Moderation is a process to make sure that assessments are valid, fair, and consistent. It is a type of quality assurance to make sure assessors' judgements are consistent across the country and across different standards.

Moderation involves assessors:

• planning and assessing together to make sure they are using a common approach to assessment
• moderators comparing different assessors' assessment plans to make sure they are valid and appropriate
• moderators comparing assessors' judgements across samples of trainees' evidence to make sure they are consistent and to address different interpretations of standards.

Many assessors find moderation activities help them to build confidence in their assessment skills.

Moderation gives assessors an opportunity to be sure that what they are doing is consistent with what other assessors are doing. It also helps assessors to get new ideas and alternative approaches to assessment and to work through concerns about the standards and assessment process.

All assessors are involved in moderation before and after assessment at some stage. Newly registered assessors are subject to heavier moderation requirements than experienced assessors, with their first two assessments being moderated.
More about how moderation happens

National Moderation System

The New Zealand Qualifications Authority requires Learning State to run a moderation system. This National Moderation System maintains consistency across agencies using national standards and qualifications.

To maintain the integrity of workplace assessment, we must make sure assessment is (and is seen to be) consistent and fair.

Our role in moderation

When a State sector agency has implemented workplace assessment on a significant scale, we develop a moderation agreement with the agency. This allows strong internal moderation processes to develop within that agency. We then work with the agency to identify how the internal moderation process will be monitored and audited.

If you're a workplace assessor working in an agency that has a moderation agreement with us, you'll work with the agency's internal coordinator to meet moderation requirements.

If you're working in an agency without a coordinator, we will communicate with you directly about your post-assessment moderation requirements.