15 good reasons to choose the PAPAA

Want to know why you should study to be an Assessor through the Postgraduate Award of Proficiency in Assessment for Access Arrangements (PAPAA)?
Here are 15 good reasons - click on each to find out more.
For an overview of the course structure please click here

The PAPAA fully meets the JCQ requirements for teachers to carrying out Assessments for Access Arrangement (for details please see the current JCQ regulations, section 7.3), so there is no need to undertake an additional qualification.

There is a choice of formats to access the PAPAA qualification: PAPAA On-Demand, PAPAA Hybrid (3 webinar training days) and PAPAA Live (6 webinar training days). (For full details of dates please see the Upcoming Dates page, or the page for that delivery mode.) All students have access to our dedicated online learning environment hosted by award winning provider Digital Chalk.

We provide high quality, value for money training – with no VAT to pay (the PAPAA is VAT exempt).

We don’t just train assessors to carry out assessments and complete Form 8. Graduates will be fully equipped with a detailed understanding of the JCQ regulations and procedures, including for candidates with physical disabilities, sensory impairments, medical needs and metal health issues. They will have the ability to oversee the whole access arrangements process in a centre as well as advise and assist SENCos, subject teachers, support staff and Exams Officers in their role.

We work very closely with the JCQ to ensure accuracy and consistency. We provide feedback to help improve and refine the JCQ regulations based upon our extensive training events and the PAPAA course.

PAPAA graduates are equipped to make recommendations about the appropriate use of a variety of different types of assessment, including the administration of standardised tests. Though focussing on the assessment of access arrangements, PAPAA students receive full training on the administration of a range of tests, equipping them to make informed decisions about which tests are suitable for each individual student, for access arrangements as well as the wider school context.

Students are allocated an individual assessor/tutor (a current practising Access Arrangement Assessor with a thorough knowledge of the JCQ regulations and procedures) who will support them through the course and assignments.

Along with our partner organisation, Communicate-ed, we train thousands of professionals in the area of Access Arrangements each year: so far since August 2023, we have trained over 2500 colleagues on the 2023/24 JCQ regulations.

The PAPAA is fully externally moderated and endorsed by the CIEA.

The University of Hertfordshire have agreed to consider the PAPAA (30 credits at Level 7) through the process of Accredited Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) for applicants onto their MA Education programmes. The Open University may also consider your PAPAA qualification as recognition of prior learning towards one of their Masters qualifications.

Students who already hold a postgraduate qualification in psychometric assessment may be accepted onto the PAPAA with recognition of prior learning, in place of completing PAPAA Unit 1 (Principles of Psychometric Testing). Students would only need to complete Unit 2 (JCQ regulations and procedures) to gain the PAPAA qualification.

PAPAA is recognised as a route to an Assessment Practising Certificate (APC). (For more information about the APC please click here). PAPAA graduates who also hold a specialist teaching qualification accredited at Approved Teacher Status (ATS) or Approved Practitioner Status (APS) level (e.g. OCR SpLD Teaching qualification level 5) are eligible to enrol on the PATOSS ‘Diagnosing Dyslexia: Assessment Practice and Reporting (DDAPR)’ course. Successful completion of this course will lead to an APC.

The majority of our team are qualified and practising Access Arrangement Assessors, with a thorough and up to date knowledge of the JCQ regulations and procedures.

There is no need to purchase a battery of tests to undertake the course. We have permission from each publisher to show the relevant pages from the test on the screen during training, and we have a library of tests for students to borrow, for a fee to cover our costs, when carrying out their Unit 1 assessment. We have negotiated discounts from test publishers when assessments are purchased for use in assessments after graduation.

We offer a mentoring scheme to support graduates as they start to carry out assessments after successfully completing the course.

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