Systems Practitioner Assessment Ltd

Systems Practitioner Assessment



The Assessment Body for Systems Thinking Practitioners

About SPA

Systems Practitioner Assessment Ltd (SPA) is a company that has been set up by SCiO - the professional body for systems practitioners - to carry out End Point Assessment of the Systems Thinking Practitioner Apprenticeship qualification. 


SPA also assesses professional qualifications, on SCiO's behalf, using SCiO’s professional grading structure. 

The Systems Thinking Practitioner Apprenticeship

The Systems Thinking Practitioner Apprenticeship is a Level 7 (Master's level) qualification in Systems Practice and is part of the UK Department for Education apprenticeship scheme. The Systems Thinking Practitioner standard is available from the Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education website. SPA is one of only two End Point Assessor Organisations for this apprenticeship, in accordance with the End Point Assessment plan, although other organisations may offer provider or assessor services.
SCiO members were deeply involved in the development of the Apprenticeship Standard, ensuring that it is the most inclusive and multi-disciplinary qualification available in systems practice. 

Assessment covers knowledge and practice skills for a number of Systems Thinking approaches. These are methods or methodologies that may be used in any conjunction, as part of a systemic inquiry into a problematic situation. The thirteen approaches in the standard, as defined by SCiO’s professional standard framework, are: Confrontation Analysis (CONAN), Critical System Heuristics (CSH), INFORMED Group Dynamics, Interactive Management, Interactive planning, Mosaic Transformation & Bubble Strategy, Multi-methodology, Patterns of Strategy (PoS), Socio-Technical Systems, Soft Systems Methodology (SSM), Syntegration/Syntegrity TM, System Dynamics (SD), and the Viable System Model (VSM). These are combined with a number of Intervention approaches; knowledge and practice skills for intervening in an organisational or institutional situation.

SPA Regulatory Approval 
SPA's application for recognition by OFQUAL as an EPAO for the Systems Thinking Practitioner Apprenticeship was approved in March 2023, and was subsequently added to the Apprenticeship provider and assessment register (APAR) in August 2023. SPA's UKPRN is 10093232 and you can access the register via the following link.  

Registering your Apprenticeship course for End Point Assessment
You should register apprentices for EPA with SPA at the start of their apprenticeship. You can do this by emailing us at: contact@systemspractitionerassessment.org

SPA will operate a set of technical documents, guides, role-specific documents, and policies and procedures, so that apprentices and employers receive a consistent and high quality end-to-end assessment service.

SPA Guides

These guides are for apprentices and providers and offer information on working with SPA to achieve the best possible results during the learning experience.

Learner Guide

Provider Guide

A work-based project report proposal template is also available for learners/apprentices, to guide creation of this important gateway document.

Work-based project report proposal template

Two examples, using the proposal template, are based on real-world situations, to show the template in use. 

Local Government

Information and Communications Technology


Documents for Assessors

A number of documents are also available for assessors working with SPA, supported by a standard assessment tracking application. Assessors have access to the:

Assessor Contract

Assessor Guide

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Grid

Assessor Training Design

Conduct End-Point Assessment procedures

Technical Documents

These two documents detail aspects of: the assessment of apprentice capabilities, in support of the EPA plan, and also how SPA works with providers.

Qualification Specification

End Point Assessment Agreement


SPA Operating Policies & Procedures

SPA operates using a number of approved policies and procedures for how it works with apprentices, assessors and providers. These cover the following subjects:

Appeals and Re-marking

Complaints

Conflict of Interest

Data Security and Protection

Equality and Diversity

Fair Access

Malpractice

Radicalisation and PREVENT

Reasonable Adjustments

Safeguarding and Health & Safety

Frequently Asked Questions

SPA is asked a number of common questions about End-Point Assessment, and here are responses to those issues.


Q. How do I find out about SPA's charges for assessment?

A. SPA provides, on this page, an End Point Assessment Agreement, for providers to reference.


Q. What is the necessary proof of attainment of Functional Skills at L2? What proof of qualification is acceptable?

A. Apprentices need to prove attainment of English and Mathematics functional skills at L2 (GCSE or equivalent).


Q. When should apprentices work on their Portfolio - is 50% of it completed during the course modules and then the rest after Gateway? What evidence should be included in that Portfolio; is it for the professional discussion, in support of the Project Report, or a combination? 

A. In terms of requirements for End Point Assessment, Assessment Method 1 (AM1, Project Report) and Assessment Method 2 (AM2, Professional Discussion) are two different assessments and may be carried out by different assessors.

