Transcript NCS Implementation Review: Task Team ReportCEM Decisions Towards Implementation Presentation to the Select Committee 11 August 2010

NCS Implementation Review:
Task Team ReportCEM Decisions Towards Implementation
Presentation to the Select
Committee
11 August 2010
1
Overview of the Presentation
• Terms of Reference of the Task Team on NCS
Implementation Review
• Recommendations of the Task Team on the NCS
Implementation Review
• Comparison of selected recommendations with the
current policy positions
• Curriculum Implementation changes effective in 2010
and beyond
Terms of Reference for the Task Team
• Identify challenges and pressure points in the
implementation of the NCS Grades R-12
• Investigate how challenges could be addressed
• Develop a set of practical interventions to
respond to the noted challenges
A Clear, Simple Five Year Plan to Improve
Teaching and Learning
• The plan should provide a vision of a bigger picture in
terms of what education and the curriculum are set to
do and achieve
• The plan must offer the support to teachers and the
improvement of learner performance
• The plan to include external monitoring to assess
whether it has the desired effects on learner and
teacher performance
A Set of Simple and Coherent Curriculum Documents
• Develop a single Overview Curriculum and Assessment policy
document for Grade R-12 that must ensure coherence
• The learning area and subject documents to be organised
around knowledge (content, concepts and skills) to be learnt,
with recommended texts, pedagogical approaches and
assessment requirements
• Document to address knowledge gaps that have been identified
• Document to include simple and subject-specific assessment
guidelines
A Set of Simple and Coherent Curriculum Documents
• Provide specification and support for effective teaching in Home
Languages and English as a First Additional Language for
learners in the early grades
• Develop separate, special guideline documents for learners with
barriers to learning and multi-grade classes aligned to the
Curriculum and Assessment Policy documents
• The Foundations for Learning should be replicated in all schools
as soon as possible and be integrated as a programme into the
curriculum.
Assessment
• Regular external annual assessment of Mathematics, Home
Language and English FAL in Grade 3 & 6 & 9
• Finalise promotion and progression requirements for Grades R12 as well as grading descriptors for all grades
• The balance between year marks and examinations should be
50%: 50% for Grades 4-9 and 25% year mark and 75% exam
mark for Grades 10-12
• CTAs to be replaced with annual national testing for all Grade 9
learners in Maths, HL and FAL (English)
Teacher Training
• Targeted in-service teacher training must be provided
where is it needed most
• Principals, HODs, District and Provincial Support Staff
should be trained on curriculum and content and
assessment requirements
• HEIs should be required to align their teacher training
programmes with the national curriculum documents
with national curriculum
• The DBE will align this process with processes in
place following the Teacher Summit
Clarification of Roles with respect to Curriculum Production,
Dissemination, Monitoring and Support
• Clarify the roles of curriculum advisors nationally,
specifying the exact nature of the in-classroom and
school support they should provide.
• Clarify the roles of the national, provincial and
district level support for curriculum
LTSM
• Develop a national catalogue of textbooks and other
LTSM aligned to the Curriculum and Assessment Policy
Document
• Reassert the role of textbooks and other LTSM
• Plan for the provision of a textbook for all learners
(Grade 4-12) for every learning area / subject and
relevant LSM (Foundation Phase)
• Develop mechanisms and guidelines to manage
textbook pricing
Plans for 2010
– Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement
documents will be developed in 2010 and implemented
in 2011 in schools
– In 2010, teachers will use the current NCS policy
documents to plan and prepare for teaching
– The number of projects required for each learning
area/subject will be reduced to one project per year per
learning area/subject
Plans for 2010
 Teachers will be required to develop a single
“Teacher File” despite the number of subjects taught
• All learner portfolios as separate, formal compilations of
assessment tasks will no longer be required. School-based
formal assessment for promotion and progression to be kept
in relevant mode.
• CTAs discontinued with effect from 2010
PLANNING FOR 2011 AND
BEYOND
13
Curriculum and Assessment Policy
Statements (CAPS)
• The draft CAPS documents will be submitted to publishers at the end of July 2010
to facilitate the development of LTSM
• The CAPS documents will be published for public comment as required by the
National Education Policy Act (NEPA)
• The CAPS documents will replace all previous NCS Policy documents
• The CAPS will be implemented in the Foundation Phase in 2011 and in Grades 412 in 2012
•
The CAPS will be called: National Curriculum Statement, Curriculum and
Assessment Policy, as amended on 1 January 2011
• A Technical Task Team will be established to manage the implementation of the
CAPS
Foundation Phase Instructional Time
• CEM approved the recommendation that the instructional time for
Grade 3 be retained at 25 hours as in current policy.
• The current instructional time for Grades R, 1 and 2 is 22.5 hours
• The instructional time for Grades R, 1 and 2 be increased from 22.5
hours to 23 hours
• For Grade 3, FAL is increased to 5 hours and Beginning Knowledge
to 2 hours
Foundation Phase Changes
Current Policy Position Task
Team Recommended
Recommendation
(i) Literacy/Languages
9h
– (i) Home Language – 6h
Policy
Position
(i) Home Language – 6h
(ii) FAL – 5h
(ii) FAL – 4h (5h)
(ii) Numeracy – 7.8h
(iii) Mathematics – 5h
(iii) Mathematics – 7h
(iii) Life Skills – 5.6 h
(iv) Life Skills – 6h
(iv) Life Skills – 6h
 Beginning Knowledge-  Beginning Knowledge1h
1h (2h)
 Arts and Craft – 2h
 Arts and Craft – 2h
 Phys Education – 2h
 Phys Education – 2h
 Health Education – 1h
 Health Education – 1h
16
Intermediate Phase
• CEM has also accepted the recommendation to reduce the
number of Learning Areas (subjects) be reduced to six
subjects in the Intermediate Phase.
• In terms of policy the current instructional time allocation for
Grades 4-7 is 26.5 hours and 27.5 hours for Grades 8 and
9.
• The time allocation for the Intermediate Phase is increased
from 26.5h to 27.5h
Intermediate Phase
Current
Task Team Recommendation
Recommended Policy
(i) Languages -6.6h
(i) Home Language – 6h
(i) Home Language – 6h
(ii) Mathematics – 4.7
(ii) FAL – 5.5
(ii) FAL – 5h
(iii) Natural Sciences – 3.4h
(iii) Mathematics – 6h
(iii) Mathematics – 6h
(iv) Social Sciences – 3h
(iv) Science and Technology - (iv) Science and Technology -
(v) Technology – 2h
(vi) Economic
2h
Management (v) Social Sciences – 2h
Sciences – 2h
3.5h
(v) Social Sciences – 3h
(vi) Life Skills – 5h
(vi) Life Skills – 4h
(vii) Life Orientation – 2h

