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Accountability and Support in School Development in South Africa

Accountability and Support in School Development in South Africa. Uses of large scale testing . Select students for HE & job market Assess the health of the system As a lever to improve school performance (SBA). Standards-based Accountability.

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Accountability and Support in School Development in South Africa

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  1. Accountability and Support in School Development in South Africa

  2. Uses of large scale testing • Select students for HE & job market • Assess the health of the system • As a lever to improve school performance (SBA)

  3. Standards-based Accountability • Clearly defined standards explicate what is to be learnt • System-wide tests assess the extent to which standards are achieved • Rewards and sanctions accompany the results of the tests

  4. Criticisms of SBA Intense pressure high stakes testing: • Results in curriculum distortion • Takes no account of value-add • Generates anxiety • Only works when accompanied by appropriate support

  5. SBA in South Africa • Senior Certificate pass rates declined very significantly 1994-99 • In 1999 government began to apply intense pressure for schools to improve their SC results • Support measures planned but largely not implemented

  6. Senior Certificate Pass Rates

  7. Senior Certificate Passes

  8. Possible explanations for improved SC results • Excluding risky students • Increasing SG:HG ratio • Lowering the standard of the exams • Changes in moderating process • Improving the quality of schooling

  9. 3. Lowering standard of exams? ESL: No of L3 questions reduced to ‘vanishingly small’

  10. 4. Changing moderation? • ‘ … adjustments from 1996 to 2001 were generally upward, frequently by the maximum of 10% allowed’ • ‘… reluctance to accept downward adjustments when these were recommended by the SAFCERT / UMALUSI statistics team’ • ‘… certainly resulted in upward movement in pass rates’

  11. Did pressure alone result in improved SC results? • Excluding risky students • Increasing SG:HG ratio • Lowering the standard of the exams • Changes in moderating process • Improving the quality of schooling • Maybe but we can’t be sure • Other factors played a big part

  12. Does quality improve when pressure is combined with support? Quality Learning Project (QLP): • Programme of intense support to 523 schools in all provinces • 2000 - 2004

  13. Senior Certificate results of QLP schools • Compared with a control group • QLP results very significantly better:

  14. But the improvements only achieved in 1/3 of QLP schools

  15. INTERVENTION SCHOOL TYPE EFFECT Support Only Moderately functional Small positive Dysfunctional None Pressure Only Moderately functional ?? Dysfunctional ?? Pressure + Support Moderately functional Large positive Dysfunctional None

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