1. RARPA Recognising and Recording Progress and Achievement
in non-accredited learning

2. The staged process has been designed to:
Focus on and promote the needs and interests of learners;
Take account of learners’ diverse and sometimes multiple purposes in learning;
Allow for negotiation of the content and outcomes of learning programmes
Encourage learners to reflect on and recognise their own progress and achievement, thus increasing their confidence;

3. The staged process has been designed to:
Promote and support informed learner self-assessment, peer assessment and dialogue about learning and achievement between learners and tutors/trainers;
Enable both the achievement of planned learning objectives and learning outcomes not specified at the outset to be recognised and valued;
Promote good practice in teaching, learning and assessment
Enhance providers’ quality assurance and improvement practices.

4. The RARPA staged process comprises five elements:
Aims appropriate to an individual learner or groups of learners
Initial assessment to establish the learner’s starting point
Identification of appropriately challenging learning objectives
Recognition and recording of progress and achievement during programme (formative assessment)
End of programme learner self-assessment; tutor summative assessment; review of overall progress and achievement.

5. Clearly stated aims For the programme/learning activity
Clear simple course outlines/descriptors
Easily understood intended learning outcomes
Information on resources needed (if any)
Information on any pre-requisites for participation in the programme
How you will know what you have learned

6. Initial Assessment
Record of outcomes of process of establishing learners’ starting points
Previous knowledge and experience
Limiting factors or inhibitions
Practical support needs
Personal aspects of why the learner is there and concerns they may have

7. Individual Challenging Goals
Clearly stated and suitably challenging objectives for all programmes and, wherever feasible, individually
In addition to the learning aim the learner may have their own goals and reasons – the tutor needs to be aware of these to make the learning effective
Additional ‘soft’ outcomes around increased confidence, social skills, personal goals.

8. Formative Assessment and Feedback: Evidence
Records of learner self-assessment, group and peer assessment, tutor records of assessment activities and individual or group progress and achievement.
Learners’ files, journals, diaries, portfolios, artwork,
Videos, audiotapes, performances, exhibitions
Displays, individual or group learner testimony,
Artefacts, photographs and other forms of evidence

9. Summative Assessment Learner’s self assessment Tutor assessment
Peer reviews
Group reviews
Joint reviews
Learner satisfaction outcomes
Other information that can be collected

10. Quality Assurance Learners’ outcomes End of programme/activity review
Self Assessment
Quality improvement actions
The common inspection framework
Inspection

11. RARPA mapped to the CIF
Aims appropriate to an individual learner or groups of learners (clearly stated learning aims)
KQ1 How well do learners achieve?
KQ2 How effective are teaching and assessment
KQ3 How well do the learning experiences meet the needs
and interests of learners and the wider community?
Initial assessment to establish
the learner’s starting point
KQ2 How effective are teaching, training and assessment?
KQ4 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported? ?
Identification of appropriately challenging learning objectives: initial, renegotiated and revised
KQ4 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?
Recognition and recording of progress and achievement during programme (formative assessment): tutor feedback to learners, learner reflection, progress reviews
End-of-programme learner self-assessment; tutor summative assessment; review of overall progress and achievement

12. Diolch