What competency-based assessment is
Competency-based assessment judges whether a learner can perform to the standard set by a unit of competency. Rather than ranking learners on a graded scale, it asks a yes or no question for each unit: can the learner do what the unit requires, to the required standard.
The result is typically expressed as competent or not yet competent. A learner who has not yet met the standard is given the chance to develop and be reassessed, rather than receiving a low mark. Assessment gathers evidence that the learner can apply the skill or knowledge, often in realistic conditions, against the criteria the unit defines.
This approach fits vocational training, where the point is whether someone can do the job to standard rather than how they compare to other learners. It places the emphasis on demonstrated capability and on clear, criterion-based evidence.
Competency-based assessment in the Cohiva platform
Cohiva Campus is a student management system and learning management system for Australian registered training organisations, with an AVETMISS engine. It records enrolments and outcomes against each unit of competency, including the competent or not yet competent result. By keeping assessment outcomes in the same student record as enrolments, Campus gives an RTO a clear picture of each learner's progress against the units that make up their qualification.