WESTERN CAPE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
MODERATION POLICY AND PROTOCOL FOR AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE
Introduction
This guideline sets out the principles and formal steps for the moderation of
Continuous Assessment (CASS) in Dance Grades 10-12
Continuous assessment consists of two components, namely
1. Assessment of learning (Summative assessment):
Assessment of learning (Summative assessment) refers to all test-based
and tasks-based activities/tasks which are used to calculate learners'
CASS marks for that particular year. The CASS mark forms part of the
promotion mark at the end of each year/grade. Teachers' assessment of
learning must have a great degree of reliability - that is, the judgements
should be generalisable across different times, assessment items, and
markers. The judgements should also show a great degree of validity - that
is, the judgements should be made on the aspects of learning that were
assessed.
The information about the performance of the learner is gathered on an
ongoing basis against clearly defined criteria; using a variety of methods
and contexts. The evidence of assessment of learning must be collected
into portfolios and used to facilitate the moderation and verification
processes at different levels.
2. Assessment for learning (Formative assessment):
Assessment for learning refers to all activities/tasks undertaken by
teachers and their learners in assessing their progress and difficulties with
learning. It monitors and supports the learning process. These activities
provide information to be used as feedback to modify the teaching and
learning activities. In this sense, assessment gives information about
whether teaching and learning is succeeding in getting closer to the preset outcomes.
Internal moderation must ensure that school-based assessment adheres to
the principles of fairness, validity, reliability, consistency, practicability and is
well-designed and well-managed and is done according to the WCED policy
guidelines
External moderation will take the form of cluster moderation throughout the
year at which samples of portfolios of learners' work are brought to a central
point.
 The cluster moderation model is a time-effective, developmental and
human resource-effective model.
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Employment of this model is a well-known mechanism for humanresource development, standard setting, stimulating collegiality and
assisting in the establishment of a Quality Assurance system
Educators in a cluster will be able to create a shared understanding of
standards and assessment requirements in a collegial environment.
Main functions of the moderation system
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To verify that assessments are fair, valid, reliable, consistent and
practicable
To ensure that learners doing the same subject but in different classes
are treated equitably
To validate the authenticity of the learners’ work
To identify the need to redesign assessments instruments if required
To provide an appeal procedure for dissatisfied learners and teachers
To evaluate the performance of assessors
To provide appropriate and necessary support, advice and guidance to
assessors
Evidence required for moderation
Two types of portfolios are required:
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The educator’s portfolio contains all the instructions and assessment
instruments (criteria and rubrics) pertaining to all the CASS assessment
tasks (Assessment for and of learning) set for the learners.
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The learner’s portfolio for each learner contains each piece of evidence
that is used to calculate the learner’s CASS mark. All assessment tasks
(assessment for learning and assessment of learning) must be kept in the
learner`s portfolio.
As these portfolios are merely collections of evidence of work, the nature of
the portfolio itself is not important as long as it neatly contains the work.
(Examples of inexpensive portfolios are stapled sheets of cardboard, sealed
A4 envelopes with the top cut off, flip files, etc.)
Functions of moderators
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To manage (plan, organise, evaluate, and report) the moderation
process throughout the year at school, EMDC, and Head Office level.
To provide feedback to teachers and learners on how to improve
learning
To set standards according to prescribed requirements
To check assessment instruments for appropriateness
To monitor assessment processes
To check and evaluate evidence of learners’ work
To check and evaluate the decisions of assessors for consistency
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Moderators
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At national level DoE MONITOR / UMALUSI VERIFIER will perform
moderation functions
At provincial level, the Senior Curriculum Planner will perform moderation
functions to standardised marks across EMDCs.
At EMDC level, Curriculum Advisors and Assessment Coordinators will
perform moderation functions. During cluster moderation CAs will facilitate
and oversee the cluster moderation process and be responsible for
accepting / adjusting the CASS mark in collaboration with the teachers.
At EMDC level, during cluster moderation teachers representing their
schools are regarded as first level external moderators. In this case the
EMDC will be responsible for subsistence and travel costs.
Within schools the Principal is expected to appoint a subject head or head
of department as internal moderator.
