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- This episode is part one of a three part series
that focuses on effective moderation processes
at multiple junctures.
In this episode, we will look at moderation
before assessment takes place at the planning stage
as well as at various times
throughout the teaching and learning sequence.
The second episode will focus on effective practises
for moderating a task
and we will finish the series
by addressing moderation at the end of the reporting period.
As outlined in the P-12 curriculum assessment
and reporting framework,
schools use a whole school approach to moderation processes
to align curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and reporting,
and to ensure consistent judgements
and accurate reporting against the achievement standards.
A whole-school approach
to moderation processes ideally involves developing
and sustaining a shared assessment literacy,
determining the focus of moderation using assessment
and reporting data,
engaging teachers in moderation processes
to reach consensus about the evidence
and student work at multiple junctures
and using data collected through moderation
to inform an intentional approach to improvement.
There are a number of resources available
on the assessment and moderation hub
to support schools with each
of these key elements of moderation.
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At the before juncture,
the purpose is to support teaching teams to develop a shared
and deep understanding of the targeted aspects
of the achievement standard being assessed
and to align curriculum, pedagogy,
assessment and reporting.
The types of activities
that schools engage in during this time
will depend on a number of factors,
including the school context,
the explicit improvement agenda, teacher capabilities
and whether it's a previous
or newly developed unit and assessment being moderated.
Let's consider some example activities that can be found
on the assessment and moderation hub.
Under the moderation tab,
in the use strategies
to engage in moderation processes dropdown,
there's an activity card with instructions
to support curriculum leaders
to facilitate moderation processes
as well as example guiding questions for conversations.
Example activities include,
but are not limited to,
aligning targeted aspects
of the achievement standard with other curriculum elements,
quality assuring assessment and marking guides,
quality assuring the teaching and learning sequence
and reviewing and refining the pedagogical practises
and teaching strategies used
in the teaching and learning sequence.
For example, a school team
in previous moderation conversations,
may have found that there was not a consistent understanding
of how student evidence on a task,
demonstrated an aspect of the achievement standard
on the marking guide.
So they may choose to spend time aligning
the targeted aspect of the achievement standard
to other curriculum elements
to build that shared understanding.
An alignment template can be found on the assessment
of moderation hub.
Under the curriculum tab,
go to the understand achievement standards dropdown
and you will find it under resources and links.
Alternatively, there may be a need
to quality assure the summit of assessment task
and related marking guide
to ensure they align with the targeted aspects
of the achievement standard being assessed,
to ensure the design of the assessment is inclusive.
Resources to support quality assuring summative assessment
and marking guides can be found under the assessment tab.
Once the task and marking guide are quality assured,
teachers can engage in professional conversations
about the teaching and learning sequence
to ensure that students are provided
with an opportunity to learn what is being assessed
in the context of the unit.
It may be the case
that a school has a group of year level teachers
who have previously taught a unit of work.
Effective moderation processes last time,
resulted in consistent and accurate judgments.
Therefore more time can be spent
on identifying the best pedagogical practises
and teaching strategies
to cater for the diverse needs of all students
in the cohort.
There may be opportunities for teaching teams
to meet throughout the teaching and learning sequence,
engaging in rich conversations about student learning
and effective pedagogical practises,
using formative assessment
to monitor how well students are progressing
towards the achievement standard
and differentiating the teaching and learning.
For more information
about employing effective pedagogical practises
and high impact teaching strategies
through a whole-school approach to pedagogy,
see the pedagogy tab on the assessment and moderation hub.
Your school may prioritise reviewing
and refining other components of the unit plan
during this time
in order to cater to the diverse learning needs
of all students.
There may be a need to plan adjustments
in the teaching and learning
and to make adjustments in the mode and conditions
of summative assessment for particular students.
This is also an opportune time to confirm timing
and conditions for administering the assessment.
There may be other activities
that are appropriate to your context
to ensure that teachers develop a shared
and deep understanding of the aspects
of the achievement standard being assessed
and have opportunities
to align curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and reporting.
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