Dyslexia Guild 
Assessment Practising Certificate: Renewal Criteria

To renew your Practising Certificate we want to see evidence that your assessment reports are accurate, comprehensive and of high quality, and that you have undertaken a certain amount of CPD to ensure that your assessment skills continue to develop and that your knowledge is up-to-date.

You will need to collate evidence of this practice and development in the form of:

• Record of assessments
  
• CPD log
• One full diagnostic assessment report with copies of supporting test papers

It is of utmost importance that you look at the following 4 items before you submit the application and your report:

1. SpLD Working Group 2005 DfES guidelines
2. Suitable Tests for Assessments for Specific Learning Difficulties in HE (revised guidelines September 2011)
3. Report Renewal Review form NEW 2012 (these are the criteria used to evaluate your report competencies)
4. SASC Structure of Review of APC Final (the guide that we need to follow when reviewing your APC renewal)

Assessment Log

The assessment log should contain a list of all assessments carried out during the time the APC was valid. The identities of the people being assessed should be masked – whilst they should remain identifiable by you.
Click for the Assessment Log.  Assessments can be for people of all ages and not just those seeking DSAs.

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Log

All relevant CPD taking place during the life the APC should be recorded in the log. There should be at least 20 hours of CPD recorded, 5 hours of which should be from face-to-face training. All CPD should be taken from these five areas:

Core areas of CPD                                                   

C1 principles of psychometrics, statistics, assessment and underlying ability
C2 SpLD testing methods, interpretation and test materials

Supplementary areas of CPD

S1 Changes in regulations and legislation relating to SpLDs
S2 Developments in SpLD research
S3 Approaches to teaching and support for SpLD

Click for the range of suitable CPD activities

Click for the CPD log .

Diagnostic Assessment Report

Send a copy of a full diagnostic assessment report written in the DSA style carried out during the period your APC covers. This need not be for someone applying for a DSA and can be for someone of any age. You need to make the subject of the report identifiable to you but anonymous to anyone else.

Send copies of all accompanying forms: test papers, permission forms (also made anonymous).

It is important that you follow the style guidelines.   See above for the SpLD Working group 2005 DfES guidelines which give the style guidelines. 

Use this Renewal Checklist to help you to prepare your renewal portfolio.

Once you have assembled your evidence you will need to:

• Fill in the Practising Certificate Renewal form
• Pay the application fee of £90. This includes the £15 the fee for registration on the SASC website. This payment is for the review of the application.
  
• Send your completed form and evidence to: Practising Certificate Renewal, Training Office, Park House, Wick Road, Egham.  TW20 0HH

You need to send your application in at least 5 weeks prior to your renewal date to ensure there is no gap in certification. We will remind you when renewal is due but this is something you need to be mindful of yourselves to be sure that there is no last minute panic. Please click here to download your application form. The Dyslexia Guild reserves the right to request additional information. The decision of the Practising Certificate Board is final. Continuing membership of the Dyslexia Guild is required to maintain certification for the Practising Certificate.

For general enquiries to the Dyslexia Guild please email guild@dyslexiaaction.org.uk