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Assessment Practising Certificate – APC

assessment practising certificate

An Assessment Practising Certificate (APC) is a recognised standard for specialist teacher/assessors.

The Department for Education (DfE) requires that specialist teachers or support tutors who undertake specialist assessments are competent and qualified to do so.

Changes to legislation in 2019 mean that any diagnostic report written at any time by an APC holder can be used to apply for DSA. This means that reports now have a longer lifespan and those commissioning a report may expect to use this report over a longer period and for several purposes.  Details can be found on the SASC website

The Dyslexia Guild is an SpLD Assessment Practising Certificate (APC) awarding body issuing Assessment Practising Certificates on behalf of the SpLD Assessment Standards Committee (SASC).

What is an APC?

An APC is effectively a licence to practise. It confirms that you have the appropriate qualifications to undertake full diagnostic assessments and that your professional practice is up-to-date and has been externally verified as continuing to meet defined competence standards. 

The APC Certificate is issued for three years and confirms that you have the knowledge, skills and competences to assess the detailed requirements of individuals with dyslexia/SpLD. 

  • The Department for Education (DfE) requires that specialist teachers or support tutors who undertake specialist assessments are competent and qualified to do so.
  • Only APC holders can undertake diagnostic assessment reports for Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) applications
  • The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) also recognises that for the purposes of Examination Access Arrangements a specialist assessor is “… a specialist teacher with a current SpLD Assessment Practising Certificate”

Benefits of holding an Assessment Practising Certificate

An Assessment Practising Certificate is a quality assurance standard ensuring that qualified assessors work within the rigorous regulations, are up to date with changes and best practice within each facet of psychological assessment and report writing.  It is a standard that is highly respected by clients, employers, organisations and other professionals.

Am I eligible to apply?

Full application and eligibility requirements can be found in the brochure above. To obtain an APC:

  • you must be a qualified specialist literacy teacher assessor in dyslexia/SpLD
    Please click here for the SASC list of approved courses
    Please click here for the training routes we offer
    or
  • have at least seven years experience in providing full diagnostic assessments

Please note: it is not possible to use the Level 7 (Postgraduate) Certificate: Teaching for Maths-Related Difficulties in the pathway to gaining an APC (please see the SASC website for further details relating to maths qualifications).

PLUS

The above requirements are essential and must be met PRIOR to making an application, please read the brochure to ensure you are prepared before making an application.

Download our detailed brochure and other useful documents before applying

icon_pdfDownload a brochure

Download Brochure

Other useful documents:

If you have any further queries after reading the detailed brochure above please email the APC Administrator at apc@dyslexiaaction.org.uk

Apply

You can now apply or renew your Assessment Practising Certificate (APC) online, see routes below:

Ensure your Guild membership is current.

  • Route 1, 2,  renewal – Submit your application here
  • Contact the APC team at apc@dyslexiaaction.org.uk regarding re-submission costs.

Please note:

1.Your application process will not start until all fees are paid in full (if your organisation are paying for your application you must ensure that they pay the fee in a timely manner, your application process will not begin until payment has been received) 

2.Dyslexia Action fees are the same as all three APC issuing bodies which are set by the SpLD Assessment Standards Committee (SASC) and are detailed below (fees apply from 2018 and may be subject to change after this time).

3.All fees include a charge for registration on the SASC website for the life of the APC certificate (3 years)

***Important – does your APC expire soon?
Please apply for your APC or renewal in a timely manner to avoid any delays with processing over busy periods!***
 

What our delegates say about our APC service

Thank you for sending through detailed feedback on my submission.  May I take this opportunity to thank Dyslexia Action for providing thorough feedback on my two APC submissions.
G.M.

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Looking to gain or renew an APC?

The Dyslexia Action Assessment Practising Certificate (APC) online course has been specifically designed to update specialist teacher assessors on current SASC requirements for dyslexia/SpLD report writing and to meet APC application or renewal criteria.  Gain 5 hours SASC accreditation.

Find out more here

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