ITAA Standard: Assessment, Examination and Moderation

Overview

The International Theological Accreditation Association (ITAA) expects accredited institutions to operate coherent, documented and student-centred assessment systems that secure academic standards, demonstrate fairness, and protect student interests. Assessment, examination and moderation policies must be transparent, consistently applied, and subject to regular review.

Core requirements

Institutions must maintain written policies and operational procedures covering:

• Assessment design and alignment with learning outcomes, including valid, reliable and accessible assessment methods.
• Clear marking criteria and grade descriptors published for students.
• Academic integrity safeguards (plagiarism detection, identification and management of misconduct).
• Moderation and verification mechanisms (internal moderation, sampling, double-marking where applicable, and external examining or independent review).
• Reasonable and published assessment and marking turnaround times, feedback arrangements, and appeals procedures.
• Reasonable adjustments and special assessment arrangements for students with documented needs.

Moderation and external review

Moderation must ensure consistency and comparability of standards across programmes and cohorts. Common practices include calibration meetings, sampling of assessed work, independent second marking where risk or disagreement exists, and use of external examiners or external moderators to provide independent assurance of standards.

Records of moderation activity, sampling rationales and any mark adjustments must be retained and made available for quality review and accreditation evidence.

Assessment integrity and maladministration

Institutions must prevent and respond to academic misconduct and assessment maladministration. Policies should define misconduct types, investigation processes, sanctions, and protections for students (including rights to appeal and review). Systems must balance detection with educative responses that support learning and ethical practice.

Record-keeping, review and continuous improvement

Assessment outcomes, moderation reports, external examiner comments, ongoing sampling and student feedback must inform periodic review. Institutions should use assessment data to improve programme design, teaching, marking practice and student support.

Minimum expectations for institutions seeking ITAA accreditation

To meet this standard an institution must provide to ITAA: documented assessment and moderation policies; examples of marked and moderated student work (with sampling rationale); external examiner or moderator reports where available; academic integrity and appeals procedures; and evidence of routine review and improvement. Institutions remain responsible for compliance with any local statutory or regulatory assessment requirements in their jurisdiction.

Implementation guidance (practical points)

• Define moderation sampling strategies (risk-based, programme-level and module-level sampling).
• Use calibration exercises for markers before large cohorts or first-marking periods.
• Publish marking criteria and exemplar responses to aid transparency.
• Ensure external moderators/examiners have subject expertise and documented terms of reference.
• Log adjustments and ensure students are informed of outcomes and available appeals routes.

Limits and legal context

ITAA is an independent theological accreditation body and does not act as a government regulator. ITAA accreditation does not grant statutory degree-awarding powers and never overrides local law. Every institution remains solely responsible for complying with all applicable national, state/provincial and local laws concerning the operation of education providers and the awarding of qualifications.

ITAA’s Role

ITAA evaluates assessment, examination and moderation systems as part of its accreditation and monitoring processes. ITAA provides guidance, consultation and reassessment opportunities to support institutional development, but it does not replace governmental recognition or statutory quality approval. Institutions must provide complete evidence of assessment governance when requested by ITAA. For full legal detail, consult Important Accreditation Information.