OCNLR's policy on assessment is to give all learners equal access and opportunity to demonstrate their achievements. This is to ensure that arrangements are made to take account of the particular disability or learning difficulty, without giving unfair advantage over other learners.

Reasonable Adjustments
Reasonable adjustments may be made or requested for learners with particular requirements. The nature of any reasonable adjustments depends on the particular requirements as well as on the programme of learning and assessment methods.

Reasonable adjustments are generally not appropriate where the learner's particular difficulty directly affects performance in the actual attributes to be assessed. It should also be noted that reasonable adjustments will not be needed by every learner at entry level.

Generally:

• The provider is responsible for choosing an appropriate unit for the learner whose skills can be independently demonstrated by that unit.
• Any special needs of an individual learner must have been recognised by the provider currently making appropriate provision. The arrangements proposed must reflect the learner’s normal way of working. The learner should therefore have experience of and practice in the use of any arrangement proposed for the reasonable adjustment for assessment, unless the need arises from a temporary injury or condition.
• The provider must ensure that the reasonable adjustments will assist the learner to demonstrate attainment without affecting or circumventing the assessment requirements for the unit or units. Learners cannot be given credit for skills they are unable to demonstrate independently.
• Reporting on the approval and the implementation of reasonable adjustments will be included in the external moderator report.

OCNLR has differentiated between reasonable adjustments that can be used at the discretion of a provider, and those that require permission from OCNLR.

Arrangements which can be used at the discretion of the provider

The following support may be provided by a tutor when assessing a learner, without application to the external moderator, provided that such arrangements do not confer an unfair advantage:

• Low vision aids, overlays
• Brailing of non-secure assessment material
• Amplification, taped questions and responses
• Supervised rest breaks
• Bilingual dictionaries with an allowance of additional time
• Transcription of a learner’s written responses
• Word processor
• Use of a prompter

For NOCN qualifications which have external assessment:

• Use of a reader
• Use of an amanuensis
• Use of a practical assistant
• Use of a communicator

If an external assessment is being used for a NOCN qualification then modification of the test can be made prior to it being taken by the learners. OCNLR providers offering whole NOCN qualifications will have received the external assessment pack once a signed NQ1 is received by OCNLR. Any necessary photocopying on to coloured paper or other modification for an individual learner, such as change of font for ease of reading, etc. can be carried out before the assessment takes place, as long the modification is carried out under secure conditions.

The provider is asked to record the details of all reasonable adjustments which are used at the discretion of the provider. This record should be brought to the attention of the external moderator and a representative sample presented for external moderation.

Where the use of reasonable adjustments has been anticipated details of the support and resources used will be given in the relevant section of the programme approval document.

Arrangements which require permission from the External Moderator

Internal Assessment
Arrangements which require permission include alteration to given assessment methods and/or arrangements and/or significant deviations from the benchmark assessments for units of an NOCN qualification. The provider must put in writing the needs of the learner and the proposed arrangements to the moderator, who will have authority to give approval to the proposed alterations to the assessment methods.

External Assessment
Arrangements could include requesting external assessment tasks in Braille or large print or sans serif font (for registered dyslexics). OCNLR will provide, on request, special versions of external assessment. Requests for these on form NQ12 must be included at the time learners are registered for external assessment (NQ3), at least fifteen working days prior to the external assessment being taken. NQ forms can be found in the NOCN centre handbook.

Readers, Amanuenses, Communicators and Practical Assistants
When a learner is assisted by a reader, an amanuensis or a communicator, help must not be given with the subject matter being assessed. This support must not give the learner an unfair advantage or disadvantage. It must not invalidate the assessment. Additional time may also be available and a separate room will be necessary if the learner is to dictate responses. The programme tutor should ensure that readers, amanuenses and communicators and practical assistants are acceptable and responsible adults, familiar with the subject matter being tested and have worked with the learner before the examination. A relative of the learner may not act as a reader, amanuensis or communicator.

Readers
A reader is required to read, on request, all or part of the assessment or any part of the learner’s response. The reader must read accurately and at a reasonable rate. The reader may repeat as necessary any instructions given on an assessment, as well as the questions and answers already recorded. The reader may assist a visually impaired learner using tactile diagrams, graphs and tables to obtain the information which the printed paper would give to a sighted learner. The reader must, if required, spell out any word which occurs in the assessment. In addition, in Entry level assessments a reader may decode certain terms in order to give the learner access to the assessment but no explanation of technical terms may be given. The reader must be prepared for periods of inactivity. In English, Welsh, Irish and modern languages, the reader must not be used for any reading test.

Amanuenses
An amanuensis is required to write out answers given by the learner. The amanuensis must be able to write legibly or type at a reasonable speed, and should have a working knowledge of the subject. The amanuensis must write down the answers exactly as they are dictated. The amanuensis must draw or add to diagrams strictly in accordance with the learner’s instructions. The learner will not be expected to indicate spellings. The amanuensis should work at the learner’s pace. The amanuensis must not be used for any writing test.

Communicators
A communicator is required to communicate questions to the learner upon request. A communicator should use a means of communication which is appropriate to the needs of the learner and may include saying a word or phrase; rephrasing orally; use of the appropriate signing mode; writing. The communicator should give the essence of the learner’s signed response in the assessment without inferring any meaning that was not clear in the signed response. Learners who are signing their responses must not be in a position to see other learners’ signed responses. The communicator should work at the learner’s pace. In English, Welsh, and Irish speaking and listening tests and modern languages speaking tests, the communicator must not be used.

Practical Assistants
A practical assistant is required to help a learner in practical assessments, to carry out tasks at the learner’s instruction and ensure the safety of the learner. This support must not give the learner an unfair advantage. The practical assistant must work strictly in accordance with the learner’s instructions and should not perform tasks independently of the learner.