External moderation for Secondary Schools/Kura

National external moderation provides an assurance that assessment decisions, in relation to assessment standards, are consistent nationally.

External moderation of internally assessed standards in secondary schools/Kura ensures that assessment judgements (marking of students' work) are at the national standard.

Where issues are identified with assessor judgements the assessment materials used (tasks, activities or tests) may be moderated to check that they are at the national standard.

Schools/Kura can access the report for each standard, including moderation outcomes, through the External Moderation Application.

Each school has an annual submission date for external moderation. The submission date is confirmed early in the new year when schools are advised which standards have been selected for moderation. However, schools may choose to submit materials for moderation earlier than the annual submission date.

Using the External Moderation Application, schools need to submit the following:

  • A copy of the task and/or supporting resources
  • A copy of the assessment schedule
  • Selected samples of student work consisting of the key materials that the assessor has used to make an assessment judgement. Where the number of students assessed is larger than the minimum submission requirements+ for the standard, the students samples must be selected according to the school/kura's documented selection process*.

+Minimum submission requirements:

  • Eight samples of student work for standards for which more than one passing grades is available, e.g.  Achieved, Merit or Excellence
  • Four samples of student work  for standards for which the only passing grade is Achieved.

Where the total number of students assessed for the standard is smaller than the minimum requirements, all student work must be submitted.

*The selection process for external moderation must:

  • be undertaken by someone other than the teacher who marked the work
  • use a method that does not allow for prediction
  • select from the work of all students who submitted work for the assessment.

For more information about the selection and moderation requirements see the Assessment (including Examination) Rules for Schools with Consent to Assess.

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