scholarly journals Alignment between South African mathematics assessment standards and the TIMSS assessment frameworks

Pythagoras ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mdutshekelwa Ndlovu ◽  
Andile Mji
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Curriculum Reform ◽  
Mathematics Curriculum ◽  
National Curriculum ◽  
Mathematics Assessment ◽  
Benchmark Tests ◽  
Timss 2003 ◽  
Policy Statements ◽  
Assessment Standards ◽  
Grade 8

South Africa’s performance in international benchmark tests is a major cause for concern amongst educators and policymakers, raising questions about the effectiveness of the curriculum reform efforts of the democratic era. The purpose of the study reported in this article was to investigate the degree of alignment between the TIMSS 2003 Grade 8 Mathematics assessment frameworks and the Revised National Curriculum Statements (RNCS) assessment standards for Grade 8 Mathematics, later revised to become the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS). Such an investigation could help to partly shed light on why South African learners do not perform well and point out discrepancies that need to be attended to. The methodology of document analysis was adopted for the study, with the RNCS and the TIMSS 2003 Grade 8 Mathematics frameworks forming the principal documents. Porter’s moderately complex index of alignment was adopted for its simplicity. The computed index of 0.751 for the alignment between the RNCS assessment standards and the TIMSS assessment objectives was found to be significantly statistically low, at the alpha level of 0.05, according to Fulmer’s critical values for 20 cells and 90 or 120 standard points. The study suggests that inadequate attention has been paid to the alignment of the South African mathematics curriculum to the successive TIMSS assessment frameworks in terms of the cognitive level descriptions. The study recommends that participation in TIMSS should rigorously and critically inform ongoing curriculum reform efforts.

scholarly journals ‘Not waiting for the initiative to arrive’: Teachers promoting and sustaining reading

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Hendricks
Keyword(s):  
School Improvement ◽  
Teacher Development ◽  
Curriculum Reform ◽  
National Curriculum ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Assessment Policy ◽  
Policy Statements ◽  
Curriculum 2005 ◽  
Curriculum Reforms

The phases of post-apartheid curriculum reform starting with Curriculum 2005, to the revisions ushered in by the National Curriculum Statements and the recent Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements display a trend toward increasing prescription in terms of content to be taught and allocation of curriculum time per subject, both of which are useful. In order to prepare school teachers for these ongoing curriculum reforms and an increased assessment burden, the national and provincial Education Departments have held regular workshops and provided bursaries for teachers to embark on academic studies in their teaching field. In addition, estimates are that non-governmental sources have spent R1 billion annually since 1994 on school improvement and teacher development programmes.

scholarly journals Place value without number sense: Exploring the need for mental mathematical skills assessment within the Annual National Assessments

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mellony Graven
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Intermediate Phase ◽  
Number Sense ◽  
Mathematics Assessment ◽  
Algebraic Thinking ◽  
Mental Computation ◽  
Documentary Analysis ◽  
Intermediate Phases ◽  
Policy Statements ◽  
Mental Mathematics

In this paper we examine the extent of the focus on number sense, enabled and accompanied by the development of efficient strategies for mental maths, in the foundation and intermediate phase. We do this through documentary analysis of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) for these phases and the Annual National Assessments (ANAs). We argue that number sense and mental agility are critical for the development and understanding of algorithms and algebraic thinking introduced in the intermediate phase. However, we note from our work with learners, and broader evidence in the South African landscape, that counting-based strategies in the foundation phase are replaced in the intermediate phase with traditional algorithms. We share experiences in the form of vignettes to illuminate this problem. Whilst literature and the CAPS curriculum emphasise the important role of mental computation within number sense, we note that the ANAs do not include a “mental mathematics” component. This absence in assessment, where assessment often drives teaching, is problematic. We conclude with the suggestion that research be conducted into the viability/appropriateness of an orally administered mental mathematics assessment component in the ANAs as a way to establish a focus on number sense across the foundation and intermediate phases.

scholarly journals Assessment standards, Van Hiele levels, and grade seven learners’ understandings of geometry

Pythagoras ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 0 (62) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nosisi Feza ◽  
Paul Webb
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Second Language Learners ◽  
National Curriculum ◽  
Mathematical Education ◽  
Van Hiele ◽  
Van Hiele Levels ◽  
Language Competency ◽  
Assessment Standards

A number of researchers in mathematical education assert that the instruction in geometry offered in South African schools is inadequate and that traditional teaching strategies do little to promote teachers understandings of their learners’ levels of mathematical thought. Van Hiele specifically states that the inability of many teachers to match instruction with their learners’ levels of geometrical understanding is a contributing factor to their failure to promote meaningful understandings in this topic.  This study investigated whether a sample of grade seven learners in previously disadvantaged primary schools met both the assessment criteria for geometry as stated by the South African Revised National Curriculum Statement and the implied Van Hiele thinking levels.  The data generated suggest that none of the 30 learners who participated in this study had attained these requirements and that language competency in general is a barrier to the attainment of higher levels of understanding amongst this group of second-language learners. It is suggested that not only Van Hiele Levels and Assessment Standards, but also learners’ cultural background and their specific use of words in the vernacular context, need to be taken into consideration by teachers when developing learning programmes. Possible strategies to meet these requirements are suggested.

