[Melanie Harvard]

I am very interested to find out what other accredited providers and assessors have experienced regarding the level of formative assessment work required to be present at an external moderation.

Please share your experiences as to what your auditors have required – and any written seta policy or guidelines about this issue – many thanks

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[Simphiwe Mdikane]

Hi Melanie.
Can you please elaborate on the “level of formative assessment work”? What do you mean exactly?

[Melanie Harvard]

Hi Simphiwe

basically what i mean is how in-depth – have you been required to keep and show every page the learner wrote on or is it not sufficient to show how the learner scored and progressed against the formatives – the tools (masters) themselves can be easily verified as measuring the required outcomes.

i have had very different experiences over the last 20+ years – but mostly auditors do not call for all the formative work – just evidence that it happened. . . so what i am looking for is not just a ‘keep everything’ answer but really some guidance pointing to hard criteria – preferably written in a policy somewhere – outlining what is required for audit purposes ito formative . . .

[Zebilon Mmekwa]

Hi Melanie
Please, let me know if I have understood your question.
NQF Act 67 of 2008 mandates the South African Qualification Authority to develop policy and criteria, after consultation with the Quality Council, for assessment.
By definition of the Act, assessment is a process used to identify, gather and interpret information and evidence against the required competencies in a part qualification, in this case, formative assessment.
The understanding I have, as an assessor, is that Formative Assessment is a diagnostic step that an assessor must view it seriously on whether the assessment supports the teaching and learning process; provide feedback to the learner on his/her progress; diagnosis the learner’s strengths and weaknesses and lastly, help to make decisions on the readiness of the learner to do Summative Assessment.
The External Moderator is duty-bound to deliver what is required by the
Act and that is to ensure that:(1) the two or more providers/assessors deliver the same unit standard and the assessment is consistent;(2) to judge whether the assessor is appropriately qualified, experienced and competent in assessment practices. It is given that formative assessment is a method adopted by the National Qualification Authority; (3) to ensure, through sampling, monitoring and observing, whichever is applicable, that the assessment process and learner’s evidence is adequate to ensure consistency, fairness, validity, and reliability. Lastly, on completion, the moderator must compile a comprehensive report on the standard of assessment and on the Assessors’ treatment of the learner’s evidence. Hence, the demand for the whole assessment because the moderator assesses both you, the assessor and the learner. The law also allows him/her to visit the learner and test the competency on the same questions asked in the formative and summative assessments.
I stand to be corrected if it’s not what you required.
Kind Regards,
Zebilon Mmekwa

[Maxine Peters]

Melanie

It depends to which SETA you referring, my experience is just so varied and in some instances, you just declare that it has been done in the POE.

Zebulon, thank you love it when the Act explained in such a practical manner.

Regards

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