Free State Education Department wants to ‘coach' learners for evaluation tests, says FEDSAS
A circular sent out this week by the Free State Education Department is simply a thinly veiled effort to boost this Department's image. According to the circular schools may only teach subjects that form part of the Annual National Assessment tests (ANA) for the period 1-14 September 2014.
"The ANA tests were designed to test the current curriculum. Separately and deliberately preparing for it will nullify the entire ANA system," says Dr Jaco Deacon, Deputy CEO of the Federation of Governing Bodies of South African Schools (FEDSAS). "The circular forces schools to deviate from the prescribed curriculum for two weeks by only presenting English and Maths in the grades that are affected by the ANA tests. There shouldn't be any training for ANA as it is a diagnostic test to evaluate the system."
Deacon says if learners are essentially coached for the ANA tests the results will not reflect the reality in schools. "FEDSAS demands that this circular be retracted immediately. We've already been in contact with the Department of Basic Education regarding this irresponsible action by the Free State Education Department."
In essence the ANA tests are a positive step by the national department in order to evaluate and adapt the curriculum regularly. "However, it has now turned into a competition between provinces, which means the results cannot be seen as a reliable measure," says Deacon.
At the start of this year the Free State Education Department spent thousands of rand on an event to celebrate this province's ANA results. "Apart from this event taking place during school hours, the money could have been spent in a more responsible manner on an education system that is already struggling financially."
Deacon says decisions such as these point to a more serious problem, namely that a number of education officials are probably not well-trained and properly prepared for their jobs. "If officials truly understood the aim of the ANA tests, circulars such as this one would not have been sent out."
A copy of the circular follows below.
Text of the circular from the Free State Department of Education, August 25 2014:
25 AUGUST 2014
TO: THE PRINCIPALS OF ALL SCHOOLS IN LEJWELEPUTSWA
RE: PROJECT ANA & BEYOND
THIS IS AN INTERVENTION TO POSITIVELY INFLUENCE LEARNERS' PERFORMANCE NOT ONLY FOR ANA BUT BEYOND ANA 2014.
The teaching of all subjects in grade 4-6 (and for the ANA pilot schools in grade 7) and in grade 9 are suspended from 1 September 2014 until 12 September 2014 EXCEPT for English mainly EFAL & Mathematics (YOU WILL ONLY TEACH ENGLISH & MATHS DURING THIS PERIOD).
During this time Mathematics will be taught daily for four (4) hours and English for two (2) hours during normal school hours. This will pose a challenge to schools to draft a time table because the circumstances are unique for different schools. There will be sessions where other staff members can assist with invigilating learners while they are doing homework/tasks/exercises.
The roll out of the program includes :
An invitation sent by the Maths subject advisors to MATHS UP and identified grade 9 schools to attend a training session on the revision topics on 27 August 2014 at Unitas at 8:00
A mock ANA will be written in EFAL on 29 August 2014 (paper to be send to all schools on Wednesday 27/8/2014 for grades 4-6 & grade 9)
A mock ANA to be written in Mathematics (paper to be send to all schools on Wednesday 27/8/2014 for grades 4-6 & grade 9)
These mock ANAs should be sampled for marking per grade as follows:
*For schools with more than 200 learners, 10 % of scripts to be marked
*for schools with less than 200 learners, 25 scripts to be marked
*for schools with less than 25 learners, all scripts should be marked
(It speaks for itself that sampling must be representative of all levels of performance i.e. a reflection of good, average and low performers)
MARKING SHOULD BE COMPLETED AND RESULTS ANALYSED BY 3 SEPTEMBER 2014. PLEASE SEND the analysis of results number wrote; number and % pass; number and % fail; level distribution and % of learners performing above 60%) as well as an error analysis, not later than 3 SEPTEMBER to [email protected].
Please take note of the following
A number of emails/communiqué will be send to your school with relevant information. Please check your e mails daily and distribute the message and attachments to the relevant staff members.
Please ensure that the ANA diagnostic report, the ANA guidelines and exemplars for 2012 & 2013 (only grade 9 received exemplars for 2014) are well utilized. It is extremely important to realize that learners can only achieve in ANA & BEYOND if CAPS is covered. ANA IS A FORM OF ASSESSMENT AND THEREFORE IT IS IMPERATIVE TO COVER CAPS TO ENSURE QUALITATIVE RESULTS. It is also important that RAINBOW workbooks are utilized to the full extend.
MS MOKGOBO DD LEJWELEPUTSWA
LIST OF ANA PILOT SCHOOLS GRADE 7
Aramela
Bronville
Daluvuyo
Dihwai
Ecco
Hani Park
Letsibolo
Magakajane
Matima Lenyora
Mokgwabong
Reitzpark
Tikwe
Tshireletso
[ENDS]
(FEDSAS is a voluntary association of school governing bodies of public schools and supports quality education in these schools. Nearly 1750 public schools are already members of FEDSAS).
Statement issued by Dr Jaco Deacon, Deputy CEO: FEDSAS, August 28 2014
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