DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, RSA NSLA NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR LEARNER ATTAINMENT Johannesburg, RSA

1. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, RSA NSLA NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR LEARNER ATTAINMENT Johannesburg, RSA 14 March 2007

2. DESIRED STRATEGIC IMPACT • Enables every child to fulfill his or her potential • Matches challenging targets with appropriate resources • Achievement makes it easier for learners to go to HEIs or to access good jobs • Decreases disengagement from education and from wider society • Direct impact on Human Capital development initiatives

3. Overall priority of education Increased access to quality education • ECD • Grades R to 9 • FET – schools and colleges • Higher Education

4. Systemic Priorities • Teachers • Recruitment and retention – bursaries and incentives • Training and support 2. LTSM – Textbooks and other essentials 3. Time spent teaching

5. Special Projects Special projects • NSLA-School development, Teacher Development and Learner Support • Dinaledi-Decline in HG maths and science passes in 2006, Increase in Dinaledi schools but only in one third of schools, Monitoring and support to continue, Teacher training at Dinaledi schools • Examinations- Preparation, Implementation and Analysis General • Improved communication and understanding of policy • Evidence-based policy-making

6. National Strategy for Learner AttainmentNSLA • DESCRIPTION: An overarching or transversal programme directing the focus of the system to the achievement of all learners • NSLA programme: • A planned and sustained series and set of related operations, projects, activities, strategies, interventions with short and long term objectives of raising learner performance and ensuring improved quality learner achievement in all schools • Not once-off/ cosmetic/ response to crisis or isolated/silo feature-as it was the case in the past • APPROACH: Integrates nine provincially driven complimentary strategies and re-establishing the place roles of the teacher and the school in each community (Norms and Standards for Educators)

7. NSLA MISSION 1. Improving the overall performance- across all schools. 2. Improving the quality of learner attainment- Increased numbers of Learners passing with endorsements. 3. Schools performing below the national average 4. All learners in the system- a fair chance to succeed (Integrated and comprehensive intervention to link NSLA with the National Numeracy and Literacy Strategy in GET) 5. Link with Mathematics, Science and Languages interventions 6. Monitoring and reporting (monthly HEDCOM and CEM reports): A teacher in the classroom - a textbook for every learner in each subject 7. Strategic targets- 7.1 Increased numbers passing Science, Mathematics and other gateway subjects 7.2 Targeting the 20% lowest performing schools and districts in the SC examinations 7.3 All schools with performance backflow beyond 10% 7.4 New matric teachers and first matric classes in the schools 7.5 Increased endorsements and better subject combinations at the well endowed schools 7.6 Redress underperformance of HDI learners in top schools pushing them to compete amongst top achievers nationally

8. NSLA Youth Development Teacher Development Community Involvement Learner Support School Development

9. PROGRAMME FOR NSLA Youth Development Community Development Learner Support Educator Development School Development N C S IQMS School Dev Strategies Educator Dev. Needs Learning Area/Subject/ examinations School Dev/ Evaluation Individual/ General Learning Interventions 9 Focus Areas Target driven Use of examination and other credible data Monitoring Value Addedness Fair chance to succeed for all learners Integrated NSLA Programme

10. MATCHING THE PLANS WITH AVAILABLE RESOURCES • School Improvement Plans, • Provincial and District Improvement Plans • Align budgets with plans • Monitor, evaluate & support • Dedicated support staff • Research focus PROVINCIAL BUDGET H/P RESOURCES IMPROVEMENT PLANS

11. National Strategy for Learner AttainmentBroad impact areas Learners TEACHING LEARNING Curriculum Assessment Educators Examinations

12. National Strategy for Learner AttainmentKey Areas of Focus in 2006

13. Magnitude of school effects • International Literature: Coleman et al. (1966): 9% Reynolds et al. (1994): 8-15% Bosker & Witziers (1995): 7% • Australia (Victoria) VQSP: Hill & Rowe (1996): 16-19% VCE: Rowe & Hill (1996): 10-21%