scholarly journals Continuous assessment and matriculation examination marks – An empirical examination

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Servaas Van der Berg ◽  
Debra Shepherd
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Career Planning ◽  
National Curriculum ◽  
Continuous Assessment ◽  
Empirical Examination ◽  
Sense Of Security ◽  
False Sense ◽  
Matriculation Examination ◽  
School Careers ◽  
Examination Preparation

<p>This study analyses information and feedback from matriculation level continuous assessment in the South African education system. Continuous assessment (CASS) at the time carried a 25% weight in the final matriculation (Grade 12) mark, and it provides feedback that affects examination preparation and effort. Weak assessment in schools sends wrong signals to students that may have important consequences for the way they approach the final examination. Moreover, similarly wrong signals earlier in their school careers may also have affected their subject choice and career planning.<br />This study compares CASS data to the externally assessed matric exam marks for a number of subjects. There are two signalling dimensions to inaccurate assessments: (i) Inflated CASS marks can give students a false sense of security and lead to diminished exam effort. (ii) A weak correlation between CASS and the exam marks could mean poor signalling in another dimension: Relatively good students may get relatively low CASS marks. Such low correlations indicate poor assessment reliability, as the examination and continuous assessment should both be testing mastery of the same national curriculum. The paper analyses the extent of each of these dimensions of weak signalling in South African schools and draws disturbing conclusions for a large part of the school system.</p>

scholarly journals The botanical content in the South African curriculum: A barren desert or a thriving forest?

2016 ◽  
Vol Volume 112 (Number 1/2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amelia L. Abrie ◽  
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Biology Education ◽  
Plant Biology ◽  
The South ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Assessment Policy ◽  
Policy Statements ◽  
Plant Sciences ◽  
American Society

Abstract Botanists who are interested in education have often expressed their dismay at how plant sciences are neglected in Biology curricula, despite the important roles that plants play. While botanists in several overseas countries have studied the ways in which plant sciences are represented in curricula, no research has been done on how botany is neglected in the South African curriculum. Currently, the South African curriculum is known as the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) for Grades R–12. In this study, a comparison was made among the content that is generally taught in introductory plant sciences courses, the American Society of Plant Biologists’ principles for plant biology education and the relevant CAPS documents. The time spent on plant, animal or human-focused content was established and compared at both phase and grade level. It was found that while the curriculum addresses all the major concepts in the plant sciences, very little time was being allocated to exclusively plant-focused content as compared to animal and human-focused content. This neglect was particularly prevalent in the Foundation Phase. The way in which the content is structured and presented in the curriculum may in all likelihood not be sufficient to provide a strong knowledge and skills foundation in the plant sciences, nor will it encourage the development of positive values towards plants. While consensus regarding the content of a curriculum will be difficult to achieve, awareness of potential gaps in the curriculum should be brought to the attention of the botanical and educational communities.

scholarly journals CULTURAL HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF IRANIAN SCHOOL MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM: THE ROLE OF COMPUTATIONAL THINKING

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 411-426
Author(s):  
Abolfazl Rafiepour ◽  
Danyal Farsani
Keyword(s):  
Curriculum Reform ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
Mathematics Curriculum ◽  
Historical Analysis ◽  
Computational Thinking ◽  
School Mathematics ◽  
Curriculum Changes ◽  
International Comparative ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
School Mathematics Curriculum

In this paper, six mathematics curriculum changes in Iran will be reviewed, spanning from 1900 until the present time. At first, change forces, barriers, and the main features of each curriculum reform will be represented. The first five curriculum changes are described briefly and the sixth and most recent curriculum reform will be elaborated. In this paper, we call the last reform as contemporary school mathematics curriculum change. This recent (contemporary) curriculum reform will be explained in more detail, followed by a discussion of the effect of globalization and research finding in the field of mathematics and mathematics education (in the Iranian mathematics curriculum). In total, three key ideas are distinguished as an effect of globalization which is “New Math”, “International Comparative Studies”, and “Computational Thinking”. Finally, the paper comments on the necessity of paying more attention to information and communication technology as part of globalization; in particular, recall policy-makers to consider “Computational Thinking” as an important component of future curriculum design.

Dilemmas of leading national curriculum reform in a global era

2013 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 293-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongbiao Yin ◽  
John Chi-Kin Lee ◽  
Wenlan Wang
Keyword(s):  
Curriculum Reform ◽  
National Curriculum ◽  
Global Era
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