Dr Nkoloyakhe Mpanza Umalusi -South Africa

1. Dr Nkoloyakhe MpanzaUmalusi-South Africa The quality of implementation of site-based assessment as determining performance factor in the Adult Education and Training sector in South Africa.

2. Introduction • The General Education and Training Certificate: Adult Basic Education and Training Level 4 (GETC: ABET Level 4) qualification-adults and out of school youth • Provides second chance for adults and out of school youth who cannot be accommodated in the mainstream • Aims to equip students with knowledge, skills and values that will enable meaningful participation in society as well as continuing learning in further education and training, and provide a firm foundation for the assumption of a productive and responsible role in the workplace (SAQA, 2001 in Poliah,2003:3)

3. Introduction • Adults and out of school youth attend flexibly structured classes that prepare them to complete Site-Based Assessment (SBA) which is a form of internal assessment, and to be ready for the examinations ,which is summative assessment. • Students are prepared by lecturers/facilitators, teaching them different learning area content that is packaged in Unit Standards approved by South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). • The SBA contributes 50% towards the pass mark per learning area. The other 50% comes from examinations

4. Literature Review • Feedback of assessment assist students in developing metacognitive competencies – awareness of one’s own knowledge and one’s ability to understand, control and manipulate one’s cognitive processes. • SBA tasks are set and internally moderated by assessment bodies. • Submitted to Umalusi for external moderation. • Umalusi to quality assure all SBA tasks before they are implemented at learning centres/sites to ensure that they are of an acceptable quality and standard. • Attitudes play an important role in the quality of implementation of SBA.

5. The Purpose of the Study • The implementation and moderation of SBA in the Adult Education and Training (AET) sector has challenges which threaten the credibility and integrity of the GETC: ABET Level 4 examinations and the qualification as a whole. • The study aims to compare and discuss these challenges and the impact they have on the credibility of the examinations, results and the qualification as a whole. • The study also aims to propose a way forward in the conduct of SBA that will strengthen the integrity and credibility of the SBA mark as it contributes 50% towards the pass mark of candidates per learning area.

6. Research Questions • What are the challenges in the quality implementation of Site-Based Assessment (SBA) by assessment bodies? • Are these challenges of similar nature in public and private assessment bodies? • What impact do these challenges have on the credibility of the SBA marks? • What recommendations and/or directives does Umalusi provides to assessment bodies to improve the quality of implementation of SBA in the GETC: ABET Level 4 qualification?

7. Method This study was conducted using documents analysis method. The following documents were used as source of data: • Quality Assurance of Assessment Reports of Umalusi; • Assessment Guideline documents of public and private assessment bodies; • Umalusi policies on quality assurance of assessment of internal assessment; • Regulations on the Assessment Process and Procedures for the Adult Education and Training (AET) National Qualification Framework Level 1;

8. Method • Umalusi Quality Assurance of Assessment Instrument for the Moderation of SBA portfolios of the GETC: ABET Level 4 (completed by external moderators during moderation of SBA portfolios); and • Notes and observations from the practices of assessment bodies during monitoring visits.

9. Findings-Public Assessment Body • There are different practices in the conduct of SBA by different, individually constituted Provincial Education Departments (PEDs). • Anomalies were found in the delivery of SBA tasks to centres in different provinces. • Monitoring the implementation of SBA was found to be minimal in all PEDs. • The content of students’ POEs differ from one PED to another with very little or no similarities at all. • Different models of conducting moderation of SBA portfolios are adopted by different PEDs and Community Education and Training Colleges (CETCs).

10. Findings-Public Assessment Body • During the provincial moderation, computerised mark sheets were available in only one out of nine PED, making it impossible to verify the accuracy of the transfer of marks. • Monitoring the moderation of SBA at different levels differs per PED. • There is poor quality of marking of SBA tasks by lecturers at (CLCs). This is evident in the unreliable SBA mark varying greatly from the examination mark. • Lecturers’ capacity to handle SBA is very low. There is no or very little evidence of training of lecturers in the conduct of SBA in all CET colleges. • There is a shortage of curriculum advisors in all CET regions of the DHET.

11. Findings-Private Assessment Body • The private assessment bodies believe that the conduct, monitoring and moderation of SBA at site level is not part of their scope. • The time frame for the implementation of SBA differs from that of public sector. • Varying numbers of SBA tasks are developed by different private assessment bodies per learning area. • Moderation of SBA portfolios is conducted at only one level, i.e. the assessment body level. • Different assessment bodies approach moderation of SBA portfolios differently. • Portfolios of Assessment (POA) are not submitted for moderation.

12. Findings-Common in Both • The SBA marks of students are not reliable. • Umalusi found that marking of SBA portfolios is of very poor quality. • There is extremely huge difference between marks allocated by assessors at the learning site and that allocated by internal moderator of assessment body and Umalusi moderator. • During statistical moderation of SBA marks, Umalusi found that there is no alignment between the mean of SBA marks and that of examination marks in most centres. • This leads to the statistical adjustment or total rejection of SBA marks of the centres.

13. Recommendations • Since SBA is conducted by 9 differently constituted PEDs, there is a need for common guidelines for the conduct, monitoring and moderation of SBA across the 9 PEDs in the sector. • Training of lecturers and facilitators in quality implementation of SBA is vital. • Public and private assessment bodies must monitor the conduct of SBA as stipulated in the General and Further Education and Training Quality Assurance Act, 2001 (Act No. 58 of 2001, as amended in 2008.

14. Conclusion • The quality implementation of SBA is critical in the formulation of evidence that is contained in the POAs presented by lecturers/facilitators and POEs presented by students. • Improper implementation of SBA will disadvantage students unfairly, considering that the SBA mark contributes 50% towards the final mark per student per learning area. • It is the responsibility of all accredited assessment bodies to ensure that the implementation process is continuously monitored at all levels. • The study succeeded in responding all four research questions

15. Thank You