Key Findings

The key findings of the project were:

• Reflects the values and goals of the organisation: The unique principles and tenets of the te reo Māori teaching organisation should be reflected in the assessment and moderation processes. Successful assessment and moderation will reflect the organisation's values and goals and test the student’s abilities to achieve the learning outcomes the provider has established.
• Is relevant to the learner: Successful te reo Māori assessment and moderation should be authentic to the learner, be reflective on their needs and relative to their world. Furthermore, assessment and moderation need to change and develop to keep pace with a changing society.
• Supports whānau, hapū and iwi aspirations: The desires, needs and aspirations of whānau, hapū and iwi need to be part of successful assessment and moderation, as the development of the language should be led by the ambitions of the people.
• Focuses on speaking, listening, reading and writing: Successful te reo Māori assessment and moderation at the tertiary level concentrate on the four main areas: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Of these four aspects, survey participants identified speaking as the most vital in securing the future of the language.
• Is in a continuous state of change: Assessment and moderation for te reo Māori must be continuously changing to evolve with the needs of the language, learners and their whānau.
• Constructive feedback: Constructive feedback should include the findings from the assessments, with follow-up discussions supporting students on their language journey. This feedback lets students know where they sit in relation to their language progression, and also identifies areas where they need to improve.
• Set appropriate time aside: Time should be set aside to develop, implement, and review assessments, and to improve the moderation processes. Students also need to spend time with Kaiako (tutors) going over their assessment results and planning the next stage of their language journey.

Key Recommendations

Future work | This study shows that there is a need for further study in this field to better understand the role of assessment and moderation for te reo Māori. This study should be viewed as one small part in a bigger shift towards developing a best practice approach for te reo Māori assessment and moderation at the tertiary level.