Assessing competence and skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration are high on the agenda for educators, employers, and policymakers looking to reimagine an education system fit for the future. Focusing on competences and transversal skills can better prepare learners for the world of work and to respond flexibly to the changing societal and employment demands of the future (OECD, 2019).
The inclusion of a broader range of assessment methods to test skills and competence can support more equitable outcomes for learners.
In debates about the future of education and assessment, there is a growing interest in being able to reward and recognise learners’ skills and abilities that fall outside of traditional assessment methods - such as high-stakes summative assessments including essays and multiple-choice questions. The inclusion of a broader range of assessment methods to test skills and competence can support more equitable outcomes for learners.
However, it is important to recognise and understand the challenges involved and to ensure the assessment methods remain valid, reliable, fair, and practicable.
Challenges
Unpacking exactly what is meant by competence and skills like ‘collaboration’ can be a challenge. Educators need to tease out the often-complex combination of knowledge, skills and behaviours that make up these concepts if they are to effectively teach and assess them.
Ensuring the reliability and validity of the assessments used to test skills or competence also presents difficulties, such as making sure that the results accurately reflect an individual's abilities. How do we isolate, for example, the individual’s ability to work in a group or their ability to perform a cognitive task consistently well? The answer lies in innovative and thoughtful assessment design, as well as ongoing training and professional development for assessors and teachers.
Educators need to tease out the often-complex combination of knowledge, skills and behaviours that make up these concepts if they are to effectively teach and assess them.
The assessment of skills and competence often involves a combination of practical tasks, written exams, and other forms of assessment, such as oral exams, presentations, or observation which allows for a more comprehensive evaluation of an individual's abilities.
However, these methods of assessment can be time-consuming and labour-intensive especially when it involves practical tasks or other forms of hands-on assessment requiring the involvement of trained assessors or busy teachers.
Ways forward
Discussions around competence and skills reflect the ongoing evolution of education in the digital age and the need to prepare students for success. Competence-based assessments are growing in popularity as more focus is being placed on student outcomes and workforce readiness.
However, debates remain about how best to integrate skills into the curriculum and whether competence-based assessments accurately reflect the breadth and depth of knowledge and skills learners have acquired.
Discussions around competence and skills reflect the ongoing evolution of education in the digital age and the need to prepare students for success.
This discourse suggests that there is a new focus on competence and skills in education, but it is important to remember that they have been central features of vocational and technical education for a long time. As such, looking at the assessment methodologies in place for apprenticeships and similar programmes may cast valuable light onto potential ways forward for competence and skills assessment.
Dr Rebecca Conway, a consultant for Cambridge Assessment Network, suggests that striking a careful balance between validity, reliability and practicality is particularly important when assessing competence or skills.
Assessment professionals and educators must keep up to date with the latest thinking to ensure that their teaching and assessment materials remain ‘fit for purpose’ and continue to reflect the requirements of our rapidly changing world.
In Assessing 'competence': Definitions, challenges and strategies, a workshop Dr Conway delivers for the Network, practitioners are supported to develop a better understanding of competence and skills and how to make informed decisions about effective approaches to assessment. The session is practical in its focus, sharing hands-on advice and encouraging discussion, reflection and collaboration between attendees to further professional development on this important topic.
The role of skills and competence in curriculum and assessment is a hot topic that continues to change and evolve. Assessment professionals and educators must keep up to date with the latest thinking to ensure that their teaching and assessment materials remain ‘fit for purpose’ and continue to reflect the requirements of our rapidly changing world.
If you would like to understand more about the definitions, challenges, and strategies involved in assessing skills and competence, then you can sign up for our workshop.