Moderator's Newsletter - French

March 2009

This newsletter discusses:

• Moderator best practice workshops
• Clarifications documents
• TKI Resources
• French subject page
• National moderator's report
• Version of standards
• Unit standards.

Moderator best practice workshops

The first moderation workshop for French was held last year in Wellington and these will continue (numbers permitting) this year. The dates and venues are:

These workshops will be looking at some exemplars of the 'conversation' standard (real work of our own teachers and students) including what helps make this a workable and successful task. We will also look at the writing standard and some what needs to be included in assessment conditions. These are an excellent opportunity to discuss moderation practice as a group so I really encourage you to come along. Full details are available online.

Clarifications documents

In an attempt to help give some clarification and guidelines to the conversation standard, we have published a conversation clarifications document. The next clarifications document will be on the 'writing with resources' standards and will be available soon.

TKI Resources

The best tasks are those that teachers have designed or adapted themselves which cater to the specific teaching and learning that has taken place within the classroom. If using a TKI activity please check that:

• for level 1, the task allows students to communicate a French curriculum level 6 achievement objective
• the language samples exemplify both the appropriate level and a relevant achievement objective for that level
• for the conversation standard, that at level 2 and 3 the task is not an interview. As explained in the clarifications document this leads to students simply answering questions and does not allow for interaction.
• in the writing with resources standards the task is one which would naturally call for a piece of work to be rewritten/crafted and drafted e.g. an article as opposed to a diary entry.

French subject page

Keep checking THIS PAGE as it lists all things related to NCEA French including internal moderation. The three latest additions to check out are:

• Moderation for languages. This gives a checklist to the things you need to ensure are contained within the submission - the task, assessment schedule and student work
• Clarifications document Conversation standards. A guide to assessment of the conversation standards
• Moderator newsletters.

There are links to NZAFT, NZALT, TKI, the standards, Vocabulary and Structures guidelines, assessment specifications, National Moderators' reports and much more.

National Moderator's report

The 2008 moderator's report for French is also available. Please read this carefully as it will help inform this year's practice.

Version of standards

For 2009 all teachers should be assessing using version 3 of level 1. Version 2 of level 2 and 3 remains unchanged in 2009.

Until the standards review process is completed the guiding document for NCEA assessment is French in the New Zealand Curriculum.

Unit standards

Teachers who are using unit standards need to be aware that the moderation process is as robust for these as for achievement standards. Assessment materials need to contain:

• judgement statements
• assessment schedules
• conditions for the assessment.

Where there is terminology in the special notes, this needs to be explained to students, exemplified and possibly quantified. E.g. in US12133 performance criteria 1.2 states "Translations are expressed in natural English, avoiding transliterations". The term 'transliteration' will need to be explained to students. This can also be exemplified in the assessment schedule. The judgement statement will need to highlight areas where this might occur e.g. translation of definite articles J'aime l'anglais - I like the English.

Bonne continuation

Last updated: 15 April 2009