Assessment is an integral part of the learning and teaching system and an important aspect of maintaining academic standards. It measures the achievement of learning outcomes and formally certifies student achievements for external audiences. Assessment at FOSCO is linked to specific learning outcomes and based on clearly articulated criteria that help students understand the characteristics of high-quality work. It supports student-centred approaches to learning. In keeping with Fosco strongly applied focus to teaching and learning, each faculty/department endorses relevant diverse forms of assessment primarily drawing on real life practice. The key players in assessment are academic, non academic as well as students but this policy seem to mainly concentrate on academic assessment which might not be sufficient.

This Policy provides guidance to students and academic staff on assessment and academic progress. To identify, both formatively and summatively, the positive achievements of each student and the areas of their work needing to be improved.

• Formative assessment is aimed at recognizing the positive achievements of each student and identifying the area of their work that need to be improved.
• Summative assessment enables the tutor and student to know how the quality of their work relates to the standards of external awarding bodies.
• To understand, clarify and share learning intentions, eliciting evidence of students’ learning and providing feedback that moves them forward.
• To further anticipate and identify each student’s individual learning and additional support needs so that appropriate help and guidance can be provide
• To encourage students to act as learning resources for one another through methods such as peer assessment and peer tutoring and mentoring
• To enable tutors to evaluate students’ understanding and progress and determine revisions to the way courses are taught and managed
• The Purpose of which is to guarantee the integrity of the institution

This Policy provides guidance to students and academic staff on assessment and academic progress. To identify, both formatively and summatively, the positive achievements of each student and the areas of their work needing to be improved.

Formative assessment is aimed at recognizing the positive achievements of each student and identifying the area of their work that need to be improved.

Summative assessment enables the tutor and student to know how the quality of their work relates to the standards of external awarding bodies.

To understand, clarify and share learning intentions, eliciting evidence of students’ learning and providing feedback that moves them forward.

To further anticipate and identify each student’s individual learning and additional support needs so that appropriate help and guidance can be provide

To encourage students to act as learning resources for one another through methods such as peer assessment and peer tutoring and mentoring

To enable tutors to evaluate students’ understanding and progress and determine revisions to the way courses are taught and managed

The Purpose of which is to guarantee the integrity of the institution

This policy applies to all FOSCO courses excluding higher degree research courses. All staff must comply with this policy whenever they are engaged in any aspect of the assessment process. This policy applies to all formal/summative assessments and describes procedures to ensure the integrity of the assessment process and satisfactory academic progress. For the purpose of this policy, assessment is taken to include all college-assessed work, which contributes towards external (Awarding Body, UCC) assessment decisions. The rationale of the assessment policy is the need to ensure that the college meets its obligation to ensure assessment practice is in accordance with national standards. The roles and responsibilities of Lecturers, Assessors, Internal and External Verifiers are recognized as being essential to the delivery and quality assurance of all programmes.

The Foso College of Education will ensure that the processes of assessment and academic progress are applied fairly and consistently across the College and that these procedures comply with the requirements of external awarding bodies.

• The College recognizes that regular assessment and effective feedback make a major contribution to the development of learning and in enabling students to realize their full potential.
• Both formative assessment and summative assessment are central to the College’s teaching and learning
• Assessment strategies should be embedded in schemes of work as well as course and unit guides and understood by students.
• Assessment should occur regularly, appropriately, fairly and accurately.
• Records of regular assessments should be displayed on the notice board on time.
• Assessment should be sensitive to individual needs of students and take account of disabilities and learning difficulties as well as gender consideration.

Assessment Procedures

a) Initial Assessment

Pre enrolment interviews will be conducted for students who apply for admission. Clarity on when coursework deadlines fall in the years should be communicated to all concerned.

However it is important in preparing students for expectations of Tertiary Education. For the purpose of this policy, coursework is defined as any piece of work which contributes to the final mark or grade in a course undertaken at the College.

Students should be provided a sustained academic counselling, especially before selection of elective courses.

• All students should meet published coursework deadlines.
• Teachers should ensure that students are aware that if they fail to meet a coursework deadline their work may not be marked.
• A calendar of coursework deadlines for the year will be published by September. After this, changes should be very rare and require the authorization of the Vice Principal for Teaching and Learning.

Internal assessment

• Students will normally be allowed not more than two attempts to achieve a satisfactory standard in any one assessment. Exceptionally at the discretion of the course tutor, the student may be allowed a third attempt which must be undertaken by a date agreed with the vice Principal.
• Where a student is absent at the time an assessment is offered, or does not submit an assessment on time, this will be recorded as one attempt unless the absence was previously approved by the member of staff conducting the assessment or evidence of a genuine reason for absence or lateness, for example a certified medical report.
• Where appropriate an alternative and parallel instrument of assessment will be used for any reassessment.
• Assessment evidence will be retained by the college for the purpose of moderation and will only be returned to the student at the discretion of the college and only after completion of the moderation process.

• Students’ appraisal of tutors should be regular and monitored by the quality assurance outfit in order to avoid conflict.

External assessment

• College Assessment Officer will communicate with appropriate academic staff and Invigilators to ensure that the required administrative procedures for external examinations are adhered to.
• Students are responsible for ensuring that they are familiar with the requirements of the examination committee, where and when the examination will take place.

