The recent introduction of National Standards for years 1–8 will require all primary teachers and schools to assess student work in relation to these pre-determined benchmarks. As we know from several years of experience with the NCEA, applying “standards” consistently is a highly complex task, requiring a great deal of professional learning by teachers. In the case of the NCEA much of this learning has taken place in the professional conversations that are a key part of the moderation process. This project aims to address broad questions about what happens as schools enact moderation and how moderation processes might be used to build teacher professional learning leading to changes in practice.

The project began with a scoping stage that included a synthesis of literature that outlines the complexities of moderation as a process of learning together. Field research in primary schools will begin in September 2011 with a short telephone survey for a sample of Wellington-area primary principals. Following that we hope to observe moderation meetings in action, with associated interviews for facilitators, some participants and school leaders.

This project is funded by NZCER's Purchase Agreement with the Ministry of Education.