Moderation is one of the key roles of HoDs

Conducting moderation of school-based assessment was widely regarded as being integral to the role of HoDs as curriculum managers. All four participants have a common understanding regarding their role in conducting moderation of school-based assessment. They regarded conducting moderation of school-based assessment as one of their key roles. All the participants demonstrated considerable self-assurance in expressing their understanding of their role in moderating school-based assessment. The HoDs understanding of conducting moderation, school-based assessment as their key function was informed by various polices. For example, HoD1 explained:

“As an HOD, you have several roles specified in the PAM document and conducting moderation of assessment is one of them”. (Interview: HoD1)

57 “Conducting moderation is part of my job description as specified in the policy therefore, moderation is one of the key activities that the HoD in a school should undertake”. (Interview: HoD4)

Responses clearly showed that HoDs implemented their plans in order to achieve a positive learning environment. The HoDs understanding conducting moderation of assessment as being their major role of managing curriculum and assessment practices. This agrees with the PAM, which states that the HoDs role is to control assessment in the school. In addition to their job description, the HoDs understood moderation as mandatory. HOD2 claimed, for example:

“If you are a HoD, you are a curriculum manager, and therefore, every activity of curriculum including moderation of assessment is your responsibility. In the CAPS there is great emphasis on the moderation of school-based assessment especially at school level, and I must do that role”. (HoD2)

Another comment by the HoD 3 on their role in conducting moderating was as follows: “The CAPS states that moderation ought to be done at school first and in our case, as an HoD, I have to conduct moderation of school-based assessment tasks in all subjects that are in the department”. (Interview: HoD3)

The understanding that moderation was a mandatory key function of the HoD was supported by HoD 4, who noted:

“All school-based assessment tasks must be moderated before they go to learners. As an HoD it is my responsibility to verify the standard of such tasks for the subjects in my department”. (Interview: HoD4)

This understanding of the HoD role to verify assessment tasks in order to maintain the standard corroborates Grobler, Lock and Govender (2012), who emphasise that the HoD is also responsible for maintaining the standard of assessment practices in schools, ensuring

58 the HoDs comments about moderation as their key role. This information developed my understanding regarding their compliance to the policy on school-based assessment moderation. All participants claimed that moderation of school-based assessment was their mandatory role as departmental heads, and was highly important to them. The findings reveal that the participants clearly understand their role and responsibilities, which are to conduct moderation of school-based assessment for the successful implementation of school-based assessment. This is asserted by Bush et al. (2010), who have noted managing teaching and learning to be one of the important activities for school leaders, such as a HoD.

The HoDs understood their role in conducting moderation of school-based assessment as ensuring the quality of teaching and learning through checking content coverage and adherence to teaching plan in the school-based assessment tasks. They further stated that the core purpose of conducting moderation of school-based assessment is to ensure adherence to the requirements of the Department of Basic Education in ensuring that teaching, learning and assessment are taking place as prescribe. In short, their conducting moderation of school- based assessment by HoDs was widely regarded as a control measure of teaching and learning. The HoDs’ understandings of what exactly their role involved varied. HoD4 had to say:

“My main role as a HoD is to make sure that teaching and learning takes place unhindered, monitor that teaching and assessment activities in the school especially to moderate tests, exam papers and check learners’ work. Moderating school-based assessment ensures that there is adequate curriculum coverage by checking if tasks are testing the required content and skills taught during a specific period or term as indicated in the Annual Teaching Plan (ATP) set by the Department of Basic Education and the CAPS document”. (Interview: HoD4)

HoD4 seem to broaden her role to all aspects of quality assurance, and in particular, monitoring while paying less attention to moderation. She understands her role as to ensure that teachers have files with updated information for lesson plans, work schedule, and moderation reports. The participants seem to focus on ensuring adherence to the Annual

59 Teaching Plan (ATP) and timetable so as to ensure the completion of work in appropriate time. Similar sentiments were shared by HoD3, as she elaborated:

“I check if the teachers are doing all school-based assessment tasks as per Annual Teaching Plan and programme of assessment. In my department all school-based assessment tasks has to be submitted to me so that I can see if the teachers are conducting such tasks as outlined in the teaching plan and that there are moderation reports”. (Interview: HoD3)

Following the introduction of the monitoring teaching and learning activities, the importance of adhering to the Annual Teaching Plan became imperative. The importance of Annual Teaching Plan being managed effectively has greatly increased, and includes the implementation of school-based assessment. In this context, conducting moderation of school-based assessment was widely reported by the participating HoDs as having also become much more important in order to comply with the requirements of the Annual Teaching Plan. To some extent, the perspective on the value of conducting moderation of school-based assessment that was evident to all participants was based on concerns about the possible consequences of not adhering to the Annual Teaching Plans by teachers. Thus, HoDs view their role of conducting moderation of school-based assessment as ensuring adherence to teaching plan.