Applying the Rating Scale
Can I use all levels of the rating scale?
You are able to use all levels of the rating scale or I/O or N/A. Some practice educators feel uncomfortable giving a rating of 1 or 5. These ratings can and should be awarded when your student's performance corresponds to the rating descriptors of the scale.
It is particularly important that you indicate at halfway any issues you are concerned about, giving your student the information and time they may need to improve. Using the 'performs unacceptably' or 'performs marginally' category in these instances sends your student a strong message, reinforcing critical learning that must take place during the second half of the practice placement.
Please note: If students obtain a rating of 1 or 2 at halfway on a core item, their overall rating for that learning objective at halfway will read as "fail". You should not be reluctant to give ratings of 1 or 2 at halfway if the rating accurately reflects student performance. As the halfway evaluation aims to provide formative feedback, this result should not be interpreted by you or your student as indicating that they will necessarily fail at final evaluation. However, it will provide your student with valuable feedback about the need to improve performance on that item during the remainder of the placement.
If you are concerned that your student is at risk of failing overall, you will find more information later in this module on the page If Concerns Exist.
It should be noted that a rating of 5 indicates accomplished performance at a student level and, while individual evaluations dominated by 5's would be uncommon, you are encouraged to use this standard when it accurately represents your student's performance on particular items.
How do I score an item if I haven't observed the behaviour enough? How many times is enough?
Listen to a practice educator respond to this question. This audio clip refers to the SPEF-R, but the procedure and principles are applicable to the SPEF-R2.
What other considerations should I keep in mind when making rating decisions at halfway?
Keeping the full rating scale in view is one key strategy to enhance the reliability and validity of your rating decisions.
I think it took out the ambiguity of it. For those items where you’re going - oh, are they three, are they four - where do they sit? It was clearer so you could make that decision. - Practice Educator (about the rating scale)
The following considerations are also crucial.
- Substantiate your decisions regarding ratings and written feedback with concrete examples of what you have observed.
Tip: have the notes you have made about your student's performance in front of you together with the full rating scale when completing the evaluation. Continually check your notes against the rating descriptors. - Base halfway ratings on your student's overall performance for each item from the beginning of the practice placement until the halfway evaluation. It is important that where possible your comments/feedback refer to more than one example of your student's performance otherwise they may feel they are being evaluated on the basis of a single incident.
- Avoid altering standards. The standards against which you rate the student performance at halfway and final evaluation should remain the same
- Avoid marking conservatively at halfway to allow room for improvement. Give your student the rating that corresponds with actual performance. Your assessment needs to provide an accurate message about performance. Students report becoming confused and frustrated when they sense or are told there is a disparity between feedback and the rating. While you might want to indicate to your student improvement over time, remember that increased standards on the rating scale is only one way to do this. The use of verbal and written feedback is a very effective way of indicating improvement.
View vignettes of differing levels of student performance.
The first two selected vignettes below demonstrate students in two different clinical settings, performing at various levels. See how other educators we surveyed rated their skills and behaviours.
They run approximately 12 minutes each. As with some of the audio and video clips elsewhere on this website – these videos were completed prior to the SPEF-R2 update. As such, the content refers to the SPEF-R and the SPEF-R Online system before the recent additions and amendments. Nevertheless, the core principles with regard to rating students, and the implications and considerations regarding using the rating scale, still remain accurate and have direct applicability to the SPEF-R2.
Vignette 1 - Case conference in a mental health setting.
Vignette 2 - Home visit in a community setting.
Vignette 3: Practice educators utilising the rating scale
The vignette demonstrates practice educators working through a rating dilemma. See what they consider…
It runs approximately 3 minutes.
Use the activity sheet (PDF, 161.4 KB) to help you get the most from the vignette