INTERNAL SCHOOL MODERATION
As part of its school assessment policy, each school should have an internal
moderation policy. Internal moderation must ensure that school-based
assessment is consistent, accurate and well designed. Transparency in the
methods used is of the utmost importance.
FUNCTIONS
The main functions of the internal moderation system are:
 To verify that assessment across the grades is fair, valid, reliable and
practicable. To ensure that learners doing the same subject but in different
classes are treated equitably
 To monitor and support teachers to ensure that appropriate, adequate and
valid assessment for learning (formative assesment) takes place, which
promotes teaching and learning throughout the year.
 To moderate the prescibed assessment of learning (summative
assessment) components of CASS.
 To validate the authenticity of the learners’ work
 To identify the need to redesign assessment tasks
 To provide an appeal procedure for dissatisfied learners
 To evaluate the performance of assessors by reassessing/remarking the
assessment task (using a different colour pen)
 To provide appropriate and necessary support, advice and guidance to
assessors
 To ensure that school-based assessment is continuous throughout the
year
EXTERNAL MODERATION
FUNCTIONS
The main functions of the external moderation system are:
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To provide feedback to raise the standard of learning through CASS,
which is in-line with the prescribed requirements
To ensure that learners doing the same subject but in different schools are
treated equitably by using the grid for quality and ability levels to
standardise the CASS mark
To validate the authenticity of the learners’ work
To identify the need to redesign/adapt assessment tasks where applicable
To assess the performance of assessors by reassessing the assessment
tasks using a different colour pen, signing and dating each assessment
item moderated.
To provide assessors with the appropriate and necessary support, advice
and guidance.
FACE MODERATION
Practical marks will be moderated during the external practical examinations,
with the examiner/s present and the experience of the practical examination
still fresh in the examiners minds. Educators must have their final practical
marks ready before the external practical examination, which normally takes
place in the third term
CLUSTER MODERATION
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A system of cluster moderation will be employed. In Cluster moderation
educators come together as a group with a representative samples of
portfolios. Moderation is based on group evaluation and discussion and
managed on a consensus basis or a weighted system of scoring. Cluster
moderation, which has a developmental approach, takes place at least
three times per year at EMDC level and annually at provincial level.
A cluster consists of a group of schools (up to a maximum of 10) which are
relatively close to one another and take the number of learners into
account. ALL school-based educators, present at the cluster, are regarded
as first level external moderators. At cluster level all moderators work in
pairs. Each pair moderates the portfolios of another two schools.
The responsibility for drawing up the subject cluster rests with each EMDC
which will set up official clusters that will apply to all subjects: although
clusters could combine for smaller subjects
Curriculum Advisers, who will oversee the moderation process, will
conduct the three official cluster moderation meetings.
It is advisable for the educators involved to have a meeting at the start of
the process to standardise all the moderation details.
SELECTION OF PORTFOLIOS FOR MODERATION
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12 portfolios per grade per school must be moderated. Where a school
has less than 12 learners per grade all the portfolios must be moderated.
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One third of the portfolios must be selected from the “achieved beyond
expectation” category, one third from the “achieved” category, and the
remaining one third from the “partially achieved/ not yet achieved”
category.
EXTERNAL MODERATORS
The external moderators could be drawn from one or more of the following:
 Specifically appointed educators from a group of schools
 Specialist curriculum advisor from the Educational Management and
Development Centre (EMDC)
 Assessment Co-ordinator (EMDC)
 Chief Curriculum Advisor from the EMDC
 Circuit Manager from the EMDC
 Senior Curriculum Planner from Head Office
 Monitor from the national Department of Education
 UMALUSI moderator/verifier
ADJUSTMENT OF MARKS
In cases where a set of portfolios is subject to scrutiny by a panel and the
average difference between the marks allocated by the school and by the
moderation panel is greater than 10 - 15%, then the marks of all the
candidates are adjusted up or down according to the average difference.
CONFIDENTIALITY
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While discussion of marks will take place routinely during the course of the
year in order to motivate, reward and instruct, the final CASS mark / code
submitted by the school for moderation should not be provided to learners.
The marks AFTER moderation may not be provided to learners. It is not
the final mark.