• Where a candidate is likely to have difficulty in demonstrating attainment through the standard assessment arrangements it may be possible to request and provide alternative assessment arrangements in line with the student’s specific needs.
• Where such a need is identified either by the candidate or a member of college staff this should be communicated to the Course coordinator who is responsible for liaising with the awarding body to gain approval for the use of alternative assessment arrangements.

Moderation

• It is essential that assessment decisions made by lecturers are to national standards. To ensure that all assessors for the same qualification apply the assessment process consistently for all candidates and that the final assessment mark is accurate, reliable and recorded, a system of moderation is in place.
• Moderation is conducted on a sampling basis by appropriate college staff –internal moderation and by the awarding body – external moderation.

• It is the responsibility of all academic staff to participate in the moderation process by keeping the necessary records, attending moderation meetings and submitting marked student assessments as requested.
• Results for internally assessed units are final only after internal and/or external moderation.

• All assessment evidence, which has been internally moderated, will be retained until the end of the session so that it is available, if required, for internal audit.
• All other assessment evidence and records should be kept for scrutiny by the moderation unit. The individual teaching faculty may, however, specify later dates, either as general faculty practice or for particular units where, for example, assessment is integrated across more than one unit.
• Moderation of questions and results should be done by the various HODs before they are administered and published respectively.

Progression

• The success criteria for each year of a course, which extends beyond one academic session will be defined and clearly communicated to all students entering the course.
• Students, who intend to continue to follow the same course by the same mode of study, will be expected to achieve the criteria for succession one year in order to gain access to the following year of the course.
• The success criteria for one year will allow for a maximum of two credits to be carried forward into the following year.
• Students who do not meet the success criteria will be allowed to study for the unit joining that year group.

• The academic board may exercise discretion when necessary, however this has to be recorded with the exceptional circumstances stated.

• The achievement of a particular unit(s) may be deemed mandatory within the same year as delivery where it would be impractical to offer the unit(s) in the following year of the course.
• Continued satisfactory academic progress throughout a student’s course of study is required.
• Academic progress will be monitored through an Individual Learning Plan.
• Continual failure to submit course work to the required standard and/or deadlines or to achieve summative assessments or failure to meet the agreed requirements of any support or recovery plan will lead to a student being withdrawn from their course of study.

• The Principal is responsible for the implementation and development of this policy.
• Academic staff and students are responsible for the effective operation of this policy.

• Tutors are responsible for ensuring that students are aware of what is expected of them
during each unit.
• Course coordinators are responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of this policy.

• College appointed Examination Officers are responsible for the administration of
external examinations, for the purposes of this policy the College Examination Officer
is the vice Principal.
• The assessment unit and the quality assurance office should ensure that all assessment
rules are adhered to.

This policy shall be free from biases and discrimination against females in the implementation of the policy and ensure that equitable assessment is provided for female trainees to realize their full potential.

• Principal
• Vice Principal
• College quality assurance unit and officer
• Examination Assessment officer

May 23, 2016 study of existing assessment and extermination procedures
May 24, 2016 draft of present policy
June 6, 2016 final work on policy and its acceptance for college implementation

• Foso College of Education
• College council
• External monitoring institution (UCC)
• Academic staff
• Students
• National Council for Tertiary Education
  National Accreditation Board

College governing council

• Governing council
• Foso College of education
• All academic departments
• Quality assurance and assessment unit

Assessment: the process of collecting evidence and making judgments on whether learning
outcomes have been achieved, to confirm that an individual can perform to the standard or
level of achievement required within a subject.

Learning Outcomes: are the expression of the set of knowledge, skills and the application of
the knowledge or skills a student has acquired and is able to demonstrate as a result of learning.

Formative Assessment: helps students and staff to identify strengths, weaknesses and ways to
improve and enhance student learning. It is intended to support student learning rather than
determine a final grade or mark.

Summative Assessment: evaluates the quality of students’ learning, and involves assigning a
grade or numerical result based on how effectively students have addressed learning outcomes.

Assessment Moderation: the process of establishing comparability of standards in student
performance so that judgments made of student performance are consistent. The goal of
assessment moderation is to assure assessment decisions are valid, reliable, consistent and fair.

Assessment Validation: the quality review of the assessment process. It involves checking that
assessment tools produce valid, reliable, sufficient, current and authentic evidence to enable
reasonable judgments to be made as to whether the learning outcomes or requirements of a
course are met. It includes the review of a statistically valid sample of the assessments and
making recommendations for future improvements to the assessment tool, process and/or
outcomes and acting upon these recommendations

Feedback to students: Timely and constructive feedback allows students to monitor their
progress and determine where improvements can be made to enhance their learning. Feedback
will be provided in a timely manner, usually within two weeks of assignment submission.

• Ministry of education certification procedures
• National accreditation board
• National council for tertiary education
• Ghana education service examination regulation
• Foso College of education examination regulation

September 19, 2016

September 16 2019

Foso College of Education, Examination, Internal assessment, External assessment

The governing council
The quality assurance and assessment unit
Academic heads of department

Foso College of Education academic board