Assessment of your performance

During the Standards Check your task is to provide an effective learning experience for your pupil. An effective learning experience is judged to be one in which your pupil is supported to take as much responsibility as possible for their learning process within safe limits.

You may, where it is correct and safe to do so, feel free to introduce wider issues from the driving standard into the lesson, such as assessing personal fitness to drive, the use of alcohol or drugs or dealing with aggression. If, for example, your pupil offers an inappropriate comment about the use of alcohol it would be appropriate for you to challenge this. Similarly, it would be appropriate for you to encourage your pupil to think through what might happen, in particular situations, if the conditions were different.

For example, after negotiating a particularly difficult junction it might be helpful to discuss how different it would be at night or in bad weather, or what the effects of dehydration or low blood sugars might be. The important thing to remember here is that the most effective learning takes place when your pupil finds the answers for themselves. However, if there are safety critical incidents to deal with, then you must make these the main thrust of your conversations, it is no good having a well hydrated, rested and fed pupil if they are running people over!

The examiner will look for evidence that you have:

• Identified the goals of your pupil
• Identified the learning needs of your pupil
• Agreed a strategy to deal with the learning needs of your pupil
• Put together a meaningful and sensible strategy to deliver the identified
  goals and taking care of needs
• Helped the learner to adjust their ideas/plans where risk may be
  compromised or where there is not enough time to complete (The R of the
  GROW coaching model)
• Executed the plan
• Helped the learner reflect and review the activities and establish new
  activities where necessary and create a new plan
• At the end of the session help the learner to identify what has been learned

So, we should help the learner to:

• Put together a plan
• Execute the plan (8-10 minutes)
• Pull over for review or conduct on the move if appropriate, and ask:
  – Is the plan working?
  – If the answer is yes, then consider a bigger challenge or less help (or both)
  – If the answer is no, consider a lesser challenge or more help (or both)
  – Either way a new plan is required – so help your learner to put together this new plan

Whilst stopped also consider the following:

• Did anything else occur that we need to discuss?
• If the answer is yes, do we need to add this into the plan, or even replace existing plans as it is safety critical?

Finally, consider if what you are doing is working (are you seeing it, saying it, sussing it and sorting it)?

A new plan will now be in place to take account of the above and off you go again with the new plan, executing it for 8-10 minutes and then doing the same reflect and review process.

You could conduct the review on the move if the pupil is able to do this, you might ask which they would prefer (my preferred option would be to stop as it allows clear blue thinking time for both of you)

The examiner will use a Standards Check or Part Three reporting form (SC1) or
ADI Part Three (SC) to mark your performance during the lesson.

The assessment is made against 3 broad areas of competence regarded as higher-level competencies:

• Lesson planning (4 competencies)
• Risk management (5 competencies)
• Teaching and learning strategies (8 competencies) delete extra bullet point

These 3 areas are broken down further into 17 lower-level competencies and a mark is given for each.

Marks will be given as follows:

0 = no evidence of competence
1 = a few elements of competence demonstrated
2 = competence demonstrated in most elements
3 = competence demonstrated in all elements

Another way to look at this is from a developmental point of view. If the examiner gives the trainer a score of 3 – the examiner is effectively saying that this is an area where the trainer does not need to do any further work, apart from continuously reflecting on their performance.

If they give a score of 2 – they are saying that the trainer’s performance is just acceptable but there are clear areas where they could improve and if this were to be repeated across a wide range of competencies would not give sufficient evidence of competence overall.

If they give a score of 1 – they are saying the trainer’s performance is not acceptable and the trainer needs to do a lot more work, even though they give evidence of knowing what they are supposed to be doing. If they give a score of 0 – they are saying the trainer’s performance is way below the standard required and there is no evidence of knowing what they are supposed to be doing.
At the end of the test the examiner will return to the test centre office to consider what they have observed during the test and write up the detailed notes they need to keep on file in case questioned about any aspect of the test later.

You will return to the waiting room with your pupil and wait for the examiner, or they may ask you to wait in the car till they return (some test centres have very small waiting rooms and there may be other tests going out) feel free to seek clarification of what is expected of you. Once the examiner returns you and they will either go to the car, or a side room and they will give you the result.
The marks will be totalled to give an overall mark. You must score at least 31 to pass; the maximum mark is 51. Whatever your overall scores you will automatically fail a Standards Check if you score 7 or less for Risk Management or if the examiner stops the lesson because you have put yourself or someone else in danger.

The examiner will reflect on your performance. They are asked to mark holistically and so will take the time to reflect properly and consider the mark they will give. You will be given a grade depending on your overall score. You will also be given feedback on your performance by the examiner and advised to seek help from an ORDIT registered trainer if it is your qualifying exam.

If it is a standards check, they will give you guidance on where they feel you can
develop. The purpose of feedback is to help you understand where you failed to demonstrate full competence and where you need to focus your efforts when undertaking further development. This can seem negative as they are only explaining where marks were lost, they are not explaining why you got full marks, but more how you can improve your score next time.

The new Standards Check form will enable the examiner to show you the ‘profile’ of your performance, against the individual competences, very clearly. This should help you to see where you have given a strong performance as well as where you might need development.

It is NOT a tick test, and it is very rarely based on whether they like you or not (despite what you may read on forums) Examiners do understand what is required and are given extensive training as well as being observed on a very regular basis. The DVSA take quality assurance very seriously. Stories about tick tests, and examiners not liking people are not started by people who have passed. As an industry we have not taken the time and trouble to understand what the test is all about, so is it any wonder a lot of ADI’s are failing?

Listen very carefully to the feedback you are given and seek clarification of anything you are unsure of. It might even be worthwhile taking some notes so that you remember correctly. If you have not been successful your emotions will likely be a tad raw, do not try to argue your case, this serves absolutely no purpose and may even get in the way of your onward development as you miss some gem the examiner may be passing your way. Of course, you are going to be disappointed, but the examiner did not fail you, he or she simply marked what they observed. It does not matter what you or your pupil think of the lesson, it is not either of you that is marking the form!

Listen very carefully for what you might learn from the exchange and make your next test the last one. NB The ADI registrar will start removing you from the register if you do not reach an acceptable standard in 3 consecutive Checks. If it is a standards Check, then your final attempt will be with a more senior examiner.

You may appeal to a Magistrate’s Court (the Sheriff’s Office in Scotland) if you think that your standards Check was not conducted properly. However, you cannot appeal against the examiner’s decision as it is final. You accept this when you book the test!