Hi everyone
Could somebody please help with these queries?
Is a registered modern languages secondary school teacher qualified to assess SQA ESOL assessments without an SQA Assessor award?
Thanks for any help!
Good question!
I'd like to know the answer too!
Ann
We have an update from Mark Watson at the next Education Scotland ESOL network meeting. I can check this and send out to the ESOL network and reply here. Mark's email if you want to contact directly is Mark Watson <Mark.Watson@sqa.org.uk>
Thanks
Laura
Thank you!
Thank you! That's very helpful and much appreciated.
Best wishes Neil
I would agree with Jane. It might be possible but the Award Assessment Strategies that are on SQA Secure should also provide an indication of the requirements for the assessors.
Hi Neil,
You would need to check with the SQA Centre manager (who ever that is for your Council) as to what is appropriate and the centre procedures etc.
In Aberdeenshire we'd need them to have the CtAP (99.9% sure), as the process for assessment is different from schools. The teacher would also need to be registered as an assessor for our centre, attended standardisation meetings etc.
Asked my colleague for guidance and that is what she replied.
Hope that helps.
Jane
Hi Neil
The only requirement for assessors/verifiers to hold an appropriate assessor/verifier qualification is for certain workplace (e.g First Aid, Construction Health and Safety) and vocational qualifications (e.g SVQ’s) – there is no requirement for other types of qualifications, though it is recommended as good practice. If your SQA centre has approval to deliver the ESOL qualifications, then it is up to your centre to decide who is appropriate i.e. has required skills/subject knowledge/CPD etc to assess or verify and from an SQA point of view, you would need to evidence this via your standardisation/moderation/internal verification processes and discussions with the external verifier if you were selected for external qualification verification by them. Extract below from an email about this which was sent to me by our Regional Manager at SQA:
‘I am happy to confirm that unless stated in the course specification it is recommended as good practice to have an assessor/verifier qualification. It is not mandatory for staff assessing or internally verifying non work based qualifications to have an assessor or internal verifier qualification’.
Here is a link to an SQA document in relation to appropriate Assessor/Verifier qualifications for different types of qualifications https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwj0s-n78YeEAxW6hf0HHThCBZIQFnoECBoQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sqa.org.uk%2Fsqa%2Ffiles_ccc%2FV3-Choosing-appropriate-Assessor-and-Verifier-qualifications.pdf&usg=AOvVaw1fjy4gxV0kRYi-FWnUc6Th&opi=89978449
you will notice that the wording for ‘S/NVQ units and qualifications based on the assessment of workplace competence, assessed in the candidate’s workplace’ states Assessor-candidates MUST achieve one of the following assessor qualifications and for ‘Non-workplace qualifications – those that don’t require candidates to display workplace competence in their place of work’ the wording is Assessor-candidates MAY SEEK TO ACHIEVE one of the following assessor qualifications.
Hope that helps
Lorne
Reply from Mark Watson, SQA Subject Implementation Manager ESOL /TESOL
"There are, as I’m sure you are aware, many teachers of other
subjects delivering ESOL in schools across the country, sometimes through
choice and sometimes out of necessity. MFL teachers and English teachers are
among those most commonly employed to teach ESOL if there is no EAL teacher
option.
The decision on this rests with the school and the local authority within which the school sits. They will have their own criteria and regulations regarding qualifications/assessor awards, so the teacher would be best to check through those routes."