NCS Implementation Review: Task Team Report- CEM Decisions Towards Implementation

1. NCS Implementation Review:Task Team Report-CEM Decisions Towards Implementation Presentation to the Select Committee 11 August 2010

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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.

7. Assessment • Regular external annual assessment of Mathematics, Home Language and English FAL in Grade 3 & 6 & 9 • Finalise promotion and progression requirements for Grades R-12 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)

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. PLANNING FOR 2011 AND BEYOND

14. 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 4-12 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

15. 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

16. Foundation Phase Changes

17. 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

18. Intermediate Phase

19. 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.

20. 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

21. Examinations vs CASS

22. Rating Scale

23. 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

24. 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