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South Africa : Assessment arrangements

Last updated: 17-Sep-2009
 

6.5 Publicly-funded provision outside mainstream education
6.5.1. Control
6.5.2. Purposes
6.5.3. Participation
6.5.4. Nature
6.5.5. Administration
6.5.6. Grading process
6.5.7. Consequences
6.5.8. Use of results
6.5.9. Output statistics

 

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6.5 Publicly-funded provision outsdie mainsteam education
(See section 3.2.5.)

With regard to the assessment of learners with special needs in public mainstream schools, these needs are generally accommodated internally.  When learners sit for public examinations, such as the exit examination in Grade 12, popularly known as the matriculation examination, the school applies in advance for special arrangements such as amanuensis, use of a typewriter, or sign language interpretation.

6.5.1 Control
See section 6.2 of the mainstream archive for information on assessment arrangements in mainstream schools in South Africa.

One of the key principles of the South African system of outcomes based education (OBE) is that all learners can learn, albeit at different paces and along different pathways. To be fair to all learners and consistent with the principles of outcomes based education, special arrangements may be needed when it comes to assessment. There are many practical ways in which teachers can adapt the way in which activities and assessment are planned, structured and conducted.¹⁵

Each school must have an assessment team which is responsible for:

• Determining which learners should have access to adaptive methods of assessment.
• Determining the materials needed and practical arrangements to be made.
• Compiling a list of learners with details of the exact adaptive methods of assessment needed by each and any additional equipment/staff required.
• Monitoring and reporting of the process to the District Based Support Team (DBST)
• Ensuring that all decisions made by the school team regarding adaptive methods of assessment are included in the learner profiles which accompany learners throughout their school careers.
• The logistical arrangements at the school/site level for the application of adaptations in continuous assessment throughout the year and formal assessment regarding:
  • Audio-tape
  • Enlargement of print in assessment tasks
  • Transcribing of the assessment tasks into Braille (or appointing someone to do so)
  • Supply of assistive devices, special equipment, etc
  • Availability of an amanuensis/scribe
  • Availability of a separate and suitable venue
• Arranging that, during formal assessment:
  • Teachers assist candidates to settle down and to understand the structure of the task and the time allocation per question.
  • Teachers ensure that typewriters, computers, dictaphones, audiotapes, recorders etc are in working order.
  • At the end of a session, teachers make sure that all papers or other means of recording answers are collected, and the number of pages written, verified.
• Ensuring that precautions regarding confidentiality are applicable at all times.¹⁵

6.5.2. Purposes 
One of the key principles of the South African system of outcomes based education (OBE) is that all learners can learn, albeit at different paces and along different pathways. To be fair to all learners and, consistent with the principles of outcomes based education, special arrangements may be needed when it comes to assessment. There are many practical ways in which teachers can adapt the way in which activities and assessment are planned, structured and conducted, for example:

• Learners can be given more time to demonstrate competency in assessment tasks. Learners can not only be given more time in written tests but also to demonstrate outcomes through all other methods of assessment. Multiple opportunities also need to be provided to ensure that learners can improve work and achieve potential.
• Learners can have task instructions read to them and can dictate their answers to another person who can then write these down to be marked. Learners can also dictate their answers to cassette. Such methods can assist learners with reading and writing barriers, severe visual barriers and those with physical barriers that affect their hand movements.
• Assessment can include a practical component so that learners with language problems, for example, can demonstrate their competence without having to use language. OBE acknowledges outcomes in skills, values, and attitudes in addition to knowledge.
• Activities or tasks can be developed to substitute the task being done by the rest of the class, or they can be designed in such a way as to allow learners to demonstrate a level of competence and achieve an outcome.¹⁵

Different types of barriers can be addressed through different alternative and/or adaptive methods of assessment. A specific barrier might require more than one adaptation. Strategies to be applied will vary according to whether the barrier is long-standing, recently acquired, fluctuating, intermittent or temporary.¹⁵

 

6.5.3 Participation
One of the key principles of the South African system of outcomes based education (OBE) is that all learners can learn, albeit at different paces and along different pathways.  See section 6.5.2 for further information.

 

6.5.4 Nature
All mainstream schools offer the same curriculum to learners while simultaneously ensuring variations in mode of delivery and assessment processes to accommodate all learners.¹⁶

See section 6.2 of the mainstream archive for information on assessment arrangements in mainstream schools in South Africa.

Different types of barriers can be addressed through different alternative and/or adaptive methods of assessment. A specific barrier might require more than one adaptation. Strategies to be applied will vary according to whether the barrier is long-standing, recently acquired, fluctuating, intermittent or temporary.¹⁵ 

 A summary of recommended alternative methods of assessment is provided in the table below. ¹⁵

	Visual Barriers	Deafness Hard of Hearing	Deaf-Blindness	Physical Barriers	Learning Disability
Tape-Aid	.			.	.
Braille	.		.
Enlarged Print	.			.
Dictaphone	.			.	.
Video		.			.
Sign Language Interpreter		.	.
Computer / Typewriter	.	.	.	.	.
Alternative Questions/tasks	.	.	.	.	.
Additional Time	.	.	.	.	.
Amanuensis (scribe)	.	.	.	.	.
Oral to teacher	.	.	.	.	.

 

Any other barriers not mentioned above can be addressed in creative ways developed by teachers with the assistance of the school as well as the District Based Support Teams.¹⁵ 

 
6.5.5 Administration
See section 6.2.5 of the mainstream South Africa archive.

 

6.5.6 Grading process 
The grading process for special schools is the same as for mainstream schools.  Adaptations are limited to the assessment process and do not apply to grading.  With the introduction of Outcomes-Based Education (OBE), the grading of learners was changed from the old (English) system that was in use.  The grading focuses on what the learner is able to achieve and is regulated in terms of the number of years a learner can spend in one phase.  The learner may be retained in a phase for a single additional year if the teacher feels that s/he has not achieved the expected learning outcomes.  The practice of continuous assessment aims to ensure that both the learner and teacher are aware of what the learners' strengths and weaknesses are, so that any need for intervention may be identified in time, and remediation can take place at the appropriate time. The final grading at the end of the year, therefore, is a sum total of the assessment of the learner's progress throughout the year; the performance at the end of the year forms only part of the evaluation and is not the sole indicator of the learner's performance.  Increasingly, schools are making use of portfolios of evidence of the learner's performance.  Such portfolios are particularly important for learners who experience barriers to learning, as they contain important proof of a range of outcomes achieved through a variety of activities, as well as information for teachers on the support needed by each individual learner.¹⁵

See section 6.2.4 of the mainstream South Africa archive for further information.

 

6.5.7 Consequences
Consequences of the assessment practices ensure that every learner gets a chance to demonstrate what s/he knows despite the disability.

See section 4.5.2.

 

6.5.8 Use of results 
Statistics on school performance are collected annually.  The greatest focus tends to be placed on the Matriculation Examination at the end of Grade 12.²⁰  

See section 6.2.8 of the mainstream South Africa archive in addition.

 

6.5.9 Output statistics 
The Department of Education has an established statistics unit and statistical surveys take place re done annually, as well as on the tenth day of school every year.  These include special schools.  The examination section also compiles statistics on the examination performance of learners in special schools, particularly for the end of school examination; the matriculation examination.  The best performing learners are identified and statistics are aggregated to give a complete picture of the level of performance in special schools (as is also the case with mainstream schools). ²⁰ 
 

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