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Learning outcomes, teacher content knowledge & teacher absenteeism

Learning outcomes, teacher content knowledge & teacher absenteeism. Nic Spaull LRC conference 15 November 2012. Overview. Setting the scene  Student performance Teacher content knowledge Teacher absenteeism Concluding remarks.

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Learning outcomes, teacher content knowledge & teacher absenteeism

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  1. Learning outcomes, teacher content knowledge & teacher absenteeism Nic Spaull LRC conference 15 November 2012

  2. Overview • Setting the scene  Student performance • Teacher content knowledge • Teacher absenteeism • Concluding remarks “Without data, you are just another person with an opinion” - Andreas Schleicher

  3. Student performance 2003-2011 TIMSS (2003)  PIRLS (2006) SACMEQ (2007) NSES (2008-10) ANA (2011) TIMSS 2003 (Gr8 Maths & Science) • Out of 50 participating countries (including 6 African countries) SA came last • Only 10% reached low international benchmark • No improvement from TIMSS 1999-TIMSS 2003 • (Reddy, 2006) PIRLS 2006(Gr 4/5 – Reading) • Out of 45 participating countries SA came last • 87% of gr4 and 78% of Gr 5 learners deemed to be “at serious risk of not learning to read” (Trong, 2010: 2) • (Howie et al., 2008) SACMEQ III 2007(Gr6 – Reading & Maths) • SA came 10/15 for reading and 8/15 for maths behind countries such as Swaziland, Kenya and Tanzania • 27% of gr6 students functionally illiterate • 40% of gr6 students functionally innumerate • (Moloi & Chetty, 2011), (Spaull, 2011; 2012) NSES 2008-2010(Gr 3-5 – Reading & Maths) • Mean literacy score gr3: 19.4% • Mean numeracy score gr3: 28.4% • Gr 3 Black children in former white schools scored higher on the same test than Gr5 Black children in former Black schools • (Taylor, 2011b) ANA 2011 (Gr 1-6 Reading & Maths) • Mean literacy score gr3: 35% • Mean numeracy score gr3: 28% • Mean literacy score gr6: 28% • Mean numeracy score gr6: 30% • (DBE, 2011) (UNICEF internal report)

  4. Student performance: matric performance • Matric passes as % of Gr 2 learners 10 years earlier: • 2009: 28% • 2010: 34% • 2011: 38% • In the bottom 4 quintiles of schools, only 1% of learners in grade 8 will go on to pass matric and obtain a C symbol or higher (60%) for Mathematics and slightly fewer for Physical Science • Approximately ten times as many will do so in Quintile 5 schools (Oxford Policy Management & Stellenbosch Economics, 2012)

  5. Teacher knowledge Teachers cannot teach what they do not know. Demonizing teachers is popular, but unhelpful • “For every increment of performance I demand from you, I have an equal responsibility to provide you with the capacity to meet that expectation. Likewise, for every investment you make in my skill and knowledge, I have a reciprocal responsibility to demonstrate some new increment in performance” (Elmore, 2004b, p. 93).

  6. Background: Data SACMEQ • Southern and Eastern African Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality • 14 participating countries • SACMEQ II (2000), SACMEQ III (2007) • Nationally representative • Testing : • Gr 6 Numeracy • Gr 6 Literacy • HIV/AIDS Health knowledge SACMEQ III: South Africa • 9071 Grade 6 students • 1163 Grade 6 teacher tests • 392 primary schools • See SACMEQ website for research

  7. Teacher knowledge... Maths teacher content knowledge (SACMEQ III) Source: Stephen Taylor

  8. Teacher knowledgeSACMEQ III (2007)  401/498 Gr6 Mathematics teachers Correct answer (7km): 38%of Gr 6 Maths teachers 7 2 education systems

  9. Teacher knowledge...  Q6: 53% correct (D) Q9: 24% correct (C) English Q9: 57% correct (D)

  10. Teacher knowledge • Teachers cannot teach what they do not know • Minimum competency test • Teachers need to be able to pass tests that their learners are expected to pass. If not they need training ASAP • Matric marker competency test • Piloted nationally in 2012 • Already established in WC

  11. Accountability: teacher absenteeism(SACMEQ III – 2007 – 996 teachers)

  12. Accountability: teacher absenteeism(SACMEQ III – 2007 – 996 teachers) 4th/15

  13. Accountability: teacher absenteeism(SACMEQ III – 2007 – 996 teachers) Yes, BUT…2007 was a bad year 15th/15

  14. Accountability: teacher absenteeism • Teacher absenteeism is regularly found to be an issue in many studies • 2007: SACMEQ III conducted – 20 days average in 2007 • 2008: Khulisa Consortium audit – HSRC (2010) estimates that 20-24 days of regular instructional time were lost due to leave in 2008 • 2010: “An estimated 20 teaching days per teacher were lost during the 2010 teachers’ strike” (DBE, 2011: 18) • Importantly this does not include time lost where teachers were at school but not teaching scheduled lessons • A recent study observing 58 schools in the North West concluded that “Teachers did not teach 60% of the lessos they were scheduled to teach in North West” (Carnoy & Chisholm et al, 2012)

  15. Accountability: teacher absenteeism(SACMEQ III – 2007 – 996 teachers) Limpopo KwaZulu-Natal Eastern Cape Western Cape % absent > 1 week striking 97% 81% 32% 82% % absent > 1 month(20 days) 48% 62% 22% 73% 12% % absent > 2 months(40 days) 0% 10% 5% 1.3 days a week

  16. Conclusions • Some binding constraints: • Below-basic teacher content knowledge • Minimum teacher competency tests and emergency training • Excessively high teacher absenteeism • Teacher inspectorate?

  17. www.nicspaull.com/research nicholasspaull@gmail.com @NicSpaull

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