AED3701
LEARNING UNIT 1
Discuss and evaluate assessment
planning, implementation, and
moderation of assessments in a South
African school curriculum context.
1.1.1. Assessment planning in a school context
Assessment planning in the South African school context relates to thorough
planning of assessment for a particular grade and subject that commences at the
beginning of the year when teaching and learning planning starts. Assessment in
South African schools is continuous; therefore, it must be planned for all levels
within the teaching and learning process (see Dreyer (ed.), 2014). All the relevant
stakeholders should be considered during the assessment planning design. These
may be teachers, assessors, learners, school governing bodies, and the Department
of Basic Education. A diverse classroom requires a diverse assessment plan and
practice. Each classroom is heterogeneous (with different learners) concerning the
cognitive level of thinking, languages, ethnic groups, different views, and different
backgrounds. When planning an assessment, the teacher should always have a
diverse classroom at the back of his/her mind and think of how best that can be
addressed.
For effective planning of an assessment, you are required to know the specific
subject that you are teaching. In other words, you cannot be a good teacher and
assessor of a subject if you lack subject content knowledge. You are either
registered for the foundation and intermediate or senior phases and further
,education and training. You are required to have the relevant CAPS document
(phase, subject, and grade).
Assessment planning often takes place immediately after lesson planning. Teachers
must use the CAPS guidelines that stipulate the type of assessment, form of
assessment, assessment instrument/tool, date on which assessment will be written,
the term, and mark allocated to each type/form of assessment.
1.1.2. Assessment Implementation in a
school context
To implement, review and justify the assessment given to learners, the teacher
needs to design relevant, reliable, fair and credible assessment instruments/tools.
Various assessment instruments/tools are used when assessing different types
and/or forms of assessment given to learners, such as a memorandum, rubric,
assessment grid and checklist. Good practice in assessments requires a proper
understanding of the implementation of the assessment plan. In implementing an
assessment, you need to understand different kinds of assessments as stipulated in
the National Curriculum Statement Grades R-12 (2011). In implementing an
assessment, you need to indicate how learners will demonstrate their knowledge
and skills while they are learning. It is important that throughout the assessment
process, the teacher should monitor learners' progress, thereby serving and
continuously giving constructive feedback. Dreyer and Mawela (2019) indicate the
following kinds of assessment: assessment for learning, assessment as learning,
assessment of learning, and assessment in learning.
Assessment for learning is an assessment used in teaching and learning to
determine how learners are progressing towards achieving the set learning goals or
objectives. It is a daily assessment that is used to monitor and enhance learners'
learning through teachers' observation, and teacher-learner interaction to provide
the learner with constructive feedback.
Assessment of learning is a classroom or field-based assessment that takes place
at the end of the lesson, cycle or year to determine the overall achievement of the
learner. It provides the teacher with a systematic way of evaluating how well
learners are progressing in a particular subject taught in a specific grade. The
assessment of learning should cover all six cognitive levels of the revised Bloom's
Taxonomy and the three learning styles to embrace the concept of diversity.
Examples of assessment of learning include projects, oral presentations,
demonstrations, performances, tests, examinations and practical demonstrations.
,Assessment as learning is a self-assessment done by the learner in that they take
responsibility for their learning and determine steps they need to take to improve
their learning. It is the process of developing and supporting learners'
metacognition. Learners are actively engaged in the assessment process, that is,
they monitor their learning.
Assessment in learning assists the teacher to identify learners' careers. Learners
are interested in learning something that will in the end benefit them. Assessment
in learning can take the form of informal or formal assessment that takes place in
class during the teaching and learning process. This assessment does not focus on
the results of learning, but on the whole process of learning to make teaching and
learning meaningful for the learner.
1.1.3. Assessment moderation in a South
African school context
Teachers and assessors are expected to moderate the learners' assessments with
the aim of quality-assuring the work done by the learners. In South African schools,
departmental heads are subject specialists who are tasked with the moderation of
assessments. There are two types of moderation, namely pre-moderation, which
happens when the assessments are designed before they are written or done by
the learners, and post-moderation, which aims to quality assure the assessed tasks.
After school moderation has been conducted, the subject education specialists at
the district level also quality assure the assessments before and after they are
conducted.
