1. Moderator Training – unitised assessment
February 17 V1
November 2016

2. Objectives
Provide an overview of the quality assurance principles for optional units / unitised assessment
Describe the quality assurance process for Moderators
Review the feedback forms that need to be completed for centre feedback
Illustrate the key timelines for quality assurance of optional units / unitised assessment

3. Training plan –Moderators
Content
Mode of delivery
Time required
Time of year
Objectives
Review of guides and assessment materials
Remote 
0.5 days
Jan 2016
Familiarisation with key guides and assessment materials to be moderated
Moderator Induction
F2F
1 day on site
Jan- Feb 2017
Overview of Principal Moderator and Moderator activity
Unitised assessment
Remote
Quality assurance of optional units.
Moderation platform training
Remote webinar
0.5 day
Feb 2017
Orientation and navigation of the platform, support for technical queries, support for centres.
Standardisation training
TBC
May 2017
How to standardise team of moderators
This day forms part of a training plan – described on the slide. In addition to the training days PMs will need to make other time available to support moderators and moderation process – clarified later
Not all sessions will be necessary for those PMs who are acting as Moderators only, i.e. with no hierarchy and also those dealing with quals with no centre visit and or optional units.
Optional unit training will be provide
Information about the role of the moderator and PM in centre visits and review of Optional Units will be covered in the remote sessions following on from this initial training session.
A summary of this training plan along with the moderator training plan will be in the pack of PM materials – Handout 1

4. Unitised Assessment / optional units
As well as the Synoptic Practical Assessment, Employer Involvement and External Test across a number of the Technical qualifications there are also additional assessment components that the learner will need to complete to achieve the qualification, e.g.
Optional Units
Work experience components
Portfolio assessment
These ‘unitised’ assessments are generally assignments that are internally marked although some of the optional units may also be assessed by test.
Where centres are carrying out the assessment of these components internally the assessment needs to be quality assured by City & Guilds.
Take the general model of online moderation. Using a platform called Manage Assess.
We have trialled this and received quite positive feedback from centres/moderators. Digital platform for present task, gathering evidence,
Commonly known / used by many of our competitors and it provides a digital platform for the presentation of the assessment, gathering of evidence, review and marking as well as moderation of evidence. It means that we don’t have to pass evidence around the countryside digitally – stop work going missing and shortening the moderation process.

5. Unitised assessment – quality assurance
Remote quality assurance by the moderator through the moderation platform
Risk based quality assurance of a sample of the unitised assessments
Majority of content assessed through the synoptic assessment and test – externally moderated, externally marked
The unitised assessment is a hurdle within the qualification – does not contribute to the overall qualification grade
For unitised assessments the moderator will quality assure centre assessment decisions and administration
Moderators will provide feedback to the centre on these elements with required action
Centres will need to action the moderator feedback for their assessments to be approved
The moderator will check that actions have been completed
For unitised assessments the moderator will quality assure:
Centres administration, e.g. have the centres submitted declarations, derived the grade correctly?
Assessment decisions in the centre

6. Sample Strategy – unitised assessment
If the qualification includes unitised assessment(s) which covers mandatory content – moderator samples each mandatory assessment
If the qualification includes unitised assessments which do not cover mandatory content, moderator selects first unitised assessment submitted by the centre
Early sampling will allow centre to apply moderator feedback to subsequent assessments before submission deadline 16.6
Sample of evidence requested – across pass, merit and distinction and across a range of assessors.
The sample needs to be representative of the cohort
Moderator will quality assure:
Centres administration, e.g. have the centres submitted declarations, derived the grade correctly using the formula provided in the assessment pack?
Assessment decisions in the centre – have the assessors applied the assessment criteria correctly? Are the assessors standardised?
No of candidates (per centre)
Full sample size
5 or fewer
All candidates
6-10
11 – 100 10
101 – 200 15
More than 200 20
Lowest distinction, highest merit, lowest merit, highest pass, lowest pass, highest fail

7. Sample strategy– quality assurance (2)
If the centre’s assessments decisions are not accurate the moderator will:
provide feedback to the centre on how to align to the standard on the moderator feedback form
ask the centre to act on the feedback and then resubmit all learner grades for the assessment plus an additional sample of work for a different range of learners
Where relevant request an additional sample of learners’ work for another assessment component – additional sampling risk-based
If the centre’s assessment decisions are accurate no further sampling of unitised assessments required
If the centre has not submitted the correct declaration forms, the moderator will request centre to submit appropriate paperwork. If assessment decisions have been approved further sampling of unitised assessments not required
If the centre has made mistakes with the grading formula, the moderator will provide feedback and request that the centre resubmits the grades for that assessment. If assessment decisions have been approved further sampling of unitised assessments not required

8. Unitised Assessment - process units
1. Centres book the learners onto all assessments
2. Moderation Support contacts the centre to determine earliest submission for optional units
3. Moderator receives the assessment to be sampled through the platform
4. Moderator reviews the sample and completes centre feedback
5. Principal Moderator reviews moderator decisions and feedback
6 Feedback provided to centre
7. Centres acts on feedback
8. Additional assessments are sampled by the moderator as required
9. Moderator checks that the actions have been completed
10. All learner outcomes for unitised assessments uploaded to the moderator platform
The process will form the basis of the moderation guide which we will provide in February,
Version

9. Principal Moderator – centre visit planner
Activity 1 Review the draft moderator feedback form – what additional information is needed? What are your suggested amends?
Refer to

10. Quality assurance – feedback example
Assessment decision
Approved
 YES
Not approved
Feedback:
The decisions of assessor A were aligned with the standard. However Assessor B who assessed the minority of the cohort did not apply the marking criteria consistently and to the appropriate standard. Task 3 across student 1 and 4 should only have been assessed as a pass. The deer management plan was only basic and at a pass level. Although it explained how the deer population should be managed, it did not contain future recommendations. In addition, task two for both learners did not include a description of the life cycle and diet plan needed for merit.   
Action (tick as appropriate) 1
No further sample required √ 2
Follow feedback guidance and resubmit all learner grades for the assessment  √ 3
Submit evidence for an additional …. candidates for the current assessment 4
Submit additional sample of evidence for assessment / unit…… (detail unit)
Wrong action / should not be approved / needs o tick 2,3,4 and specify additional samples. Additional feedback on the fact the centre needs to standardise and how to align

11. Role of the Principal Moderator
Provide initial advice and guidance on unitised assessments – subject specific insight.
Support unitised assessment webinars –planned early March
Sample moderator feedback on unitised assessment – provide feedback. Risk-based sampling of moderator work

12. TIMELINE – centre visit 2016.17
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Assessment booking window
Assessment window in centres
Synoptic marks and evidence submitted 19.5
Deadline for submission of all marks and evidence for unitised assessment 16.6
Registration
Optional assignment available
Synoptic assignment available
Technical Qual Results issued
Early submission of unitised assessment
Moderation for synoptic window including standardisation
Moderation training activities
Quality assurance – centre visits / unitised assessment
Technical & Project Qualifications
TechBac certificate issued
WPS requirements met