The development of teacher assessment identity through participation in online moderation

Abstract

Teachers’ professional conversations regarding the qualities evidenced in student work provide opportunities to develop a shared understanding of achievement standards. This research investigates social moderation conducted in a synchronous online mode as a specific form of professional conversation. The discussion considers the different factors that influenced these conversations which included the technologic medium of the meeting. The focus of the discussion is how participation in online moderation can support teachers to develop an assessment identity as one who works within a standards-based assessment system. Qualitative data were gathered from middle school teachers from different year levels, in different curriculum areas, in diverse geographic locations, and in a range of sociocultural contexts within Queensland, Australia. Analysis of the data through a sociocultural lens of becoming suggests that participation in online moderation, while challenging for teachers, can also provide opportunities to construct and to negotiate an identity as an assessor of student work.

Keywords:

• moderation
• professional judgement
• standards-based assessment
• teacher identity
• sociocultural theories of learning

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to acknowledge that the project from which these ideas are derived was funded by the Australian Research Council Linkage Program and to further acknowledge the involvement and support provided by the project partners, the Queensland Studies Authority (QSA), the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment of the Republic of Ireland and Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Peta Colbert is also acknowledged for her work in the project, including the initial work with the author in establishing the IT-mediated moderation meetings.