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Maintaining the quality and comparability of qualifications has become a major priority for vocational education and training (VET) systems world-wide, especially for those countries which have decentralised assessment and reporting systems. In the absence of external examinations, one policy solution to align the assessment standards of different providers is the introduction of assessment moderation. Yet there has been little, if any, research conducted in VET that has examined different approaches to moderation for quality control purposes. By drawing on lessons learnt in a range of settings (i.e. schools, vocational and higher education), this paper identifies the optimal conditions for undertaking social, external and statistical moderation approaches to quality control. It also identifies a range of potential system level factors that could hinder implementation within the context of the Australian VET sector.

This article maps current senior secondary certification arrangements in Australia, drawing on data on school completion rates, certificate attainment and post-school destinations, as well as policy documents within and across jurisdictions. It argues that irrespective of the jurisdiction, numerous changes over nearly 50 years to the rules governing the senior certificates have been principally responses to the original and continuing need to prepare young people for university and the more recent need to cater for near universal participation in the senior secondary years. It argues there is no consistent and shared view of the purpose of the senior secondary certificates, no consistent approaches to dealing with disadvantage, and continuing difficulties in meeting the needs of the full range of young people in the senior years, particularly those from regional and remote areas, Indigenous communities and low socio-economic status students. There is also considerable variability in retention rates and rates of attainment of the senior secondary certificates as well as the calculation of the Australian Admissions Tertiary Rank (ATAR) score which was primarily designed for university selection purposes. The certificates also have limited emphasis on capabilities in their design and considerable variation in the manner in which literacy and numeracy minimum standards are defined, set and assessed. Furthermore, there is no consistent approach regarding compulsory subjects or a core curriculum, the design and implementation of VET courses and the evolving role of the ATAR.

This paper is based on research into the destinations and aspirations of school leavers in Australia. It investigates the relationship between the transition to university for different groups of students and their own and their parents' and teachers' expectations. It draws on Bourdieu, Boudon, Nussbaum and others to investigate the way young people construct their aspirations. It examines the limits of young people's agency, which is bound by their understanding of the hidden and informal rules that govern access to different spaces within the curriculum as well as access to post-school destinations. Navigating these transitions is becoming more important and more complex with the increasing emphasis on higher level qualifications in an education market.

This article considers the role played by policy makers, government organisations, and research institutes (sometimes labelled "think tanks") in the analysis, use and reporting of PISA data for the purposes of policy advice and advocacy. It draws on the ideas of Rizvi and Lingard (Globalizing Education Policy, 2010), Bogdandy and Goldmann (Governance by Indicators/ Global Power through Quantification and Rankings, 2012) and others to explore the ways in which such "agents of change" can interpret, manipulate and disseminate the results of data arising from large scale assessment survey programs such as PISA to influence and determine political and/or educational research agendas. This article illustrates this issue by highlighting the uncertainty surrounding the PISA data that have been used by a number of prominent, high profile agents of change to defend policy directions and advice. The final section of this paper highlights the need for policy makers and their advisors to become better informed of the technical limitations of using international achievement data if such data are to be used to inform policy development and educational reforms.

Maintaining the quality and comparability of qualifications has become a major priority for vocational education and training (VET) systems world-wide, especially for those countries which have decentralised assessment and reporting systems. In the absence of external examinations, one policy solution to align the assessment standards of different providers is the introduction of assessment moderation. Yet there has been little, if any, research conducted in VET that has examined different approaches to moderation for quality control purposes. By drawing on lessons learnt in a range of settings (i.e. schools, vocational and higher education), this paper identifies the optimal conditions for undertaking social, external and statistical moderation approaches to quality control. It also identifies a range of potential system level factors that could hinder implementation within the context of the Australian VET sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined a model of assessment that could be applied nationally for Year Twelve Vocational Education and Training (VET) subjects and which could yield both a differentiating score and recognition of competence. More than fifty colleges across all states and territories of Australia field-tested the approach over one school year. Results showed that the model allowed for a standards-referenced model to be used: that the approach was compatible with the diverse range of senior secondary assessment systems in use throughout Australia and that there were considerable cost benefits to be had in adopting the logic of item response modelling for the development of rubrics for scoring performances on units of competence from National Training Packages. A change in the logic of competency assessment was proposed, in that the performance indicators were not rated using a dichotomy but with a series of quality ordered criteria to indicate how well students performed specified tasks in the workplace or its simulation. The study validated the method of assessment development, demonstrated the method's consistency, and showed how the method could address the issue of consistency across states. The study also proposed a set of principles for a joint assessment of both quality and competence. (Contains 5 figures and 3 tables.)