1.1.3.1 Purpose of assessment moderation in the South African school context
Assessments are meant to measure the level of learners' understanding of the
concepts taught. Therefore, pre-moderation should take place to ensure the
credibility of the assessment before it can be given to learners. The standardisation
of the assessment is done concerning the cognitive levels of the assessment.
Post–moderation is done after the learners have written the task and the teacher
completed marking. It is done first at schools, districts, provinces, and the national
level. The performance of the learners will be analysed statistically and
diagnostically. The diagnostic analysis will reflect on the strengths and weaknesses
of learners in terms of performance on the assessment given. The moderator
should then provide the teacher with constructive feedback, which should assist in
planning the intervention and remediation where needed.
, 1.2. Discussion of the learners’ diversity
when planning, implementing, and
moderating assessments activities in class
1.2.1. Learners' diversity when planning assessment
Le Grange, Simmonds, Maistry, Blignaut, and Ramrathan (2022) highlight that
"factors that influence learner achievement in South Africa include the
socioeconomic status of learners, teachers' pedagogical knowledge, resources,
geographical location and language of learning. There are strategies that teachers
can apply to promote fairness in classroom assessments. Ensuring that all learners
have equal opportunities to achieve learning objectives, providing a range of
assessment tasks that test a range of abilities, eliminating all sources of bias in the
curriculum and assessments."
1.2.1.1. Learning styles
For effective assessment to take place in schools, teachers and assessors should
know that learners are differently gifted and learn best according to their types.
Learners learn in a combination of the following three ways:
Haptic learning style (movement). "Haptic" comes from the Greek word that
means "moving along". These types of learners learn best when they are involved in
learning through moving, touching, experimenting and experiencing things. They
enjoy working with their peers outside the classroom to investigate. They enjoy
physical exercise, gardening, arts and crafts. They participate well in group work
using charts and models. They have a good memory of events but not of faces and
names. They use movement as a memory aid.
Visual learning style (sight). These learners learn best when they see text and
pictures of the subject matter. They observe things. They enjoy working with text,
pictures, illustrations, maps and writing summaries. They learn and remember
things by writing them down and benefit from writing formulas and instructions on
cards and reviewing them. They have a good visual memory for faces, places and
instructions and have a good sense of direction. They recall information by
remembering how it was set out on stage.
LEARNING UNIT 1
Discuss and evaluate assessment
planning, implementation, and
moderation of assessments in a South
African school curriculum context.
1.1.1. Assessment planning in a school context
Assessment planning in the South African school context relates to thorough
planning of assessment for a particular grade and subject that commences at the
beginning of the year when teaching and learning planning starts. Assessment in
South African schools is continuous; therefore, it must be planned for all levels
within the teaching and learning process (see Dreyer (ed.), 2014). All the relevant
stakeholders should be considered during the assessment planning design. These
may be teachers, assessors, learners, school governing bodies, and the Department
of Basic Education. A diverse classroom requires a diverse assessment plan and
practice. Each classroom is heterogeneous (with different learners) concerning the
cognitive level of thinking, languages, ethnic groups, different views, and different
backgrounds. When planning an assessment, the teacher should always have a
diverse classroom at the back of his/her mind and think of how best that can be
addressed.
For effective planning of an assessment, you are required to know the specific
subject that you are teaching. In other words, you cannot be a good teacher and
assessor of a subject if you lack subject content knowledge. You are either
registered for the foundation and intermediate or senior phases and further
,education and training. You are required to have the relevant CAPS document
(phase, subject, and grade).
Assessment planning often takes place immediately after lesson planning. Teachers
must use the CAPS guidelines that stipulate the type of assessment, form of
assessment, assessment instrument/tool, date on which assessment will be written,
the term, and mark allocated to each type/form of assessment.
1.1.2. Assessment Implementation in a
school context
To implement, review and justify the assessment given to learners, the teacher
needs to design relevant, reliable, fair and credible assessment instruments/tools.
Various assessment instruments/tools are used when assessing different types
and/or forms of assessment given to learners, such as a memorandum, rubric,
assessment grid and checklist. Good practice in assessments requires a proper
understanding of the implementation of the assessment plan. In implementing an
assessment, you need to understand different kinds of assessments as stipulated in
the National Curriculum Statement Grades R-12 (2011). In implementing an
assessment, you need to indicate how learners will demonstrate their knowledge
and skills while they are learning. It is important that throughout the assessment
process, the teacher should monitor learners' progress, thereby serving and
continuously giving constructive feedback. Dreyer and Mawela (2019) indicate the
following kinds of assessment: assessment for learning, assessment as learning,
assessment of learning, and assessment in learning.
