Assessment Matters

Moderation of new Mathematics and Statistics assessment materials
A2011/019 - 02 Dec 2011

Moderation of new Mathematics and Statistics assessment materials

With the alignment of standards with the New Zealand Curriculum (NZC), some concern has arisen within the Mathematics community about the approach being used to assess the new achievement standards and how this relates to secondary moderation.

Internal assessment provides considerable flexibility in the collection of evidence. Care must be taken to allow students opportunities to present their best evidence against the standard, free from unnecessary constraints.

The Ministry of Education’s (MOE) assessment activities for Mathematics use an approach that some refer to as ‘single item assessment’ or ‘one big problem’.  These assessment activities reflect the intent of The New Zealand Curriculum and exemplify for teachers a way of conducting assessment that is not limited to traditional assessment.

There are many ways in which evidence of achievement can be collected and the approach in the MOE’s assessment materials is not the only approach that can be used. Any assessment material(s) that gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their ability against the achievement criteria of the standard is acceptable for moderation purposes.

Further guidance is provided in the Conditions of Assessment for the internally assessed standards. 

Enquiries

Please refer any enquiries relating to this circular to:

Secondary Moderation
Telephone:    04 463 3000
Email:           secmod@nzqa.govt.nz