Circ 06/2008 Guidelines for Oral Assessment and Moderation for All Official Languages Offered

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On request, this circular will be made available in Afrikaans, isiZulu or Sepedi within 21 days

Also available on the GDE website at: www.education.gpg.gov.za

Office of the Head of Department

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GUIDELINES FOR ORAL ASSESSMENT AND MODERATION FOR ALL OFFICIAL LANGUAGES OFFERED IN THE NATIONAL SENIOR CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION AT HOME, FIRST AND SECOND ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE LEVEL

1.PURPOSE

1.1This circular replaces Circular 08 of 2005.

1.2This circular describes the duties and responsibilities of all stakeholders in the implementation of oral assessment.

1.3 A management plan with important dates for the implementation of oral assessment is included (Annexure A). This annexure will be revised annually and will be sent to schools in January of each year.

1.4 All the necessary forms and information are supplied as annexure.

2.LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK

2.1National Educational Policy Act, 1996 (Act No. 27 of 1996).

2.2 The South African Schools Act, 1996 (Act No. 84 of 1996) as amended.

2.3An addendum to the policy document, the National Senior Certificate: A Qualification at Level 4 on the National Qualification Framework (NQF), regarding the National Protocol for Recording and Reporting (Grade R – 12) (Government Gazette No. 29467).

2.4 The National Curriculum Statement Grades 10 – 12 (General) Subject Assessment Guidelines: Languages Home Language, First Additional Language and Second Additional Language.

2.5 Subject Assessment Guidelines: Languages Home Language, First Additional Language and Second Additional Language, 2007.

3.OBJECTIVES

3.1To implement a moderation procedure which will be both reliable and valid provincially.

3.2Broaden and deepen language competencies developed in the General Education and Training band, including the abstract language skills required for academic learning across the curriculum, and the aesthetic appreciation and enjoyment of texts, so that learners are able to listen, speak, read/view and write/present with confidence. These skills and attitudes form the basis for life-long learning.

3.3 Enable learners to use language appropriately in real-life contexts, taking into account audience, purpose and context.

3.4 Enable learners to express and justify their own ideas, views and emotions confidently in order to become independent and analytical thinkers.

3.5 Enable learners to use language and their imagination to represent and explore human experience.

These objectives are in keeping with current trends in outcomes-based education and outcomes-based assessment at the Further Education and Training level, and are aligned to the National Curriculum Statement. Whilst it is suggested as the guideline for implementation in Grade 12 with immediate effect, schools should also prepare Grade 10 and 11 learners for this process.

4.PREAMBLE

4.1Oral moderation for the different languages offered for study in Grade 12 has to be of an acceptable uniform standard in order to ensure reliability and validity at provincial level.

4.2It is therefore crucial:

• to have reliable standards in place; and
• to have moderators who are well trained to ensure that there is reasonable, uniform standardisation.

4.3In order to meet the objectives set out, the educator must first familiarise himself/herself with Annexure J (Criteria for oral assessment).

4.4Whilst Annexure J and the assessment rubric (refer to subject guidelines) serve as guides, it is important to adhere to them closely because these documents set the standards for oral assessment on a provincial scale for all languages.

4.5It should be borne in mind that the oral component has a double weighting, where it is calculated up to the end of the Preparatory Examination and then separately as an oral component, which is regarded as paper 4 for Home Language and First Additional Language and Paper 3 for Second Additional Language.

5.GUIDELINES FOR THE CONDUCT OF ORAL ASSESSMENT

5.1 General guidelines

5.1.1Teachers should ensure that the full range of oral assessment occurs, which should include reading aloud and conversation, prepared speaking and conversation.

5.1.2The procedure should be ongoing and not a once-off assessment.

5.1.3 Both formal and informal testing of the communicative ability of the learner should occur.

5.1.4 Oral tasks and assessment form part of the formal assessment of a learner and should be thoroughly planned and prepared by the educator.

5.1.5 All oral assessment tasks should also be projected on the educators’ and school assessment plans as these form a part of the ongoing formal assessment.

5.1.6 As far as possible the educator is encouraged to integrate the oral activities into other classroom activities. However, it must be stressed that all oral activities must be planned and prepared by the educator, as well as the learner and the assessment criteria must be given to the learners prior to being tested.

5.2Listening

5.2.1This activity must be done throughout the year. As the learners become more familiar with the activity and practice, their listening skills improve and they will be able to answer questions after reading the passage only once or twice.

5.2.2The learners must be able to demonstrate critical awareness of language use in oral situations, explain varieties of language with growing understanding and appreciation and recognise the relationship between language and culture.

5.3Prepared and unprepared speaking

5.3.1Learners must be able to demonstrate planning and research skills for oral presentations.

5.3.2Oral presentations of learners must be fluent and expressive.

5.3.3The learners must be able to use and respond to tone, voice projection, pace, eye contact, posture and gestures.

5.3.4Educators must encourage learners to bring along texts to support their speeches.

5.3.5The speeches could be presented to the entire class or individually to the teacher (in the case of very shy learners or learners with speech problems).

5.3.6The educator may ask the learners questions to clarify anything that might not be clear or to get more depth.

