The following examples of what competence standards are and are not, are taken from:
and:
We gratefully acknowledge the work of the authors of the two source documents above, extracts of which are reproduced below.
Examples: Unlikely to be a competence standard:
‘The admissions criteria for a course in choreography include a requirement to demonstrate ‘a high level of physical fitness’. The course itself, however, is predominately theory-based and does not involve any strenuous physical activity. This is unlikely to be a competence standard’. (EHRC, p. 112)
it is unlikely that a competence standard requiring a level of physical fitness within a course in sport theory could be objectively justifiable, as the purpose of the course is to assess a student’s theoretical and not their practical abilities. (ECU, p. 11)
Examples: not a competence standard:
‘A modern language course may have a requirement that students spend a year abroad. The year abroad itself is not on its own a competence standard; the competence standards will be the knowledge and skills which the student will be expected to acquire during the year abroad. This requirement would therefore be subject to the duty to make reasonable adjustments’. (ECU, p.10)
‘A school of nursing and teaching has a variety of necessary procedures for managing placements, for example a requirement for a student to attend at least one placement outside a city, which requires a longer journey. These rules are not competence standards, therefore adjustments can be made for disabled students if their particular impairment means it is very hard for them to travel longer distances’. (Ibid).
‘In a chemistry degree, which is predominantly theoretical, being able to manipulate test tubes or visually identify chemicals might not be a competence standard, and may be reasonably adjusted through provision of a practical assistant. (Ibid).
Examples: competence standards:
‘The requirement for students studying for a law degree to demonstrate a particular standard of knowledge of certain areas of law in order to obtain the degree is a competence standard’. (Ibid, p. 112)
‘A university requires applicants for a degree in music performance to demonstrate their ability to play a musical instrument to Grade 8 or equivalent standard’ (Ibid, p. 161).
‘The requirement for students studying a practical course in car maintenance to demonstrate completing a car repair’ (Ibid, p. 113)
‘For a written test for a qualification in office administration, the ability to write a business letter and precis a document’ (Ibid, p. 113)
‘A course in classical ballet may include a physical competence standard which could not be achieved by someone with certain physical impairments. These standards are likely to be essential to a practical ballet course and so be objectively justifiable’. (ECU, p. 11)
‘In a pharmacy degree, training a student to achieve the practical competencies to become a pharmacist [being able to manipulate test tubes or visually identify chemicals] might constitute competence standards.’ (Ibid).
[Re. clinical placements] ‘Students must be able to recognise and interpret monitoring results in order to take the appropriate actions. This is the required competence standard. To meet this standard, students may use either digital or manual methods of patient monitoring in an assessment’. (Ibid p. 25) (Example of an inclusively designed competence standard).
Fieldwork competence standards (Geology) : ‘To identify certain rocks or soils’ – (The method of assessment could be adjusted to demonstrate the competence standard in a lab using samples). ‘To recognise rocks or soils in a natural setting […] the use of samples or photos may not be acceptable’. (Ibid, p.28)
Competence standards which include set time periods:
‘A condition that a person can, for example, do something within a certain period of time will not be a competence standard if it does not determine a particular level of competence or ability’. (EHRC, p. 112)
Examples:
‘A requirement that a person completes a test in a certain time period is not a competence standard unless the competence being tested is the ability to do something within a limited time period’ (Ibid).
‘A student with dyslexia may request extra time in performing drug calculations on ward drug rounds. However, the dispensing of drugs on the ward is a time-limited standard. The student could be supported by being given extra time to practise the calculations before being assessed, and to develop strategies to improve performance and understanding the meaning of the results. It is then more likely to be a reasonable adjustment for the student to use a calculator on the ward, or the calculator function on a smartphone if the student is accompanying a patient off the ward. These reasonable adjustments may then enable the student to demonstrate the required competence standard to dispense drugs within a time limit’. (ECU, p. 17).
The importance of context:
‘A course in modern languages may include competence standards which require students to gain skills in listening and speaking in a different language. Although a student with a significant hearing impairment may be unable to meet the listening and speaking standard, the competence standard is likely to be objectively justifiable. However, if the same level of listening and speaking were stated as competence standards for a course in comparative literature in the language studied, these may not be objectively justifiable, as the purpose of the course is for students to access written texts which do not require speaking or listening skills.’ (Ibid, p. 11)
How to express competence standards in inclusive language:
‘If speaking and listening or handwriting are essential to the competence standard and are objectively justified, then these words should be used. However, where these specific skills are not essential then a more general term such as communication should be used in order to be inclusive of students who have different means of communication. […] there [may be] ways in which a particular standard could be expressed which would make it more inclusive of all students’. (Ibid).
Competence Standards Toolkit by Dr Kate Evans and Jon Petch is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.