An Approach to Departmental Moderation

In implementing Building the Curriculum 5 - a framework for assessment, quality assurance and moderation - teachers and senior managers are developing approaches to moderation that will help them to achieve consistency and confidence in their professional judgements and support them in arriving at a common understanding of standards and expectations of learning. In this seminar the speakers will outline how being involved in producing materials for the National Assessment Resource helped them to develop an approach to departmental moderation.

The seminar will consider the following themes:

• collaborative working to plan learning, teaching and assessment
• collecting evidence of learners' work and how this enables tracking progress
• exemplification of paperwork which supports professional dialogue
• linking moderation to the improvement agenda
• using moderation as part of departmental self evaluation
• improvements to learning and teaching and outcomes for young people.

Participants will have the opportunity to discuss issues raised and to share their views and experiences. This seminar will be delivered by practitioners, supported by a Development Officer from Learning and Teaching Scotland.

Mary MacKinnon

Mary MacKinnon is Principal Teacher of English at Grange Academy in East Ayrshire.  She came to this post having spent three years as Principal Teacher of Literacy at Cumnock Academy where she was responsible for developing literacy across learning and in the transition from primary to secondary.