14. What is to be doneResearch perspectives • 36.2 % is the youth share of the total population, largely concentrated outside urban areas where government services and schools are worst equipped • Stats SA, 1999 survey-A tenth of the children almost all african spend 8 hrs a week or more gathering water and wood and five hours a week on school maintenance • Higher attrition rate of boys and high exit levels prior to matric-up to 500 000 between Grades 9 and 12 • Systematic undervaluation of the competencies gained by learners who do not pass matric • Race Relations Survey, 1997-1 in 312 Africans gained Matric exemption with Maths and Science compared to 1 in 5 for Whites, one in 62 for Indians and 1 in 46 for Coloureds • Practice-shock-leading to perceptions of overwork (buchner,1997). • Time on task -Of the 41 hrs a week on their activities, an average of 16 hrs is spent teaching. Eight out of ten teachers lost more than 30% of teaching time to other activities HSRC, 2005 • Assessment portfolios took up to 23% of the teaching time-HSRC, 2005 • Lesson transitions take up to 13 minutes of the actual teaching time • 7% of time allocated to extra-curricular activities, 9% of the time on IQMS • Formal allocation of periods to teachers not enabling the official 85% of time dedicated to scheduled teaching

15. National Strategy for Learner AttainmentWhat is to be done • To identify the schools in the Districts that will form the focus of the Learner Attainment Strategy-Structured and purposeful visits • Link the NSLA with GET National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy • Audit of textbooks and reading books in the selected schools: I) Develop a plan for the provision of one textbook per learner for each subject or LA ii) 100 Reading books in every foundation phase classroom iii) Common provincial mid-year examinations for grades 10; 11 and 12 in schools in the Strategy 3. Three year plans (2007-2009) for Teacher Development and curriculum training focused on the content of Learning Areas and Subjects • To promote a co-coordinated approach to school effectiveness.

19. DISTRIBUTION OF DISTRICT PERFORMANCE

20. Number of schools below 50% pass rate

21. ProvinciaL Efficiency gains 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 EASTERN CAPE 12 443 28 825 33 286 37 468 33 915 39 597 41 268 FREE STATE 5 879 15 703 17 777 18 916 19 459 20 355 21 582 GAUTENG 9 987 47 368 50 941 55 621 54 808 57 073 57 355 KWAZULU-NATAL 23 840 58 620 68 973 75 077 81 830 84 842 82 460 LIMPOPO 9 879 48 971 49 644 48 219 54 897 60 087 58 850 MPUMALANGA 7 343 18 136 22 222 22 700 22 913 22 737 25 479 NORTHERN CAPE 182 5 571 5 309 5 667 5 609 6172 5 753 NORTH WEST 2 477 22 963 24 637 25 055 24 221 23 748 25 440 WESTERN CAPE 2 267 31 049 32 985 33 769 33 065 32 573 33 316 277 206 305 774 322 492 330 717 347 184 351 503 National 74 297

22. DISTRICTS District and curriculum interventions: • Weekend classes • Winter & Spring schools for Gr. 11 & 12 – focus on Maths, Science & English • Common mid-year exam for Gr. 10 - 12  • On-site assistance – Learning Area Managers, Circuit Managers, District Support Teams • Targeted interventions in schools with matric pass-rate below 70%; • Assistance to specific schools in underperforming subjects; • Educator training sessions; • Various programmes for learners

24. Passes per Gender from 2001 – 2006Narrowing the gap towards gender parity

27. 2006 School Realities DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, RSA 1. Learners 12 302 236 11 962 176 (97.2%) public schools 340 060 (2.8%) independent schools 2. Teachers 386 595 367 188 (95%) public schools 19 407 (5%) independent schools 23 947 teachers for 3 828 705 learners in 5 851 secondary schools-Matric Results 3. Schools 26 292 schools 25 194 public 95.8%) 1 098 independent (4.2%) • Learner to teacher ratio 32.6 public schools 17.5 independent schools

