantage

caused by the disability that would otherwise arise The cost of making the adjustment cannot be recovered from the disabled

person

Competence standards

The application by a qualifications body of a competence standard to a disabled person is not disability discrimination if it is a proportionate means to achieve a legitimate aim

A competence standard is an academic, medical or other standard applied for the purpose of determining whether or not a person has a particular level of competence or ability

Reasonable adjustments are made to how the essential knowledge, skills and understanding are assessed, not to what is assessed

Typical reasonable adjustments

Large font

Extra time

Use of British Sign Language

Electronic rather than paper and vice versa

But there is no definitive list – each request must be considered

Arrangements with centres

Condition C2

Agreements with centres must:

“Require the Centre to undertake delivery of the qualification required by the awarding organisation in accordance with Equalities Law.”

Discussion

How do you identify and remove any unjustifiable barriers at qualification-design stage?

How do you monitor for such barriers?

How would you respond to the requests for reasonable adjustments and other issues on your tables?

Sources of information

Fair access by design published by CEA Regulation and Qualifications Wales http://ccea.org.uk/sites/default/files/docs/accreditation/compliance/fair_access_by_design_june_2015.pdf

Guidance: modification and production of papers for visually impaired students http://www.rnib.org.uk/sites/default/files/exam_best_practice_guidance_2012-13_0.doc

EHRC guidance for further and higher education providershttp://www.equalityhumanrights.com/private-and-public-sector-guidance/education-providers/higher-education-providers-guidance

UK Association for Accessible Formatshttp://www.ukaaf.org/exams-modification-best-practice/

Draft Ofqual guidance, out for consultationhttps://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/ofqual-consultation-on-new-statutory-guidance