  • Each Assessment Method (AM) is seeking evidence for roughly half the Knowledge, Skills & Behaviours (KSBs); the KSBs associated with each AM are laid out in the EPA Plan (pp16-19 and 25-28). No KSB is duplicated across the AMs: each is assessed once, via one AM. In addition, there is no cross-referencing between AMs, i.e. assessors will seek evidence in AM1 for only the KSBs assessed through AM1, and will seek evidence in AM2 for only the KSBs assessed through AM2.
  • AM2 requires an EPA Portfolio of evidence relevant to the clusters of KSBs assessed via that route. The assessment is a Professional Interview; not the Portfolio itself, and this Portfolio can be developed at any point during the on-programme period and must be submitted by Gateway; it is a precondition of Gateway.
  • Items of evidence in AM2 can also be used in AM1 and vice versa, as the assessors will be looking for different KSBs, so if an item of practitioner’s work provides evidence of KSBs relevant to both AM’s, the apprentice can use it for both. However, such evidence MUST be included in BOTH AM1 (Project Report) and AM2 (Portfolio), as assessors will not cross-reference an item in another AM, as outlined above. 


FAQs

Professional Qualification in Systems Practice


SPA also assesses professional qualifications, on SCiO's behalf, using SCiO’s professional grading structure.

To apply for SCiO's professional qualification, please download and complete the Competency Framework (CF) self-assessment portfolio form, then return it to: contact@systemspractitionerassessment.org  


The fee for undertaking the assessment is £95. SCiO CF assessment is carried out by Systems Practitioner Assessment Ltd (SPA) for SCiO, and uses a four-step process:


  • You begin by reviewing your capabilities as a practitioner against the criteria in the CF self-assessment portfolio form, using the reference information in the CF resources as needed. You can obtain advice about this from: contact@systemspractitionerassessment.org
  • If you would like a practitioner grading awarded, you may submit your CF self-assessment to  contact@systemspractitionerassessment.org, and we will contact you within 20 working days, to arrange a CF assessment interview. 
  • Self-assessment review and competency grading is supported by an assessment interview with two Systems Thinking practitioners, using a method based on exploration of a number of practice situations, using standard criteria: Situation, Objectives/Goals, Actions, Results and Aftermath/Learning, the SOARA method. 
  • On completion of this 2-hour assessment interview, we will award you a practitioner grade. 

 

If you submit your CF for review and grading, this will be based on the following criteria: 


Practitioner

  • Able to use one or more systems methodologies or methods with support, with at least a skill level of ‘2’ in your primary approach.
  • Able to use one or more of the intervention approaches that are consistent with and required for their chosen systems methodology or method. 
  • May have practiced on systemic issues in only one sector or organisation, and may have only practiced in a part of an organisation that they control or manage. 


Certified Practitioner

  • Able to use one or more systems methodologies or methods without support, with at least a skill level of ‘3’ in your primary approach.
  • Can use several intervention approaches that are consistent with and required for their chosen systems methods or methodologies, and has applied a range of options for how to plan, manage and execute an intervention.
  • May have practiced on systemic issues in only one organisation, and may have only practiced within their own organisation, but will have worked in or on organisations outside their immediate control. 


Advanced Practitioner

  • Able to use and supervise others in at least three systems methodologies or methods, and can apply systems laws and principles directly to situations.
  • Can use several intervention approaches that are consistent with and required for their chosen systems methods or methodologies, and has applied a range of options for how to plan, manage and execute an intervention.
  • Will have practiced on systemic issues outside of their own organisation. This does not mean being contracted out of a “home” organisation, but must have worked on situations wider than just contained within the home organisation. 


Fellow

  • Has developed one or more new systems methodologies or methods that others can use, and can apply systems laws and principles directly to situations.
  • Can use several intervention approaches that are consistent with and required for their chosen systems methods or methodologies, and has applied a range of options for how to plan, manage and execute an intervention.
  • Will have practiced in multiple sectors, and/or on systemic issues outside of their organisation. Will have worked on multi-organisational problems. 


In addition to the above gradings, SCiO may also award a supplementary title of Technical Expert in specific fields to applicants who are able to show that they:

  • Can supervise others in the use of one or more systems thinking methods or methodologies.
  • Can train others in the use of one or more systems thinking methods or methodologies.


Once qualified, you may be invited by SCiO or SPA to carry out assessments of other members of SCiO applying for a professional qualification.

Contact information

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Our address
 Unit 14 Tower Street, Century Building, Brunswick Business Park, Liverpool L3 4BJ

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