University of Tasmania, Australia

These guidelines apply to all programmes of study within the Faculty of Education that are summatively assessed.

Definitions

Moderation: Refers to both:
1) Pre-assessment moderation: the critique of the setting of assessment tasks, criteria and standards to ensure that they have been constructed appropriately in order to improve the validity¹ and reliability² of assessment processes; and

2) Post-assessment moderation: the process by which marks / grades are checked against feedback to ensure that the mark awarded is appropriate (for the purpose of assuring the standard of the award).

Double marking: The process by which a piece of work is marked by two markers, who agree on a final mark (or marks) for the purpose of classification. In ‘double-blind’ marking, a version of double marking, neither marker is aware of the other’s assessment decision in formulating their own mark.

Principles

The School / Faculty ensures that:

1. Procedures for assessment are explicit, valid and reliable and that these procedures are made public to all stakeholders.
2. Assessment tasks reflect the learning outcomes stated in the unit outline.
3. Marks awarded are accurate and consistent with the assessment criteria, standards and marking scheme (rubric).
4. Every student receives the same opportunity for a fair assessment regardless of what the assessment task / exam is, who is marking them, or which program / unit they are studying in.
5. It maintains transparent and fair mechanisms for marking and moderating marks whilst acknowledging the diversity of subject pedagogies and specifying their particular arrangements for moderation.
6. The moderation of marks will be the minimum requirement expected of all markers.
7. The effectiveness of assessment procedures, including moderation processes, will be evaluated periodically.

Processes

Moderation is undertaken to enable a reasonable level of assurance that assessment activities have been designed and implemented appropriately and that students and staff can be confident that the results provided are valid and reliable. It starts at the initial stage of planning of assessment and extends through to the determination of grades.

1. Pre-assessment moderation
2. Post-assessment moderation
3. Outcomes of the Moderation process

¹ An assessment can be deemed valid if it gives an accurate measurement of whatever it is supposed to measure
² An assessment is considered reliable when the same results occur regardless of when the assessment occurs or who does the scoring