EDAHOD5 Study Notes
A: The Assessment Journey
1. STARTING AT THE BEGINNING:
Assessment and learning are intertwined, it determines whether learning is taking place, what learning took
place, and what learning still needs to take place. It also tells us if the learning and teaching taking place are
sound. Assessors are constant companions of learners throughout their lives. They shape the learning
pathways and determine the pace of learning.
There were very legitimate concerns about the use of the previous outcomes-based education (OBE) approach
and outcomes-based assessment in an education environment like South Africa. Some of these concerns
were:
overcrowded schools and classrooms
large numbers of unqualified and under-qualified teachers
limited resources
the big gap between under-resourced, poor schools and well-resourced, rich schools
the complexity of the system and its vocabulary
the heavy burden of assessment
the lack of a learning culture in many schools
The Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) introduce a number of changes to assessment
practices. People react differently to the introduction of a new education system (and its assessment
approach). Some
try to ignore it and keep doing what they have always done
will make a token effort to change but will in fact not change anything substantial
will be very positive and will support changes but nothing much will change in their classrooms (mostly
because of a lack of ability)
(despite misgivings they might have) will do their best to master it and implement it successfully
(usually by combining their own best practice with the new requirements).
,1.1 The evolution of assessment:
PRE-CURRICULUM 2005
Known as a content-based curriculum because content was described in such detail as to leave no room for
schools to do anything else. The focus of assessment was on the achievement of learning objectives, with a lot
of attention given to the mastering of content. The frequency and types of assessment tasks were mostly
decided by teachers/schools, and inspectors visited schools to determine whether teaching and assessment
were done to their satisfaction.
CURRICULUM 2005
Curriculum 2005 was developed to change “apartheid education” completely and was based on the OBE
approach. The outcomes that had to be achieved were described in outcome statements, with associated
assessment criteria. Teachers were seen as curriculum developers and were expected to choose their own
appropriate content associated with learning organisers. Assessment was formative assessment and
summative assessment. As in many of the other countries where OBE was practiced, assessment failed in
South Africa partly because the guidelines were not clear and precise enough.
NATIONAL CURRICULUM STATEMENTS (NCS)
The OBE curriculum was revised and Revised National Curriculum Statements (RNCS) were developed for the
General Education and Training Band, and National Curriculum Statements (NCS) were developed for the
Further Education and Training Band. Learning intentions were still described as outcomes with associated
assessment criteria, but prescribed content was described as the “content and contexts” for the attainment of
what were called assessment standards. Assessment standards described the depth and level of achievement
required, and assessment still consisted of formative and summative assessments. These guidelines were
more specific than before and gave better guidance to teachers regarding the assessments they were required
to do with learners.
CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT POLICY STATEMENTS (CAPS)
CAPS differ in many ways from the original NCS. Although the curriculum documents are headed National
Curriculum Statements: Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements and their purpose is described as
Helping teachers unlock the power of NCS, the language of OBE is done away with almost entirely and
learning intentions are described as aims and topics. What is most significant and totally the opposite of the
transformational OBE, is that content is prescribed very specifically and in great detail. There are also
meticulous prescriptions regarding the types, weights and numbers of assessments, and many assessment
guidelines are given. Assessment is described in terms of classroom assessment, non-formal assessment,
formal assessment, assessment for learning, assessment of learning, external assessment, etc. Because non-
formal assessments do not have to be recorded, there is supposedly less assessment administration involved.
,1.2 Assessment versus evaluation
Sometimes these terms are used interchangeably. Some see it as evaluation usually occurs when students
have finished a task, whereas assessment goes beyond evaluation to include gathering information about
student performance as they work and also when they are finished. Both assessment and evaluation take
place in the South African education and training system. Both determine whether learning intention/aim has
been achieved and how well it was done. In the CAPS, assessment is seen as the gathering of evidence of
learner performance, which is then evaluated by the teacher to make a decision on a learner’s achievement.
1.3 What is assessment?
The word “assessment” means measuring or estimating (the value of something) and is used widely in all
walks of life. It is important in the teaching-learning process at all levels of education and training. Assessment
not only determines what learners learn and the way in which they do this, but also what is taught and how it is
taught.
Defining assessment
Assessment is the process of gathering and discussing information from multiple and diverse sources in order
to develop a deep understanding of what students know, understand, and can do with their knowledge as a
result of their educational experiences; the process culminates when assessment results are used to improve
subsequent learning.
The definition used by the Department of Basic Education in the CAPS documents states:
Assessment is a continuous, planned process of identifying, gathering and interpreting information about the
performance of learners, and may take various forms. It involves four steps: generating and collecting evidence
of achievement; evaluating this evidence; recording the findings; and using this information. The information is
particularly used to understand and thereby assist the learner’s development in order to improve the process of
learning and teaching.
Why assess?
We assess for the following reasons:
To find out whether instruction was effective
To find out whether learners need more instruction
To find out whether learners are ready for the next step
To find out whether a different approach is required
To find out how instruction can be improved the next time this lesson is taught
, Teachers need to
provide diagnostic and formative feedback to learners
gather information for reporting purposes (grades)
identify the appropriate level for a new learner (placement)
determine whether or not a learner meets programme requirements (certification)
motivate learners to study and make steady progress.
Learners need to
know what is expected of them
know what they can do to improve their performance
understand what will comprise their course grade
perceive assessment as fair and meaningful
The purpose of assessment in education is to provide all stakeholders with sufficiently dependable information
and feedback to inform judgements, choices, and decisions about learning, and to inform planning for
improvement.
Who assesses?
Most instructors, teachers and lecturers are involved in assessment of the learners they train or teach. There
are also moderators and external examiners who assess the work of learners they themselves did not teach. In
South Africa and many other parts of the world, a distinction is made between registered/trained assessors and
non-registered assessors. The level of skill among the latter group ranges from those who can “assess a bit” to
those who are proficient at doing so. Teacher education programmes need to include comprehensive
assessment training. Institutions of learning are continuously involved in assessment and there are also
professional bodies involved in assessment, such as Umalusi, the HEQC and the SETAs.
What is assessed?
Firstly, it is important to us to determine how learners are progressing towards the intended learning aims or
outcomes and whether they eventually achieve them. At the same time, it is important to find out whether our
instruction is assisting learners in their progress towards these aims or outcomes. Secondly, we need to know
whether learners have learned what was expected of them and whether they have learned enough at a specific
time or level before progressing further or to the next level. To assist us in this, we devise curriculum/lesson
aims and competencies (knowledge, skills, values) to be achieved, and we use assessments with associated
assessment criteria to determine whether learners are on the right track, and ultimately the extent to which
they have managed to achieve these.
