2.5 Assessment
With the shift from processes to outcomes assessment has to be rethought and re-defined as it is indispensable for the verification and valorisation of competences. Wolf (1995, p. 1) defines assessment in CBET programs as follows:
“Competency-based assessment is a form of assessment that is derived from the specification of a set of outcomes; that so clearly states both the outcomes – general and specific – that assessors, students and interested third parties can all make reasonably objective judgements with respect to student achievement or nonachievement of these outcomes; and that certifies student progress on the basis of demonstrated achievement of these outcomes. Assessments are not tied to time served in formal educational settings”.
It is the outcomes and not the learning processes or courses which are assessed. Outcomes have to be clearly identifiable as such in order to assure transpar
ent and reliable assessment procedures. Outcomes are the “real side” of a competence standard and according to the CBET philosophy it is essential to conduct assessment strictly in accordance with these standards irrespective of the learning process or the circumstances involved. However, it also means an individual decides which element of competence should be assessed and the assessor then only measures the demonstrated performance in line with the relevant criteria. Every single criterion must be fully met before the assessor can judge the performance as competent, otherwise the assessment must be repeated. Graded assessment is not encountered in Competency-based assessment. Competency-based assessment is conducted on demand and under conditions which should come as close as possible to real workplaces (Wolf, 1995, pp. 21). CBET assessment does not require a peer group to measure an individual’s achievement against others, i.e. normreferenced assessment, as it is criterion-referenced, i.e. achievements are measured against the respective competence standard. The differences between traditional and Competency-based approaches to assessment are illustrated in figure 9.