Requirements and Planning CPD for your Patoss SpLD Assessment Practising Certificate

This article gives an overview of the CPD requirements for updating the Patoss SpLD Assessment Practising Certificate including

general principles of CPD

minimum requirements of the range and content of CPD

how to provide evidence to renew APC

and how to plan CPD

samples of logging CPD

General Principles

Pressure for effective monitoring of standards in assessment has grown. This has led to the development of an SpLD Assessment Practising Certificate [SpLD APC]. These practising certificates recognise professional achievement in knowledge and skills as an SpLD assessor. Fundamental to maintaining standards practitioners are required to undertake Continuing Professional Development. This seminar gave an overview of the CPD requirements for updating the Patoss SpLD Assessment Practising Certificate.


The Patoss SpLD Assessment Practising Certificate is valid for a period of 3 years. Practitioners must have conducted SpLD diagnostic assessments within that period. They must also undertake relevant CPD. Specific guidance on what constitutes relevant CPD is described below under Range and Content. Practitioners should be maintaining a portfolio of evidence of continuing professional development activities undertaken in addition to records of diagnostic assessments conducted in the relevant period.

The CPD policy asks practitioners to take personal responsibility for their own CPD. CPD activity should

benefit practitioners and clients

contribute to the quality of practice

be coherent and relevant to practice

normally cover a wide and balanced range of activities

involve reflecting on learning and potential applications to practice

enhance professionalism and expertise

involve collating and retaining supporting evidence.

CPD, although requiring a minimum number of hours in specific topics, will also look at the outcomes and benefits to practitioners. This approach emphasises the quality of CPD that practitioners undertake rather than the quantity.

In order maximise the benefits of CPD practitioners should

assess their learning and development needs and goals

plan appropriate activities that will meet these needs and goals

action the plan

produce a reflective summary of learning and intended applications (e.g. What have you learned? What would you change as a result? How would it impact on your practice?)

Range and Content: What’s required?

A recent diagnostic assessment report, produced within the APC period, must be retained on file along with supporting working papers, test score sheets and notes. This evidence must demonstrate professional ability to

select appropriate tests

administer, score and interpret cognitive and attainment tests, including standardised tests

make appropriate teaching and/or support recommendations based on the assessment

write an assessment report which is appropriate for purpose.

Notes should accompany the assessment report which demonstrate the professional’s expertise in providing feedback to the student/pupil, parent and other professionals, e.g. mainstream teachers/lecturers, dyslexia coordinators, managers, support staff, SENCOs, speech and language therapists etc., as appropriate.

In addition practitioners must have completed a minimum of 20 hours of relevant CPD activities. These must encompass the following topics:

5 HOURS (CORE) covering:

C 1 principles of psychometrics, statistics, assessment and underlying theory plus
C 2 SpLD testing methods, interpretation and test materials

15 HOURS (Supplementary), may contain more of C1 and C2, above, in addition to:

S 1 changes in regulations and legislation relating to SpLDs;
S 2 developments in SpLD research;
S 3 approaches to teaching and support for SpLD.

Credit for CPD can be achieved by participation in:

Courses, coaching and mentoring sessions, writing on assessment or practice, work shadowing, research, reflective analysis of relevant reading or audio-visual material, production of a dissertation, distance learning, preparation/delivery of training courses, specialist committees, study toward professional qualification. Details are presented in the Patoss Earning CPD Credit document, accessible from the Patoss website.

Twenty-five percent of your CPD must be met by participating in courses which require attendance of at least one hour. Participation includes preparing, delivering and/or attending courses. The presentation described what counts as relevant CPD. Further details of the definition of terms and activities which could be used to contribute to practitioner’s CPD were described and discussed. Activities include

courses

coaching and mentoring sessions

writing on assessment practice

work shadowing

research

reflective analysis of relevant reading or audio-visual material

production of a dissertation

distance learning

preparation/delivery of training courses

specialist committees

study toward professional qualification

Providing Evidence

Practitioners must keep a Portfolio of Evidence to support their Assessment Practising Certificate. Patoss will assure standards by sampling evidence, and may request to see the supporting diagnostic assessment, CPD training record and portfolio of evidence at any time. Practitioners should retain their assessment documentation, training record and portfolio of evidence on file for a period of at least six years.

This should contain:

A training & development plan

A diagnostic report with supporting working papers, test score sheets and notes, produced within the APC period

A log of Core and Supplementary evidence [to be submitted using Patoss CPD Log pro-forma to Patoss for APC renewal]

Certificates of Attendance (where applicable)

Members who hold a current Practising Certificate will be notified by the Patoss Office three months prior to the expiry of their certificate. To renew their SpLD APCs practitioners will submit the following evidence to the Patoss Office within 2 months before the end of the SpLD APC Certification Period.

Copy of one Diagnostic Assessment Report and your Record of Diagnostic Assessments undertaken within the current APC period

Log of CPD recorded on Patoss pro forma

Payment for additional 3 years certification

Only the copy of one Diagnostic Assessment Report, your Record of Diagnostic Assessments and Log of CPD should be sent. The full Portfolio of Evidence must be RETAINED by the candidate for possible inspection by Patoss. Patoss will periodically audit practitioners' portfolios on a random sampling basis. Portfolios must be retained for a period of 6 years.

Planning your CPD

Practitioners will gain the maximum benefit from CPD by assessing their own individual training needs and linking them to the objectives of the environment in which they work and the requirements of their SpLD APC. Practitioners should audit their professional experience and skills to identify their individual development needs. Decide where there may be gaps in knowledge and practical expertise relating to the Core and Supplementary professional activities to help identify and plan a three-year course of action. A minimum of 5 hours must be in Core Areas C1 and C2, the remainder may contain more of C1 and C2 plus Supplementary topics S1, S2 and S3.

Planning CPD involves analysing

1. Knowledge and/or skills to be developed. Where you are now - the skills, experience and attributes that you possess at the moment
2. Development activity. How you will achieve this - the best methods of achieving - the resources and support that you will require
3. Professional Focus. How does it relate to the requirements of your SpLD APC?
4. Dates. How much time is required and when will you complete it - the target dates for completing each process
5. Success criteria. How you will know what you have really achieved? - the criteria by which you will judge your success

Patoss provides a CPD Training and Development Plan pro-forma to assist in this planning process.

Reference documents:

CPD Framework

Earning CPD Credit

Supplementary Guidance Notes

Training and Development Plan

Record of Diagnostic Assessments

Patoss SpLD Assessor CPD Log

Examples of CPD logs for different practitioner profiles

HE SpLD Tutor CPD Log - sample

SENCo CPD Log - sample

Independent SpLD Assessor Log - sample

Useful information on CPD can be viewed on www.cpduk.co.uk