Assessment for learning is an assessment used in teaching and learning to
determine how learners are progressing towards achieving the set learning goals or
objectives. It is a daily assessment that is used to monitor and enhance learners'
learning through teachers' observation, and teacher-learner interaction to provide
the learner with constructive feedback.
Assessment of learning is a classroom or field-based assessment that takes place
at the end of the lesson, cycle or year to determine the overall achievement of the
learner. It provides the teacher with a systematic way of evaluating how well
learners are progressing in a particular subject taught in a specific grade. The
assessment of learning should cover all six cognitive levels of the revised Bloom's
Taxonomy and the three learning styles to embrace the concept of diversity.
Examples of assessment of learning include projects, oral presentations,
demonstrations, performances, tests, examinations and practical demonstrations.
,Assessment as learning is a self-assessment done by the learner in that they take
responsibility for their learning and determine steps they need to take to improve
their learning. It is the process of developing and supporting learners'
metacognition. Learners are actively engaged in the assessment process, that is,
they monitor their learning.
Assessment in learning assists the teacher to identify learners' careers. Learners
are interested in learning something that will in the end benefit them. Assessment
in learning can take the form of informal or formal assessment that takes place in
class during the teaching and learning process. This assessment does not focus on
the results of learning, but on the whole process of learning to make teaching and
learning meaningful for the learner.
1.1.3. Assessment moderation in a South
African school context
Teachers and assessors are expected to moderate the learners' assessments with
the aim of quality-assuring the work done by the learners. In South African schools,
departmental heads are subject specialists who are tasked with the moderation of
assessments. There are two types of moderation, namely pre-moderation, which
happens when the assessments are designed before they are written or done by
the learners, and post-moderation, which aims to quality assure the assessed tasks.
After school moderation has been conducted, the subject education specialists at
the district level also quality assure the assessments before and after they are
conducted.
1.1.3.1 Purpose of assessment moderation in the South African school context
Assessments are meant to measure the level of learners' understanding of the
concepts taught. Therefore, pre-moderation should take place to ensure the
credibility of the assessment before it can be given to learners. The standardisation
of the assessment is done concerning the cognitive levels of the assessment.
Post–moderation is done after the learners have written the task and the teacher
completed marking. It is done first at schools, districts, provinces, and the national
level. The performance of the learners will be analysed statistically and
diagnostically. The diagnostic analysis will reflect on the strengths and weaknesses
of learners in terms of performance on the assessment given. The moderator
should then provide the teacher with constructive feedback, which should assist in
planning the intervention and remediation where needed.
, 1.2. Discussion of the learners’ diversity
when planning, implementing, and
moderating assessments activities in class
1.2.1. Learners' diversity when planning assessment
Le Grange, Simmonds, Maistry, Blignaut, and Ramrathan (2022) highlight that
"factors that influence learner achievement in South Africa include the
socioeconomic status of learners, teachers' pedagogical knowledge, resources,
geographical location and language of learning. There are strategies that teachers
can apply to promote fairness in classroom assessments. Ensuring that all learners
have equal opportunities to achieve learning objectives, providing a range of
assessment tasks that test a range of abilities, eliminating all sources of bias in the
curriculum and assessments."
1.2.1.1. Learning styles
For effective assessment to take place in schools, teachers and assessors should
know that learners are differently gifted and learn best according to their types.
Learners learn in a combination of the following three ways:
Haptic learning style (movement). "Haptic" comes from the Greek word that
means "moving along". These types of learners learn best when they are involved in
learning through moving, touching, experimenting and experiencing things. They
enjoy working with their peers outside the classroom to investigate. They enjoy
physical exercise, gardening, arts and crafts. They participate well in group work
using charts and models. They have a good memory of events but not of faces and
names. They use movement as a memory aid.
Visual learning style (sight). These learners learn best when they see text and
pictures of the subject matter. They observe things. They enjoy working with text,
pictures, illustrations, maps and writing summaries. They learn and remember
things by writing them down and benefit from writing formulas and instructions on
cards and reviewing them. They have a good visual memory for faces, places and
instructions and have a good sense of direction. They recall information by
remembering how it was set out on stage.
