In this section
Types of support
There are various ways in which a candidate can be supported, depending on their specific needs. In this section we will explore a few of these types
1. Adjusting the Instrument of Assessment
Where you are using an SQA published Unit Assessment Support Pack, it is perfectly acceptable to change the font, size and layout of text to make them more accessible to your candidates depending on their needs. For this reason, the Unit Assessment Support Packs have been published as Word documents on SQA’s secure website, to make it easier for centres to adjust and adapt their content. It will still be important, however, to ensure that the assessment standards are covered in the adjusted version.
For some candidates, the colour of paper and text can be important and the images used may need to be swapped with similar alternatives that are of more relevance or cause less confusion to a particular candidate. Again, these types of adjustment are perfectly acceptable, as long as the assessment standards are still covered.
Where centres feel they have made significant changes to the content of the UASP assessment, or where they have developed their own assessments to match the unit standards, they can send them to SQA for prior verification. Details of SQA’s prior verification service and the relevant forms can be found on the SQA website (//www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/74666.6219.html).
2. Practical Helpers
Someone who is instructed by the candidate to assist them during assessment is referred to as a Practical Helper. The Practical Helper will normally only undertake tasks that they are instructed to perform by the candidate. For example, a reader and/or scribe would be known as a Practical Helper. A reader would only read those parts of the question, text and instructions that the candidate had asked them to read. Likewise, a scribe would only write those things that the candidate had asked them to write.
A Practical Helper may also be someone who completes physical tasks on behalf of a candidate who suffers some form of physical or sensory disability. In this instance the Practical Helper would act on behalf of and under the direct instructions of the candidate. For example, a candidate completing a unit in Home Economics, might need someone to collect, carry, use and clean equipment and collect, carry, prepare and measure ingredients, as part of their assessment.
Candidates are expected to use their normal mode of communication to instruct the Practical Helper.
Where candidates at level 1 require full support to complete their assessments, the role of the Practical Helper will extend to the active completion of tasks. Approaches must be adopted that allow some candidates at level 1 to be aware of the activity taking place and to experience aspects of the activity, where possible. For example, candidates with multiple disabilities and sensory impairment that require full support should be allowed to feel the textures of objects and materials, hear sounds, or see the bright colours involved in an activity, depending on their needs.
3. Specialised and adapted equipment and assistive technologies
The range and sophistication of equipment available for disabled candidates is constantly expanding, making it impossible to provide an exhaustive list of alternatives. Equipment can be used to support and assist many disabilities, including: blindness or visual impairment; hearing impairment; neuromuscular, neurological, orthopaedic, or other disabilities.
The specific equipment needed for each candidate will normally have been established in their Individual Education Plan (IEP). Any equipment identified in a candidate’s IEP will be seen as an acceptable form of support for that candidate during assessment. However, as mentioned previously, it is important that candidates are given the opportunity to complete the assessment with as little support as they can manage. Therefore, centres should avoid offering or allowing the use of adapted equipment or assistive technology for candidates that don’t strictly need it.
4. Prompting
Some candidates can be easily distracted or may forget the sequence of tasks, even when they have been practiced many times. Where necessary, candidates can be prompted during their assessment, to keep them on task or to remind them of the next steps/stages in an activity. The candidate’s normal mode of communication should be used when prompting
