Moderator's Newsletter - Japanese

July 2009

From the Moderator

This newsletter discusses:

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

Moderator best practice workshops

The first moderation workshop for languages was held in Dunedin in April. We have others planned during the year as well, numbers permitting. The dates and venues for Languages other than French are:

These workshops are an excellent opportunity to meet with languages colleagues to discuss moderation practice as a group and to look at samples of student work. Full details including registrations 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:

• the language samples exemplify both the appropriate level and a relevant achievement objective for that level
• for the conversation standard, that at levels 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 or crafted and drafted e.g. an article as opposed to a diary entry.

Japanese subject page

Keep checking this page as it lists all things related to NCEA Japanese 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 NZAJLT, NZALT, TKI, the standards, Vocabulary and Structures guidelines, assessment specifications, National Moderator's reports and much more.

National Moderator's report

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

Version of standards

• Version 3 is the current version for all level 1 standards.
• Version 2 is the current version for all level 2 and 3 standards.

Until the standards review process is completed and the new standards implemented progressively from 2011, the guiding document for NCEA assessment is Japanese 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 US12087 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. For example, translation of definite articles:

" - I like the thing of reading".

Last updated: 07 July 2009