A2009/027 - 1 September 2009

Changes to sending optional teacher-selected evidence with external moderation

Currently there are two types of student evidence that is moderated by NZQA moderators:

1. The first type is randomly selected student work for the standards selected by NZQA for external moderation. Outcomes are reported in the moderation report for that standard. Agreement rates between the assessor and moderator are expressed quantitatively in this report. Almost all moderation is this first type.
   
   
2. The second type is additional student work that the teachers can select themselves so that they can ask the moderators specific questions about making assessor judgements. This type is not reported on in an external moderation report. The teachers receive in-depth, qualitative feedback to support making difficult judgements at the grade boundary or in understanding key aspects of the standard. This is called optional teacher-selected evidence.

From September 2009 NZQA is making changes to the current process surrounding optional teacher-selected evidence.

Previously, questions could relate to up to four samples of student work, had to relate to the standard selected for moderation and could only be sent on moderation submission dates. This has changed to provide more flexibility for teachers.

Changes from September 2009

• The number of samples of student work for optional teacher selected evidence has been increased. Teachers may now send up to ten samples per standard per year.

• The samples for optional evidence feedback can relate to any standard, not just the standard selected for external moderation.

• The samples can be sent at any time throughout the year, not just at the time of the school submission date.

• This is only available for Secondary Moderation systems and not Tertiary systems or for the ITO standards. See the list of subjects right.

• The samples do not have to be accompanied by other assessment materials unless the teacher believes they would assist the moderator in understanding their question

• There is no specific turnaround time for samples sent outside the school submission date as this will depend on moderator capacity.

Benefits to the School

Please encourage your staff to use this process to gain further understanding of making assessment decisions about student work, especially at the grade boundary.

This can lead to better results for the school for external moderation. The teachers can develop greater confidence and skill in making assessment decisions. Students can benefit from more consistent grades and better quality feedback.

The process could also be used by schools to support their own decisions surrounding internal moderation and appeals made by students about the grades they have been awarded. This opportunity and the Moderation Best Practice Workshops provided by NZQA should be used to support subjects and teachers with relatively poor external moderation patterns.

Please remind staff of this opportunity at regular intervals and use it to support improvements in both internal and external moderation processes.

If senior management would like to increase the number of samples in a particular subject, they should discuss this with their School Relationship Manager who can arrange further support.

Comparison of Random Selection and Teacher Selection

Cover Sheets

• To send questions, please complete the Secondary Moderation Cover Sheet Teacher Selected Assessed Work Only form.

• For standards in the moderation plan to be submitted by the school’s submission date, assessment materials and randomly selected samples of student work should be submitted with the updated Secondary Moderation Cover Sheet Random Selection.

Mailing Instructions

• Samples sent at times other than the school submission date and/or for standards not on the school’s moderation plan must be sent directly to NZQA. Schools will need to provide their own courier bags and send these samples to:
  
  Secondary Moderation
  New Zealand Qualifications Authority
  125 The Terrace
  Wellington 6011

• Questions and teacher selected samples can be added to the courier bag supplied by NZQA, for any standards in the school’s moderation plan sent to the moderator by the school’s submission date.

Guidance & Clarification

Examples of suitable questions and answers can be found here.

Moderators will give guidance and clarification on the questions asked but it is not an opportunity for the moderator to mark the work. As teacher-selected samples will not be marked, moderators will not report on agreement with the grades awarded for these additional samples. Instead, the moderators will give qualitative feedback in the form of explanation, advice and guidance. This feedback will be given separately from the Moderation Report.

The teacher(s) who marked the student evidence should give consent for their decisions to be part of the teacher-selected samples and the Head of Department should co-sign on the Cover Sheet to indicate that they support this evidence being used as the priority for their subject and school.

Appeals

The appeals process must still be used where the teacher is seeking further clarification of a moderator decision or disagrees with a moderator decision on a Moderation Report.

The optional teacher-selected evidence opportunity must not be used as the appeals process.

Enquiries

A PDF copy of this Circular is available for download.

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Previous circulars

• 026 - 25 August 2009 - Authenticity Statement for Graphics and Technology Portfolios
• 025 - 18 August 2009 - Draft Revised External Achievement Standards for Level 2
• 024 - 18 August 2009 - Visual Arts verification and assessment - NCEA levels 1, 2, 3 and Scholarship in 2009
• 023 - 7 August 2009 - Update of History Level 1 Assessment Specifications
• 022 - 3 August 2009 - Level 2 English 2009 examination question changes
• 021 - 31 July 2009 - Visual Arts verification - NCEA levels 1 and 2 in 2009
• 020 - 24 July 2009 - NCEA Level 3 Social Studies Assessment Specifications
• 019 - 3 July 2009 - Format of 2009 examination papers
• 018 - 8 July 2009 - Play It Strange Music Competitions
• 017 - 9 June 2009 - Updated Media Studies Assessment Specifications 2009
• 016 - 29 May 2009 - Notation for composition standards in Music
• 015 - 29 May 2009 - Subject-specific resource web pages
• 014 - 22 May 2009 - Appeal or further clarification of external Moderation Reports
• 013 - 8 May 2009 - Sending optional teacher-selected evidence with external moderation
• 012 - 3 April 2009 - Format Change for Level 2 Art History Examination Papers in 2009
• 011 - 3 April 2009 - Assessment Format Change for 2009 - Physics
• 010 - 3 April 2009 - Assessment Format Change for 2009 (Latin)
• 009 - 27 March 2009 - Assessment Format Change for 2009 (Chemistry)
• 008 - 27 March 2009 - Assessment Format Change for 2009 (Biology/Human Biology)
• 007 - 27 March 2009 - Assessment Format Change for 2009
• 006 - 27 March 2009 - Moderation of Te Reo Maori and Te Reo Rangatira Korero achievement and unit standards
• 005 - 13 March 2009 - Use of Te Reo Māori in External Assessment
• 004 - 13 March 2009 - National Certificate in Business Level 3
• 003 - 9 February 2009 - Education for Sustainability
• 002 - 30 January 2009 - Education for Sustainability
• 001 - 9 January 2009 - Reconsideration process for externally assessed NCEA Level 3 and NZ Scholarship Visual Arts

archive of previous circulars