MOE Funded Assessment PLD
Building powerful assessment practices that drive learning
At Blend Learning, we help schools and kura strengthen their knowledge, understanding, and implementation of assessment. Effective assessment is more than data collection — it’s about using evidence to inform teaching, empower learners, and engage whānau in meaningful ways. Our PLD is responsive to the Ministry of Education’s Assessment Rubrics, ensuring schools are supported with consistent, research-informed, and locally relevant approaches.
Ready to strengthen assessment in your school or kura? Our experienced facilitators will work with you to co-design a programme that meets your context, builds teacher confidence, and accelerates learner progress. Contact Blend Learning today to explore how Assessment PLD can make a lasting impact in your community.
Blend Learning is an approved MOE supplier of Funded Assessment PLD.
HIGHLIGHTS OF ASSESSMENT PLD WITH BLEND
BASED IN EVIDENCE
Grounded in the science of learning and current research, our facilitators help teachers embed formative and responsive assessment practices. We integrate MOE guidance (BPAG, rubrics) with practical tools like to ensure assessment supports progress and equity.
EXPLICIT & INTENTIONAL TEACHING
We support teachers to plan and teach with clarity, using assessment information to design targeted learning pathways. From co-constructed success criteria to scaffolds that support diverse learners, teachers gain confidence in making deliberate, effective instructional choices.
STUDENT & WHĀNAU AGENCY
Assessment is most powerful when it involves learners and their whānau. We build capability in student-led conferences, self- and peer-assessment, and progress tracking tools that place learners in the driver’s seat and connect whānau authentically to the learning journey.
MEASURING IMPACT
Our facilitation always includes evaluating impact. We work with schools to set indicators of success, triangulate evidence (data, student voice, teacher reflection), and use the MOE’s Assessment Rubric to monitor growth. This ensures shifts in teacher practice lead directly to improved learner outcomes.
MOE FUNDED PLD PACKAGE
6 month & 12 month
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3 or 6 in-depth Workshop days tailored to your school. We co-design every programme with leadership teams to reflect your local curriculum and school priorities. This ensures relevance, engagement, and alignment at every step.
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4 or 8 interactive Communities of Practice sessions. These keep momentum between workshops, giving teachers and leaders space to share experiences, problem-solve, and reflect on new practices. They provide just-in-time support and strengthen consistency across teams, ensuring assessment approaches are embedded and sustained beyond the formal PLD.
Our Assessment PLD facilitators work alongside school leaders to strengthen assessment practice, build data capability and create greater consistency in how progress is identified, understood and responded to across the school. What we cover in our workshops depends on where you are at as a school and could include the following:
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Strengthen Assessment for Learning: Build practical, consistent classroom practices that actively support student learning and progress.
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Build assessment capability: Develop teacher confidence in data literacy, analysis, moderation and making robust Overall Teacher Judgements (OTJs).
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Create school-wide consistency: Review current practice and establish shared assessment approaches, expectations and processes across the school.
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Align curriculum, teaching and assessment: Connect curriculum progressions, learning intentions, success criteria and assessment so that progress is clear and purposeful.
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Use evidence to accelerate progress: Identify trends, respond to learner needs and use assessment evidence to inform teaching, differentiation and acceleration.
WHY SCHOOLS CHOOSE US?
✔ Ministry-aligned – Aligned with the Assessment Rubric and national expectations.
✔ Tailored to your context – Shaped around your curriculum, priorities, learners and community.
✔ Evidence-informed & practical – Research-informed strategies teachers can apply immediately.
✔ Designed for lasting change – Workshops, coaching and Communities of Practice that embed practice.
✔ Focused on learner progress – Empowering teachers, students and whānau to understand and accelerate progress.
✔ Culturally sustaining – Respecting and reflecting the identities, cultures and aspirations of your learners and community.
PLEASE EMAIL US OR CALL TRACEY ON 021444209
MEET OUR ASSESSMENT TEAM
Our facilitators bring extensive experience, professional development, and proven success in assessment, positioning themselves as leaders in evidence-informed practice. They have undertaken advanced professional learning in Assessment for Learning (AfL), data literacy, and curriculum-aligned assessment design, and have successfully supported schools and kura to embed these approaches. With diverse qualifications and leadership experience across primary, secondary, they apply the science of learning to assessment and evaluation—helping teachers use evidence to inform teaching, empower learners, and strengthen whānau engagement in progress and achievement.
Dr. Craig Hansen
Dr Craig Hansen brings international expertise in curriculum and assessment design, with a PhD in Education and advanced certifications in Assessment for Learning, Assessment Design, and Performance Standards from the University of Illinois, Georgia Tech, and Skills4Work. He has led assessment-focused PLD across Aotearoa and Southeast Asia, supporting schools to strengthen moderation reliability, assessment literacy, and data-informed planning. Craig’s work aligns closely with Te Mātaiaho and the refreshed New Zealand Curriculum, helping teachers use evidence to design purposeful learning. His facilitation is impact-driven, using clear evaluative measures that track teacher capability, student progress, and sustainable shifts in assessment practice.
Padma Krishnan
Padma Krishnan is a highly experienced facilitator and school leader specialising in Assessment for Learning (AfL), explicit teaching, and data literacy. She has led school-wide AfL implementation using Michael Absolum’s framework, supporting teachers to embed learning intentions, success criteria, and formative feedback into everyday practice. Skilled in PaCT, asTTle, PAT, and DIBELS, Padma helps schools triangulate data, co-construct acceleration plans, and plan targeted, differentiated instruction. Her culturally sustaining approach includes developing rubrics and moderation systems aligned with local curriculum goals and student diversity. Padma’s facilitation consistently builds teacher confidence, assessment fluency, and measurable progress for learners across year levels.