Providers schools should be aware that TASC actively monitors the various stages of the processes noted in this Appendix and may request clarification and/or supporting evidence for data entry/changes. More information is available from the comprehensive webpage about Final Internal Rating Submission and Verification.
Finalising Internal Assessments and the Reporting Process
Registered providers of TASC-accredited courses report the final internal ratings for their students each year at times specified by TASC (Level 3 and Level 4 courses are reported prior to Level 1, Level 2 and Preliminary courses). It is a school’s responsibility to ensure that final reporting to TASC is completed by the due date, and that formal verification of reported results is undertaken.
There are acknowledged tensions between staff wanting to give students opportunities to demonstrate success and the deadline set by TASC. For example, setting a deadline for student work too close to the TASC deadline can place great pressure on teachers to complete the necessary assessments, update records, re-calculate final ratings and input the new data.
Questions for consideration:
- At what date will ‘late’ student work no longer be accepted / re-assessment opportunities no longer be available at your school?
- Has the date been clearly communicated to students?
- Is the date consistent across classes of the same course / the school?
Exceptional individual circumstances aside, issues of fairness and justice come into play if the rules are not the same for all students at a school.
- Recording and communicating any changes to the final ratings:
As outlined in Standard 6, schools will have policies and procedures regarding when and how students are informed of their final internal ratings, and processes for review. Question for consideration:- if any changes are made to final ratings due to the assessment of ‘late work’ or re-assessment opportunities, how will these be communicated to the student and recorded? For example, a change might be noted on a ‘final ratings report’ sheet given to students and kept on file by the provider, with countersigning by student and teacher, and the date of the change recorded.
- Selecting the most suitable time to enter final internal ratings within the data entry period:
TASC will advise providers of the dates for the data entry period of final internal rating. Questions for consideration:- when, during the final internal rating entry period, is it best to enter the final ratings?
- when might it be appropriate to leave entry until later within the designated timeframes? I.e., is there a strong possibility that a large number of students will submit late work, requiring additional assessment and possible changes to the final ratings during the data entry period?
Entering Final Ratings
The final internal ratings entered by registered course providers are used by TASC to generate awards (such as Satisfactory Achievement), and associated qualifications. It is of vital importance that the final internal ratings are accurate. TASC may only be made aware of internal rating data errors when a student contacts their school or TASC to question their results. Students may be disadvantaged while they wait for their correct results, and perhaps their TCE and ATAR.
In view of such risks, two (2) mechanisms are required:
- steps to ensure the accuracy of final ratings data as it is entered
- the verification of final ratings after the data entry period (see ‘The Verification Process’ below).
- How to enter internal ratings into TRACS (information guide)
Post-data Entry Verification Process
TASC produces information sheets detailing the Verification Process for:
The purpose of the verification period is to allow providers an opportunity to check and make corrections to reported final ratings prior to TASC issuing qualifications to learners.
| Examples: | |
| APPROPRIATE CORRECTION | INAPPROPRIATE CORRECTION |
| A simple data input error is identified (e.g., a C was recorded, but it should have been a B). | Since the final ratings entry period closed, a student produced more work, and this has changed a rating (upwards). This is not appropriate as the final ratings are derived at the completion of assessment and prior to the TASC deadline for reporting. In such a case the student has an unfair advantage when compared with others. |
| A systems error has been identified that resulted in some data becoming corrupted. | |
| The final internal ratings for two students are found to have been entered inversely (e.g., student X’s results were entered for student Z, and vice versa). | Since the final ratings entry period closed, teachers had opportunities to undertake internal moderation and some changes have resulted. This is not appropriate as the final ratings are derived at the completion of assessment and prior to the TASC deadline for reporting – including any internal moderation processes. |
During verification the cross-checking of Verification Report ratings with school-based final ratings must be completed in a systematic and careful way. Strategies such as the ‘buddy’ approach outlined above (with two people undertaking the check) are encouraged.
As part of its quality assurance activities TASC may request explanation and/or evidence for changes made during this process.
Post-Verification Changes
After the Verification Process, any further changes to final internal ratings must be formally requested via TRACS (using a ‘Quality Assurance Related’ task). Such requests should be accompanied by:
- a detailed explanation of the source of the error, and why it had not been detected during the Verification Period
- proposed methods to be employed to ensure the error does not occur in the future
- evidence to support the requested change. Evidence might include a copy of the student assessment record, and the teacher/student final rating sheet (Standard 6).