Northern Cape education department may be ‘cooking' matric results
08 August 2014
The Democratic Alliance is shocked and angered at a letter sent to education district staff in the Northern Cape by Dr M Ishmael (indicated as Deputy Director-General: Curriculum and Assessment) of the provincial Department of Education. The DA received a copy of this letter this afternoon.
In the letter, which specifically relates to Grade 12 assessment, prior to the National Senior Certificate exam at the end of this year, Dr Ishmael has instructed that all learners must receive 60% for their school-based assessments. Dr Ishmael subsequently orders that, if 60% is not obtained, the assessments should be repeated and that teachers be required to "revise" the content for the assessment before this repeat opportunity in an effort to foster better performance.
This constitutes a scandalous ‘cooking' of results which cannot be accepted.
Indeed, much concern has been voiced about school-based assessments by education experts, including, most recently, by the ministerial task team investigating the National Senior Certificate. The report of the task team states "School-Based Assessment (SBA) across all examinable subjects in the NSC has been particularly problematic because the raw scores coming from some schools correlate so poorly with examination performance and patterns vary markedly from school to school. It has been noted that SBA can inflate results or lead to unfairness."
Based on the letter he has written, Dr Ishmael, together with the Northern Cape Department of Education, is guilty of directing that school-based assessment marks be inflated to an average of 60% for each learner. It is him and people in the system with attitudes such as his that contribute directly to the (justified) perception of the low level of credibility and quality of the National Senior Certificate.
The Minister's NSC task team's recommendations include "Stepping up the accountabilities of the various implementers and managers. Principals and heads of subjects in schools must be held more accountable for the validity and reliability of SBA".
Minister Motshekga has an opportunity to show, clearly, that she will not tolerate any interference with the "validity and reliability of SBA". She must demand an explanation from the Northern Cape Department, and she must make a very public example of their actions and of her response.
The DA will accordingly raise parliamentary questions to obtain details of the action taken by the Minister. In addition, the DA will pursue the matter in the Northern Cape provincial legislature, demanding that an explanation of the letter, the investigation that must take place and subsequent steps to restore credibility to the assessment system be presented to the education committee.
Education is about the learner. It is not about making officials look good.
24 JULY 2014
NORTHERN CAPE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
CHIEF DIRECTOR: CURRICULUM MANAGEMENT AND DELIVERY
DISTRICT DIRECTORS
CURRICULUM UNIT HEADS
DISTRICT CURRICULUM COORDINATORS: FET
SUBJECT COORDINATORS: FET
SUBJECT ADVISORS: FET
SUBJECT: TEACHING TOWARD A SCHOOL-BASED ASSESSMENT
The Northern Cape Department of Education remains Committed to ensure an improved and quality performance in the 2014 National Senior Certificate results. As School-Based Assessment forms an integral part of quality learner performance, teachers must ensure enhanced subject content knowledge as well as enhanced teaching methodology. Learners who are exposed to quality teaching and ere afforded multiple assessment opportunities will show increased understanding of content which will in tum result in improved performance. This increased understanding of content will not only be reflected in small-scale (tests and projects) assessment, but also in the large-scale examinations.
Subject Advisors are therefore instructed to ensure that, during their School Support Visits, School- Based Assessment Moderation and Oral Moderation, learners have performed at a base of 60%.
Should there be evidence where learners have an average School-Based Assessment mark lower than 60%, teachers must be instructed to provide learners with an opportunity to improve the mark obtained in certain tests/tasks which will ultimately improve the average performance. This will require that teachers must, prior to the execution of such tests/tasks, revise the relevant content.
With regard to the Oral Moderation, Subject Advisors must ensure that learners who have achieved a zero (0) .or have been marked absent for any of the three (3) components assessed, are given an opportunity, after the moderation, to complete the outstanding components. Teachers must be instructed to ensure that this happens. To ensure this happens, Subject Advisors must inform teachers that Working Class Lists must accompany the computerised mark sheets to verify whether teachers have complied with the instruction. No computerised marks sheet must be signed off by the Subject Advisor if this was not done. District Chief Education Specialists must also scrutinise a sample ci Working Class Lists and computerised mark sheets to further endorse the process. All Working Class Lists and computerised mark sheets must then be submitted to the Head Office Chief Education Specialist: FET who will then do a final scrutiny of a sample of school per district before submitting to Examinations and Assessment.
The Northern Cape Department of Education believes that this initiative will further strengthen its resolve to improve learner performance tn all the schools in the province. It further believes that every Grade 12 learner has the potential to achieve a quality National Senior Certificate that will provide him or her access to an Institute of Higher Learning.
Your co-operation is greatly appreciated.
Yours sincerely
Signed
DR M.I. ISHMAIL
DEPUTY DIRECTOR-GENERAL: CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT
Statement issued by Annette Lovemore MP, DA Shadow Minister of Basic Education, August 9 2014
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