The Learning Record Moderation Model and College Level Courses
As students progress through the grades they take on more and more of the activities involved in constructing the learning record. By high school they should be basically providing nearly all observations and interpretations. They should have been gaining experience with placing themselves on developmental scales, internalizing sound criteria for evaluating their own development and achievement. The next logical step, then, for college-level students is to engage in the moderation process itself. This helps them become independent in their evaluation of their own learning and achievements. Here is one plan for conducting moderation readings I have used in my classes.
Students need an opportunity to practice moderation, so I begin with the midterm Learning Records. The preparation is minimal. You can ask students to print out their Learning Record, masking both their names and Part C, where the student's grade estimate is. Alternatively, when working in a networked computer classroom, I ask students to upload a copy of their Learning Record, replacing their name with their Student ID number, and deleting Part C. I then copy the entire set of Learning Records into a new folder titled "Moderations." I also create an empty folder called "LRs Read." I prepare a handout which looks like this:
Midterm Moderation Readings: Comment Form
Name of Writer:Names of Readers:
1. Is the information in the Learning Record sufficient to make an evaluation? That is, is there both enough information, and an appropriate selection of information?
2. Are there clear signs of development across the five dimensions of learning we are interested in?
3. Based on the quality of the activities demonstrated in the LR (both the evidence from the work and the writer's interpretation in the Part B), what letter grade would you attach to the Learning Record?
Other comments:
I make enough copies for the class. I create a second folder in my class folder called "LRs Read." Here is what I ask students to do.
Midterm Moderations: Instructions
1. Find a moderation partner, preferably someone you have not yet worked with this semester.
2. Select two Learning Records from the "Moderations" folder and drag them into the "LRs Read" folder. (This eliminates the problem of duplication or missed portfolio readings)
3. Change the titles of the LRs you have selected to "-<filename-your initials-partner's initials>." The folder should now read something like: "Smith-mr-bj."
4. Review each Learning Record together, discussing it, and evaluate it on the handout, and then switch to the second Learning Record to do the same. You may address any comments you have about the LR to the writer or to me. Be sure to read carefully the Part A.1 and A.2, the observations, the samples of work, and Part B for each portfolio: The Part C and the grades writers suggested for themselves have been masked. I'll tell you when it's time to switch to the second LR. Fold your moderation handout in half and put the writer's name on the outside.
The final moderation can follow this same procedure with student pairs reading 4 portfolios during the 3-hour final exam period. That way, each final portfolio will get two readings and placements besides the writer's.
Following the final moderation reading, students have an opportunity to see the placements and comments moderation readers have made on their own portfolios.
Students receive feedback from me through comments on written work and projects, including responses to their self-evaluations. Because I am responsible for submitting final grades to the college, I review all of the final moderation results and determine a final evaluation in cases of disagreement among results.
There are many opportunities to discuss this process, and to deal with questions of quality in writing in computer-based systems, fairness, activity vs. product, and so on. I'd allow time for a full-class discussion the day following the moderation to debrief the process.