CETA: Construction Education and Training Authority | Quality Assurance | Management of Assessment

1. Introduction

Moderation activities help to ensure that correct decisions have been made with regard to competencies assessed. It ensures that all assessors who assess a particular unit standard or qualifications are using comparable assessment methods and are making similar and consistent judgments about learners’ performance and that strategies exist to communicate improvements in the assessment process to enhance the consistency of decisions in the future.

2. Principles of Best Moderations

The NQF principles influence the moderation process of the Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA). The CETA over and above holds the principles that best practice moderation will occur:

	When the process of moderation involves a dynamic interaction between Assessor and Moderator to provide an opportunity to support consistency of assessment
	When the Accredited Training Education Provider has systems that lead to the appointment of professional Assessors with appropriate technical skills and relevant industry experience.
	When the Accredited Training Education Provider has qualified and trained moderators to perform effective moderation of assessment
	The moderation system evolve in step with ongoing development of training of practitioners so as to continuously improve the quality of assessment and:
	That evidence requirements meet industry applications or standards

3. Functions of Moderation

The NQF principles influence the assessment process within the CETA. The CETA subscribe to the concept that best assessment practice will occur when:

	To verify that assessment are fair, valid, reliable and practicable
	To identify the need to redesign assessments if required
	To provide an appeals procedure for dissatisfied learners
	To evaluate the performance of assessors

In the Construction Education and Training Authority moderation of assessment occurs at both level of the Education and Training Provider (Internal moderation), and the level of the ETQA (external moderation/verification)

4. Internal Moderation

The Construction Education and Training Authority prescribe that accredited training providers should have individuals to manage their moderation systems. These internal moderators should:

	Establish systems to standardize assessment, including the plans for internal moderation
	Monitor consistency of assessment records
	Checking the design of assessment materials for appropriateness before they are used.
	Monitoring assessment processes, check candidates evidence, check the results and decisions of assessor for consistency
	Co-ordinate assessor meetings and review moderation systems and processes
	Liaison with external moderators/verifiers
	Provide appropriate and necessary support, advice and guidance to assessors
	Submit quarterly reports to CETA

5. External Moderation (Internal)

To enhance the credibility of the assessment it is required that a minimum of 80 percent of all assessment to be moderated. The selection of the 80 percent of the Portfolio of Evidence (PoE) must vary from learner to learner to include those who are not yet competent.

6. External Moderation / Verification

The CETA manages the external moderation systems. The moderation/verification process will involve:

	Checking the systems required to support the provision of learning programmes across the institution/ learning site are appropriate and working effectively.
	Proving advice and guidance to education and training providers
	Maintaining an overview of provision across education and training providers
	Maintaining an overview of provision across education and training providersaChecking all the staff involved in assessment are appropriately qualified and experienced
	Checking the credibility of assessment methods and instruments
	Checking internal moderation systems
	Through sampling, monitoring and observing and learners’ evidence to ensure consistency across providers
	Checking assessors’ decision

7. Reporting and Storange of Moderation Results

Records of achievements of learners (hard copies) must be kept and filled for 1 (one) year and thereafter, a summary of the learner assessment must be kept and learner Portfolio of Evidence (PoE) returned to the learner. The provider must have control measures in place for returning of PoE’s.