This article presents an account of the development of competency standards and profiles for primary teachers in Vietnam. The development project has taken more than four years and used a combination of consultative, actuarial, and item response modeling procedures to develop and validate a scale of teacher competence. In the overall project, more than 27,000 teachers have been assessed and over 1,000 assessors trained, a set of teacher professional requirements has become available, and a data management system has been tried for the Vietnamese government. The major aim of this study was to empirically validate and refine the standards for primary teachers in Vietnam as well as to determine the most appropriate way in which evidence could be gathered and scored for future roll-out. After reviewing the international literature on teacher standards and competencies, 2,181 teachers were assessed in 10 provinces in Vietnam. The data were then analyzed using item response modeling procedures involving ConQuest. Findings are discussed with regards to primary teacher standards. (Contains 4 figures and 6 tables.)

To help achieve national consistency of assessment and reporting in the Australian Vocational Education and Training sector, there is a need to develop a set of national principles for graded performance assessment. This paper challenges a number of prevailing principles from both a theoretical and assessment perspective, namely that grades must be criterion referenced (Williams & Bateman 2003), meaningful (Rumsey 2003) and applied once competence has been achieved (Williams & Bateman 2003). This paper argues that the use of generic criteria cannot be defended in terms of their validity and reliability and that a clear understanding of the underlying developmental continuum of learning is required to inform the development of meaningful and valid criteria and descriptors of quality performance. Finally, the paper proposes a set of principles that have been grounded in theory, have been put to the test in large-scale research, and are consistent with international literature on competence assessment.

To identify the competencies required by Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) practitioners in India and determine typical pathways of competency development, including minimum practice standards. Following a literature review of existing frameworks and guidelines for CBR delivery, Delphi methods were used with Indian CBR experts to identify the main competency requirements of CBR personnel. Rubric writing workshops with CBR experts then expressed the performance of these competencies developmentally as learning progressions. The rubrics were converted into an observation form and field tested with 100 CBR personnel of varying expertise levels, through third party assessments by workplace supervisors. Finally, a second Delphi panel determined major competency stages and minimum standards for practice. Three broad job functions pertaining to five focus areas and 37 developmentally described competencies were found important for delivery of quality CBR. Through a standard setting process, for each job function experts reached agreement on major competency stages, including a minimum practice standard. The study suggests India's CBR expertise proceeds in four stages within three broad job functions – Assessment and Intervention, Inclusive Community Development, and Professional and Ethical Behaviour and Practice. The findings have direct implications for designing curricula to facilitate the competency development of CBR personnel. Meeting the rehabilitation and inclusion needs of people with disability in low and middle-income countries requires adequately trained local personnel. Currently, lack of knowledge and understanding of the competencies required of CBR personnel is affecting training and workforce quality. Consensus amongst Indian experts about a CBR learning pathway indicates possibilities for effective competency-based course design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined a model of assessment that could be applied nationally for Year Twelve Vocational Education and Training (VET) subjects and which could yield both a differentiating score and [...]

The article presents an analysis of the development of competency standards and profiles for primary teachers in Vietnam. Ideology and philosophy, discipline knowledge, and pedagogy are some of the competence strands that were agreed at the end of the drafting process of the standards. Assessors were selected from the Teacher Training Institute and leading teachers to evaluate the teacher's performance in the country.