Appendix 11.

Appendix 11:

The DipSW Programme Assessment Board (PAB)

1. Remit.
Appendix 11.2 - Membership.
Appendix 11.3 - Assessment decisions on Direct Practice.
Appendix 11.4 - Administrative Procedures.
Appendix 11.5 - Monitoring of Assessment within the Programme.

1. Remit.

1.1 CCETSW Rules & Requirements: CCETSW requires programme providers "to establish a properly constituted Assessment Board, with formally delegated powers in relation to student assessment for the Council's award" (Rules and Requirements for the DipSW, revised 1995, section 6.2.1).

"The terms of reference of the Programme Assessment Board should include:

ensuring that all relevant evidence and all circumstances affecting individual candidates are available and taken into consideration at meetings of the Board;
overseeing intermediate assessment and determining whether students may proceed to the second stage;
taking overall responsibility for all formal assessment of students, including taking pass or fail decisions in relation to all students, and taking decisions on the further progress of failed, referred and deferred students, subject to the agreement of CCETSW's external assessors;
ensuring that pass recommendations are based on evidence that students have adequately:

met the practice requirements of the six core competences, including the achievement of the core competence Assess and Plan through work with people with significantly different needs and circumstances, and made skilled use of a range of social work methods,

met the value requirements through evidence drawn from practice undertaken in relation to the six core competences,

acquired a general understanding of the knowledge base for the DipSW and developed and applied aspects of that knowledge in the context of their pathway through the DipSW and their related practice learning opportunities,

demonstrated through formal written assessment their understanding and application of law relating to social work of the country in which they are training,

reflected upon and critically analysed their practice, and

transferred knowledge, skills, and values in practice;
reconsidering its original decision when it has been decided by an appeals committee or panel that the grounds for appeal have been established;
certifying assessment decisions in relation to applications for Admission with Credit to the programme. (Rules and Requirements for the DipSW, revised 1995, section 6.2.3)

1.2 Consortium DipSW Regulations

1.2.1The Consortium PAB will meet in conjunction with the Route Assessment Panel, which will make a recommendation to the PAB on pass/fail gradings for students. The PAB has complete and final authority in relation to the assessment of the DipSW programme and will record a final assessment decision at Part 1 and Part 2. The decision to fail a student off the course must be taken by a quorate PAB. (see paragraph 2.2.1)

1.3 Relationship between the Practice Assessment Panel (PAP) and the PAB

1.3.1The task of the PAP is to make a grading recommendation to the PAB on the student's practice placement. The PAB will make the final grading decision. The PAP's recommendation will be based on the student's and practice teacher's reports, but will also (where applicable) draw on a second opinion practice teachers report and/or discussions with the student, practice teacher(s) and the tutor.

The recommendation made by the PAP has equal status to those made to the PAB by the practice teacher and the second opinion practice teacher (where applicable).

1.4 The Role of the Consortium Secretariat

1.4.1 The role of the Consortium Office in respect of PABs will be:

to liaise with routes and PAB chairs in setting dates for PAB meetings, arranging quorate membership, etc.;

to receive provisional results and any other relevant documentation from routes prior to PAB meetings, and advise routes (in the light of regulatory requirements) on any problems arising;
[note: where in respect of an individual student the PAB requires to consider placement grading recommendations that are problematic or conflicting (see section 3 of this document) the PAB Chair will decide who is required to attend the meeting, while routes will be responsible for arranging attendance, venue etc., and distributing papers in advance];

to liaise with routes and PAB chairs in the setting up of extraordinary meetings of the PAB, arising from a successful appeal

to receive notification of PAB assessment decisions and a copy of the minutes of each meeting from routes, in order to track student progress and report to CCETSW;

to receive from routes notice of a student's intention to appeal, and notification of the outcome.