Tertiary moderation
This information is for Tertiary Education Organisations (TEOs) that are assessing learners using standards moderated by NZQA. Industry Training Organisations (ITOs) manage the national external moderation of industry unit standards. NZQA organises national external moderation of unit and achievement standards it is responsible for.
TEOs must gain consent to assess from NZQA before they can offer programmes of education and training incorporating assessment against standards on the Directory of Assessment Standards. Applications for Consent to Assess must comply with Consent to Assess against Standards on the Directory of Assessment Standards Rules 2011.
Once they have consent, TEOs assessing against standards must carry out internal moderation and engage with the national external moderation system that applies.
The purpose of moderation is to provide assurance that assessment is fair, valid and at the national standard, and that the assessors are making consistent judgements about learner performance.
| Internal moderation |
Internal moderation is the responsibility of each organisation that has consent to assess. It may occur among assessors at a single site, across a TEO's multiple sites or among an ITO's registered workplace assessors. Internal moderation helps to ensure consistency of assessment within an organisation over time and between assessors. Internal moderation processes must be embedded in the quality management system of every TEO. |
| National external moderation systems | National external moderation systems ensure that organisations with consent to assess are conducting assessment that is nationally consistent and at the national standard. Every registered standard is attached to an Accreditation and Moderation Action Plan (AMAP). The Moderation Information in the AMAP sets out the national external moderation system for the standard. It is the responsibility of organisations to ensure that they engage in the national external moderation system for standards for which they are assessing and reporting credits. |
The NZQA national external moderation process includes the following key stages:
- TEOs submit an annual assessment plan to NZQA
- NZQA provides a moderation plan to TEOs
- TEOs provide assessment materials and assessed learner samples to NZQA moderators
- NZQA moderators provide moderation reports to TEOs
- NZQA sends a summary of moderation results to TEOs.
National external moderation manual for Tertiary Education Organisations
For full information on national external moderation see the National External Manual for Tertiary Education Organisations. For a copy of this manual for printing, you can download the 2011 TEO Manual (PDF, 217KB).
Forms for TEOs relating to national external moderation of assessment standards
Survey of Tertiary Education Organisations that assess against NZQA-managed unit standards
In November 2009, NZQA surveyed all TEOs with consent to assess against NZQA-managed standards. The objectives of the survey were to:
- gather information that can be used to support ongoing enhancement of assessment and moderation, both within TEOs and within NZQA
- identify the kinds of moderation processes used within NZQA-moderated TEOs
- characterise good practice in tertiary moderation.
A summary of responses to this survey is available here (PDF, 545KB).
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