Creative Arts – 2h

Creative Arts – 1.5h
(viii) Arts and Culture – 2h

Phys Education – 2h

Phys Education – 1.5h

Religion Studies – 1h

Religion Studies – 1h
Senior Phase
• The reduction of subjects to six subjects is only applicable in the
Intermediate Phase. This suggests that the 8 subjects (Learning
Areas) are still applicable in the Senior Phase
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
•
Languages (HL) – 5h
FAL – 4h
Mathematics – 4.5h
Natural Sciences – 3h
Social Sciences – 3h
Technology – 2h
Economic Management Sciences – 2h
Life Orientation – 2h
Instructional time allocated as indicated above.
Assessment
• CEM approved the recommendation to conduct regular external
assessment of Mathematics, Home Language and English FAL in Grades 3,
6 and 9
• CEM further agreed to replace CTAs in Grade 9 with Annual National
Testing (national set examinations) for all learners in Mathematics and
Languages at Home Language Level and First Additional Language Level
• The Council further agreed that the assessment at Grade 9 in the 3 subjects
will be externally set, internally marked and moderated in cluster moderation
at provincial level
• Schools will set the examinations at Grade 9 in the other remaining
subjects. To support this process, assessment item banks will be developed
and made available to schools for teachers to use to set quality tests
Examinations vs CASS
Grades
Continuous Assessment End of Year Examination
% Weighting
% Weighting
R - 3
100%
-
4 - 6
75%
25%
7 - 9
40%
60%
10 – 12
25%
75%
Rating Scale
RATING CODE
DESCRIPTION
COMPETENCE
OF PERCENTAGE
7
Outstanding achievement
80 – 100
6
Meritorious achievement
70 –79
5
Substantial achievement
60 – 69
4
Adequate achievement
50 – 59
3
Moderate achievement
40 – 49
2
Elementary achievement
30 – 39
1
Not achieved
0 – 29
Promotion and Progression
• CEM noted that the current progression policy supports age cohort progression. This
policy position was taken due to historical realities and systemic challenges rather
than only a curriculum focus
• The noted challenges in the level of learner under-achievement in literacy and
numeracy have been attributed to the lack of clarity in the application and support of
the promotion and progression policy
• It is clear that the policy implications are complex and require appropriate analysis for
an informed policy decision.
• CEM has directed that research should be conducted to investigate the implications
and consequences of progression policy on the system. This would be used to gather
empirical evidence for consideration of progression based on achievement
Implementation of CAPS
• CEM has decided that the new CAPS will be implemented in the
Foundation Phase in 2011
• CAPS will be implemented in Grades 4-12 in 2012.
• The decision to implement the CAPS in a phased approach is to use
the 18 month period to plan for the full scale implementation in 2012.
• CEM directed that a special Technical Task Team must be
established to plan for the implementation of the recommendations