Moderation Processes

What is moderation?

Moderation is a quality control process that is used by Competenz to ensure consistent assessments are being achieved. Moderation helps to maintain consistent national standards of assessment and improve assessment practices.

The process of moderation involves checking the judgement of the assessor to make sure it is valid, consistent, fair, and constructive and based on the evidence provided by the trainee.

Moderators check that the decisions assessors make are valid and consistent from one site to another and one trainee to another. In this way moderation helps to maintain national benchmarks. Moderation verifies the assessor's decision regarding trainee competency and checks that the assessor had sufficient robust evidence, as required by the range statements and performance criteria for each unit standard, in order to decide whether the trainee is competent or not.

Who is the moderator?

Moderators can be registered workplace assessors or industry trainers. Moderation is usually conducted by post with assessment material being sent to individual moderators.

How often does moderation occur?

Active workplace assessors are usually moderated at least once every three years. This process provides the assessors with regular constructive feedback on their assessment decisions.

How to become a moderator

To become a moderator you must

• Be an active workplace assessor

• Have been moderated yourself

• Hold assessment unit standard 4098 and moderation unit standard 11551

• or be willing to train for these.