Using involvement in moderation to strengthen teachers’ assessment for learning capability

Abstract

ABSTRACT Proficiency in educational assessment has come to be viewed as a core competency for all teachers. This article identifies a novel means of strengthening teachers’ capability in one key aspect of educational assessment: what is variously termed assessment for learning, or formative assessment. It explores how involvement in social moderation processes can contribute to teachers’ understandings of the principles and practices of assessment for learning. The yearlong research project, which involved the teachers at three New Zealand state primary schools, used observations, interviews, and a questionnaire to produce data about teachers’ experiences of social moderation. The analyses of these data suggested that school-based social moderation processes could provide a sustainable way of developing and maintaining teachers’ understandings of assessment for learning.