30. NSLA IN SCHOOLS • Seeks to raise learner achievement from Gr. R to Gr. 12 • Integrates the gains of the the GET National literacy and Numeracy Strategy • May need to employ different strategies, approaches for different learners • All learners can learn therefore all learners can achieve • Move beyond the narrow constraint of only academic, scholastic, theoretical knowledge… • Learners can achieve at a variety and at varied levels • Must at least ensure that learners perform optimally / achieve within current programmes • Therefore there is still a role and place for “special or specific” interventions, remedial and corrective strategies • The institution (schools) remain the central place for the execution of our core mandate and for executing the NSLA

31. Dealing with Classroom practice-How learners LearnLearning styles: Learning styles are traits that refer to how learners receive and process information. Felder and Silverman ( Kemp, 1999) developed one set of categories for analysing individual’s learning styles. • Visual—through pictures, diagrams, and demonstration • Auditory—through words and sounds • Sensory (external)—sights, sounds, and physical sensations • Intuitive (internal)—insights and hunches • Inductive—from facts and observations to infer a principle • Deductive—from a principle to deduce applications and consequences • Actively—through physical engagement or discussion • Reflectively—though introspection • Sequentially—as a series of related steps • Globally—as a large jump or holistically

32. Teacher training and support for Grade 10 –12 teachers • Content training on NCS by HEIs • SABC Broadcasts – Grade 11 and 12 • Assessment workshops in all provinces in February and March • Teaching guidelines – Learning Programme Guidelines with Work Schedules for each grade • Subject Assessment Guidelines Jan 2007 • Examination exemplars for Grades 10 and 11

33. Time spent teaching • Minimum time per week specified in NCS • LPGs promote 40 week year plan • Examinations to begin in Mid November for all grades • Grade 12 examinations from 2008 to begin in November

34. Textbooks and other LTSM • National Catalogue developed for Grade 11 • Screening of grade 12 textbooks from 15 – 19 January • National Catalogue to provinces by end March 2007 • Literature lists to provinces end of March 2007 • Lists of essential equipment to provinces end of March 2007

35. CONTENT KNOWLEDGE TEACHER DEVELOPMENT • Integrate with School Improvement Plan • Focus on IQMS – responding to development needs; • Establish SMT responsibility; • 3-year plans for educator development & curriculum training • Focus on content of learning areas/subjects • School Visits • Appropriate monitoring tools • Teacher orientation Workshops • EXAM Feedback/ ITEM ANALYSIS

36. MAKING THE NSLA WORK • Computerized system for tracking learner achievement and early interventions towards 100% success rate by 2014: IECS • All information relating to learner progression collected; • Includes all learners in the system; • Integrated database developed

37. 2007 FOCUS 1. Improving the overall performance- across all schools. 2. Improving the quality of learner attainment- Increased numbers of Learners passing with endorsements. 3. Schools performing below the national average 4. All learners in the system- a fair chance to succeed (Integrated and comprehensive intervention to link NSLA with the National Numeracy and Literacy Strategy in GET) 5. Link with Mathematics, Science and Languages interventions 6. Monitoring and reporting (monthly HEDCOM and CEM reports): A teacher in the classroom - a textbook for every learner in each subject 7. Strategic targets- 7.1 Increased numbers passing Science, Mathematics and other gateway subjects 7.2 Targeting the 20% lowest performing schools and districts in the SC examinations 7.3 All schools with performance backflow beyond 10% 7.4 New matric teachers and first matric classes in the schools 7.5 Increased endorsements and better subject combinations at the well endowed schools 7.6 Redress underperformance of HDI learners in top schools pushing them to compete amongst top achievers nationally

38. Conclusion • All learners-a fair chance to succeed by 2014 • Early warning systems-GET • Resources • Central to educational planning and budgeting processes • A critical Mass of Monitors at all levels • Accounting systems • Computerized system for tracking learner achievement and early interventions towards 100% success rate by 2014: IECS • All information relating to learner progression collected; • Includes all learners in the system; • Integrated database developed