SpLD Assessment Standards Committee [SASC] Authorised CPD Provider

The 1- hour SASC approved course is aimed at anyone with an interest in submitting reports for APC for the pre-16 age group. SASC have strongly recommended that new APC holders take part in 5 hours mentoring as part of their core CPD requirement, and this provision will partly meet that requirement. https://www.sasc.org.uk/continuing-professional-development/

The scheme is cost-effective and flexible, can be customised to your goals, and will:

Give you confidence in the requirements and expectations of APC-level testing and reporting;
Confirm and reinforce your existing good practise;
Leave you confident in submitting a report to SASC for APC;
Reflect your commitment to the professional standards required by practitioners who are wishing to renew their APC.

The programme is designed to take 1 hour, consisting of a video-call with your mentor.

One section from the APC criteria is chosen, in agreement with the mentor, to be worked on, in more detail. This detailed work could be on any report-writing relevant topic, agreed between the mentor and mentee. Some possible example topics are given below:

new report format,
new SASC 15-point criteria,
assessment tests,
confidentiality,
how cognitive processing contributes to the identification of the SPLD under consideration;
background information,
age-appropriate assessment materials,
statistics and prevalence,
qualitative analysis,
discussing impact,
numerical magnitude processing (for dyscalculia assessments),
recommendations,
accessibility.

The mentoring course covers:

C1 reviewing principles of psychometrics, statistics, assessment and underlying theory, their relationship to current legislation and regulations
C2 SpLD testing methods, interpretation, report writing, feedback and test materials

Other options

Education Access also offer a 5-hour SASC approved mentoring course, charged at £350.00
Education Access also offers mentoring for Access Arrangements for either SENCOs and/ or Specialist Assessors.

Who is the 1-hour mentoring package for?

Those applying for an APC for the first time or a first renewal and working with the pre-16 age group.
Those who are re-submitting an APC application following feedback.
Established assessors who wish to update and consolidate their current good practice in preparation for renewing and submitting an APC renewal.

You need to meet the SASC educational and experience requirements for APC submission or hold a current APC.

Learning Outcomes

To help acquire a sound understanding of one aspect of current SASC regulations and requirements for Diagnostic Assessment Reports for pre16 age group for dyslexia or SpLD in maths/ dyscalculia.
To work collaboratively on one aspect of report writing, as a focused outcome.
Develop confidence related to one aspect of assessment practice.

Expectations of mentors and mentees

You can expect the following from your mentor:

online-video-based session to discuss the topic and receive feedback on activities.
access via email, with responses normally within 72 hours.

Your mentor will expect you to:

Complete in one session

You will need access to email, a word processor (including the ability to ‘Insert comments’), or otherwise mark up a document) and an internet connection suitable for video-calling.

Why choose Education Access for your mentoring?

Your mentor will be Rebecca Thompson. She has more than 20 years’ assessment experience, and has been passionate about bringing the best possible education to all students since volunteering in a unit for pupils with additional needs while she was at university.

She has pursued a career direction as a specialist teacher and assessor, enabling students to access education and demonstrate their potential. For over 20 years she has worked in mainstream and specialist schools and in LEA support services, before setting out on her own and forming Education Access.

For several years, she has supported other teachers who wish to develop in their roles supporting students with specific learning difficulties, as a mentor and tutor for the Level 5 Specialist Teacher qualification. She is also a senior assessor, Internal Quality Assurer (IQA) and mentor for the Postgraduate Award of Proficiency in Assessment for Access Arrangements (PAPAA). She has held APC for 12 years and is a member of the APC Renewal Team for the BDA, so has excellent working knowledge of the APC report writing requirements.

For further details about Rebecca’s qualifications, click here

How to apply

Please email Rebecca Thompson, or call on 07999 016 437, for an application form or to discuss the details of this mentoring provision.

Fees

This mentoring provision costs £80 and includes:

Reasonable access to your mentor through email;
Provision of video calls through Microsoft Teams;
Access to a secure file-sharing site;
Electronic certificate of completion.