Moderation Queue

Managing the test score moderation workflow for Grades 8-12

Moderation Queue

For Grades 8-12, test scores require administrator moderation before finalization. This guide covers the moderation workflow, queue management, and best practices for timely processing.

Why Moderation?

The moderation process ensures:

• Accuracy: Review catches data entry errors
• Accountability: Two-person verification for senior grades
• Compliance: Meets ACE curriculum audit requirements
• Quality Control: Maintains grading standards

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Accessing the Moderation Queue

1. Navigate to Grading in the sidebar
2. Click Moderation submenu
3. View the moderation queue dashboard

Administrator Access Only: The moderation queue is only visible to users with Administrator role. Supervisors cannot access this view.

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The Moderation Dashboard

Queue Statistics

Summary Cards:

• Pending: Total scores awaiting moderation
• Approaching SLA: Scores pending 36-48 hours
• Overdue: Scores pending >48 hours
• Processed Today: Scores you’ve moderated today

Queue Table

Each pending score shows:

Column	Description
Student	Name and grade level
PACE	Subject and PACE number
Score	Entered score value
Pass/Fail	Visual indicator
Entered By	Supervisor who entered
Entry Time	When score was submitted
Hours Pending	Time since entry
SLA Status	Color-coded time indicator

SLA Status Colors

Color	Status	Time Pending	Action
Green	Within SLA	<36 hours	Standard processing
Yellow	Approaching	36-48 hours	Prioritize
Red	Overdue	>48 hours	Urgent attention
Dark Red	Escalated	>72 hours	Immediate action

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Filtering the Queue

By Learning Centre

• Select specific centre from dropdown
• Or “All Centres” for complete view

By Subject

• Filter to specific subject (Math, English, etc.)
• Useful for subject-focused review

By Grade Level

• Filter by student grade (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
• Prioritize by grade importance

By SLA Status

• All
• Within SLA only
• Approaching only
• Overdue only

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Moderation Actions

For each pending score, you have three options:

Approve

Accept the score as entered.

1. Click Approve Button

   Opens confirmation dialog

2. Add Optional Notes

   Record any relevant comments

3. Confirm Approval

   Score moves to finalized status

When to Approve:

• Score appears accurate
• Entry looks legitimate
• No concerns with the value

What Happens:

• Score status changes to stage_2_internal_approved
• Score is finalized for grade calculations
• Audit log records your approval

Adjust

Change the score value during moderation.

1. Click Adjust Button

   Opens adjustment form

2. Enter New Score

   Type the corrected score (0-100)

3. Provide Reason

   Mandatory explanation (min 10 characters)

4. Confirm Adjustment

   Score updates and finalizes

When to Adjust:

• Obvious data entry error (e.g., 89 entered as 98)
• Calculation error on original test
• Administrator has verified correct score

What Happens:

• Original score preserved in audit log
• New score applied and finalized
• score_adjusted = true flag set
• Reason recorded in audit trail

Adjustment Reason Required: You must provide a reason of at least 10 characters explaining why you adjusted the score. This is for audit compliance.

Reject

Send the score back to the supervisor for re-entry.

1. Click Reject Button

   Opens rejection form

2. Provide Reason

   Mandatory explanation (min 10 characters)

3. Confirm Rejection

   Score returns to supervisor

When to Reject:

• Wrong student selected
• Wrong PACE selected
• Score cannot be verified
• Suspicious entry patterns

What Happens:

• Score status changes to stage_1_rejected
• Score appears in supervisor’s rejected list
• Supervisor must re-enter correct score
• Original entry preserved in audit log

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SLA Tracking

Understanding SLA

Service Level Agreement (SLA): Moderation should complete within 48 hours of entry.

Timeline:

• 0-36 hours: Normal processing (green)
• 36-48 hours: Approaching deadline (yellow)
• 48-72 hours: Overdue (red)
• >72 hours: Escalated (dark red)

Meeting SLA

Best Practices:

1. Check queue at start of each day
2. Process approaching items first
3. Clear overdue items immediately
4. Aim for <24 hour turnaround

SLA Alerts

When items become overdue, the system:

• Generates moderation alerts
• Sends email notifications (if enabled)
• Highlights items in queue
• Tracks acknowledgment

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Moderation Alerts

Viewing Alerts

1. Navigate to Grading → Alerts
2. See list of overdue moderation items
3. Each alert shows student, score, and hours pending

Acknowledging Alerts

When you’ve seen an overdue item but can’t process immediately:

1. Click Acknowledge on the alert
2. Alert moves to acknowledged status
3. You’ve committed to processing soon
4. Still appears until moderated

Alert Types

Type	Trigger	Priority
Warning	>36 hours pending	Monitor
Overdue	>48 hours pending	Action needed
Escalated	>72 hours pending	Urgent

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Processing Efficiently

Batch Processing

For efficiency, process similar items together:

1. Filter by centre or subject
2. Review all items in that filter
3. Approve straightforward entries quickly
4. Flag items needing investigation

Quick Approve Workflow

For routine approvals:

1. Review score and context
2. If acceptable, click Approve
3. Skip notes for routine approvals
4. Move to next item

Flagging for Review

If something needs investigation:

1. Note the item details
2. Move on to other items
3. Return to investigate later
4. Don’t let unclear items block queue

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Moderation Statistics

Dashboard Metrics

Pending Count: Current queue size Average Processing Time: Hours from entry to moderation Your Moderation Count: Items you’ve processed today/this week SLA Compliance Rate: Percentage processed within 48 hours

Using Statistics

• High pending count = need to allocate more time
• High average time = process more frequently
• Low SLA rate = review your schedule

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Best Practices

Daily Routine

1. Morning (9 AM): Check queue, process approaching items
2. Midday (12 PM): Quick check for new urgent items
3. Afternoon (4 PM): Clear remaining items before end of day

Quality Checks

• Verify score matches test paper (when needed)
• Check for patterns suggesting errors
• Contact supervisor if questions arise
• Document adjustment reasons clearly

Delegation

If multiple administrators:

• Divide by centre or subject
• Communicate who’s handling what
• Cover for each other during absences
• Don’t duplicate effort

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Troubleshooting

Queue Not Loading

Possible Causes:

• Network connection issue
• Session expired

Solution:

• Refresh the page
• Check internet connection
• Log out and log back in

Cannot Process Certain Items

Possible Causes:

• Item already processed by another admin
• System sync delay

Solution:

• Refresh the queue
• Item should disappear if already processed
• Check moderation history

Supervisor Disputes Rejection

Process:

1. Review the original rejection reason
2. Check audit trail for context
3. Discuss with supervisor
4. Supervisor re-enters if they agree
5. Escalate to principal if unresolved

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Related Guides

Grading Overview

Complete overview of the grading system

Test Score Entry

How supervisors enter scores

Audit Trail

Understanding the compliance audit trail

Administrator Grading Guide

Complete administrator moderation workflow