Ofqual has confirmed that Awarding Organisations (AOs) must introduce a Centre Assessment Standards Scrutiny (CASS) strategy by no later than 1 September 2021. This is new terminology to cover the methods AOs must have in place to scrutinise assessment decisions made by centres.
Recently published, Ofqual have provided a full report of the responses and decisions from its technical consultation into the Conditions, requirements and guidance related to the introduction of these standards. The outcome follows Ofqual’s analysis of the risks associated with the practice of delegating assessment judgements to all centres, including training providers, schools, and colleges.
Ofqual’s new requirements include:
- AOs must put in place CASS arrangements for all assessments marked by centres and be fully compliant with the related Ofqual requirements by 1 September 2021.
- Moderation will be a distinct form of CASS which must take place for all cohorts of students before results are issued, allowing AOs to adjust any results as necessary before they are issued.
- All other forms of CASS must take place before or after results are issued and AOs must consider the appropriate action to take for any results discovered that are not in line with the required standard.
- AOs must put in place, comply with, and keep under review, a CASS strategy for all qualifications that are marked by centres (including those that are subject to moderation).
- Where an AO discovers an incorrect result, it must be corrected where necessary in line with Ofqual guidance. AOs must revoke certificates where they are found to reflect an incorrect result which has been corrected.
SFJ Awards centres may not notice any difference, as these requirements are already key parts of our current approach to moderation, external quality assurance, and direct claims status.
More information, including a webinar, will be shared with our centres over the summer, and you can register your interest to receive our event updates here. Otherwise, if you have any queries in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact our Quality Assurance Team or get in touch via our contact us form.