Statistically moderation takes place after the mean of the adjusted marks
of the examination is compared with the mean of the CASS mark per
centre.
All members of moderation panels will sign a confidentiality form.
IRREGULARITIES IN SCHOOL-BASED ASSESSMENT
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The school is responsible to design a statement of authenticity for the work
that is produced for CASS. Each candidate must sign this statement of
authenticity and it must be included in the learner’s portfolio. A candidate
who presents any work other than her/his own for assessment will forfeit
the marks of that piece of work.
If a candidate fails to hand in work for CASS without a valid reason, the
educator, Head of Department and Principal will indicate to the learner,
and his/her parents, the importance of handing in the work. If the work is
still not submitted, the candidate is to be given zero (0) for that particular
task. The educator’s portfolio must reflect that follow-up action was taken.
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If a candidate does not hand in any CASS tasks at all in a particular
subject/learning area, she/he is marked as “incomplete” for CASS, with the
result that her/his final Senior Certificate results will be ‘incomplete’. The
candidate will be allowed to re-enter for the subject concerned in the
following year.
Candidates who do not produce individual CASS tasks due to medical or
other valid reasons, are to be marked as ‘absent’ for that task. Their final
CASS mark is then calculated out of a lower total.
CASS APPEAL PROCEDURES
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If a learner is unhappy with her/his mark, the learner may appeal to the
Head of Department for that subject. Should he or she wish to appeal
against the decision of the HOD, he/she may appeal to the EMDC
Curriculum Advisor in the subject. The decision of the Curriculum Advisor
is final.
 If a school is unhappy with any adjustments made at the cluster meeting
to the school-based assessment, the school may appeal to the Chief
Curriculum Advisor at the school’s EMDC within 5 days of receiving the
adjusted marks. The Chief Curriculum Advisor will then appoint another
subject specialist to moderate the CASS tasks and marks. Together with
the specialist, the Chief Curriculum Advisor will make a decision. The
result of the appeal will be given to the school within 10 days of the
request for the re-mark / re-assessment. The decision of the Chief
Curriculum Advisor is final.
Final moderation
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Although the moderating tool will be the final cluster meeting, only the
Curriculum Adviser has the authority to make adjustments to school
totals.
 Each EMDC will plan the moderation process within the following
framework:
 Each school will be provided with a fixed date and venue for the final
portfolio cluster moderation
 At least one teacher per school will attend
 A sample of 10% of the school’s total sample or 12 of Learner Portfolios
should be provided. A full set of Educator portfolios must be supplied.
 Class lists with all required totals
 Portfolios will be distributed according to a managed principle (eg sharing
of one set across a number of other readers) and assessed.
 Each portfolio should have been studied by at least 3 teachers who will
have commented on separate pages (not shared with others at this point).
 Further discussion and consensus-reaching processes will ensue.
 Lists will be submitted to the Curriculum Adviser.
 The Curriculum Advisor will provide a brief report on the moderation to the
EMDC. It will contain
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Description of alterations to marks (raised, lowered, average,
comparison with previous year etc)
Reference to projects seen, tests and memos seen, etc
Rating of level of complexity etc of projects and standard of work
generally.
A joint goal-setting for improvements (if needed)
Management of the computer data sheets for the CASS totals (Grade 12,
and Grade 9)
The following list indicates both the chain and the responsibilities of each
person in the chain.
 Educator provides marks on class lists as per CASS Guideline document
 Examination section provides schools with computer data sheets
 Moderation takes place (on site, via appointment, distance or cluster
moderation)
 After moderation approved marks are transferred from class lists onto
computer data sheets (work in pairs not allowed to transfer own learners`
marks)
 A different pair (own schools` data sheets) checks that all totals are correct
 Educator signs own Data Sheet (indicates that all totals are checked and
correct)
 School submits Data Sheets to the relevant Curriculum Adviser.
 Curriculum Adviser signs data sheet (indicates that all totals are checked
and correct)
 The Curriculum Advisor keeps all data sheets until after the provincial
moderation meeting.
 Forms are submitted to the EMDC Assessment Co-ordinator who ensures
that they are all a) submitted and b) that there are no obvious errors
 Forms are submitted to the Directorate: Examinations for data capture
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