‘Dishonest assessor falsified test papers’

ACOLLEGE assessor was suspended from practising for two years after falsifying test papers for students.

The conduct of Rowan Clark at Coleg Menai in November 2017 was so serious a suspension order was required, an Education Workforce Council committee decided.

Committee chairman Peter Owen said they accepted Ms Clark had been under “considerable pressure”, had been of good character, having worked at the college for 25 years and posed no risk of repeating the actions, but there had been “no expression of regret”.

The committee found she completed test papers for students, claiming it was their work, when it wasn’t. It also found Ms Clark requested certificates for four learners even though one required unit had not been completed.

Committee chairman Peter Owen said: “This was an attempt to conceal the fact that the papers had been falsified by her.”

He said the committee found these actions were “dishonest” and constituted “unacceptable professional behaviour”.

Her actions “within the work- place had an effect on learners and staff and could have had a serious effect on the college as a whole,” said Mr Llewelyn.

But the committee found a charge she uploaded model answers to learners’ e-portfolios to show they had completed a unit, when it wasn’t their work, was unproven.

Anwen Jones, an NVQ assessor who worked under Ms Clark, told the hearing she was contacted by her to say she had for- gotten to complete a course unit, but would get it done.

When Ms Jones checked, she found eight learners had not finished the unit.

She also discovered that four students had identical revision question answers and was concerned that Ms Clark was requesting certificates, even though they had not been checked internally.

A student, called learner H to protect his identity, said he had received a certificate and thought he had completed the course only to be told by the college that it wasn’t finished.

He was shown a paper with his name on but told the inquiry “it was not my hand writing or my test paper”.

The student later completed the course with the help of another staff member, Bethan Wyn.

College chiefs said she resigned from the institution in November 2017.

Ms Clark declined to attend the hearing and the committee decided to proceed in her absence.