5.4Reading and viewing

5.4.1The learner should be able to read and view for understanding and to evaluate critically and respond to a wide range of texts.

5.4.2The techniques for skimming, scanning, working out contextual clues should be the educator’s focus of attention in this section.

5.4.3Critical reading and viewing is vital in a world driven by multimedia and visual stimuli.

1. FORMAT FOR ORAL PRESENTATION BY LEARNERS

6.1The format for the oral assessment should not be too formal and rigid.

6.2At Home Language level, both formal/structured and an informal approach could be used, encompassing either a one-to-one learner format or a group format.

7.THE ALLOCATION OF MARKS

7.1 The marks awarded by educators should be an authentic reflection of the learner’s ability.

7.2 It is therefore not always realistic to award on the one hand a zero as a mark, and on the other, a full mark, except in the case of a truly exceptional learner. Where such marks are awarded, moderators will be asked to moderate these marks specifically.

7.3 All learners are not at the same level of competence and therefore it is highly improbable that all learners can attain the same mark.

7.4 There should also be some correlation between the learner’s oral and written performance. Oral marks of candidates are generally between 5% and 7% higher than their written marks. However, this is merely a guideline.

7.5 Educators should use an assessment rubric (refer to subject guidelines) during the assessment.

7.6 If educators require assistance, they should contact the curriculum co-ordinator at the district office, who will address the needs of educators.

8.THE RECORDING OF MARKS FOR ORAL ASSESSMENT (SAMPLE GRID)

8.1General

8.1.1Educators are required to keep an official record of marks, and the columns for the various components should conform to the columns as stated below. Marks must be entered in strict alphabetical order.

8.1.2The oral tasks undertaken during the course of the year constitute 50 of the 300 marks in the end-of-year external assessment in HOME LANGUAGE AND FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE.

8.1.3In SECOND ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE the oral tasks throughout the year constitute Paper 3 and make up 100 of the 300 marks in the external end-of-year assessment.

8.2Home Language

8.3First Additional Language

8.4Second Additional Language

9.SUPPORT/TRAINING FOR ORAL ASSESSMENT/MODERATION

Adequate support/training for educators and moderators in oral assessment is crucial to the attainment of provincial standards. The following training programme is recommended:

9.1 For Grade 12 language heads of department (HODs), a workshop shall be conducted with HODs and language representatives of language educators from every school. The trained district officials and cluster co-ordinators will conduct this in a decentralised manner in the districts early in the year. The programme for this workshop must be submitted to the provincial oral moderation co-ordinator. This workshop should incorporate practical demonstrations of how learners should be assessed/moderated for the different categories for oral assessment.

9.2 For all Grade 12 language educators at school, a workshop shall be conducted by the HODs and the trained representatives immediately after the district workshop. District language co-ordinators and facilitators must ensure that every school complies with this requirement. District language facilitators/language cluster leaders should attend these workshops to offer guidance and support to school-based educators.

9.3 District language facilitators must ensure that all languages are treated alike and that all Grade 12 language educators are adequately trained. The training of educators at school is the responsibility of the principal and the HOD for languages.

10.STAGES OF MODERATION

There are three stages of moderation:

• School-based moderation
• Cluster moderation
• Provincial monitoring/moderation

10.1Stage 1: School-based moderation

10.1.1 Information about school-based moderation

10.1.1.1 After every learner is assessed on a continuous basis according to the criteria for oral assessment, the following moderation will take place internally via an organised internal moderation programme headed by the HOD for languages at the school.

10.1.1.2 Each educator’s marks must be moderated, using assessment rubrics, criteria for oral assessment or the assessment tool used by the educator.

10.1.1.3 The HOD/acting HOD for languages should ensure that this is completed after educators have attended a workshop on oral assessment, in order to establish acceptable guidelines for standardisation (in keeping with provincial standards).

10.1.1.4It is advisable for all educators to assess a sample of candidates in the workshop before engaging in any moderation in order to facilitate the comparison and standardisation of marks.

10.1.2Mark sheets (Copy attached: Annexure E/F/G)

10.1.2.1Marks will be entered in strict alphabetical order per class on the "working mark sheets" as per Annexure E/F/G.

10.1.2.2A separate mark sheet (Annexure E/F/G) must be completed for the different levels of language offered.

10.1.2.3These "working mark sheets" must reflect the actual marks obtained by candidates and not percentages.

10.1.2.4Any adjustments required by the cluster moderators must be entered in the relevant section.

10.1.2.5Marks must be transferred to the computer-generated mark sheets, provided by the Department, and submitted to the district office.

10.1.2.6The signatures of the principal, HOD and cluster co-ordinator should appear on the mark sheets of every class.

10.1.2.7The “working mark sheet" must be stapled to the computer-generated mark sheet for purposes of checking the accuracy of the transfer of marks.

10.1.2.8Symbol distribution statistics (Annexure D) must be completed for each class.

10.1.2.9 Moderation within the school should be completed before the end of the second term (as per management plan).

10.1.2.10 Cluster moderation cannot commence until the marks of the school have been finalised, and the mark sheets and symbol distribution statistics have been completed.

10.1.2.11An asterisk (*) must be used on the mark sheet to indicate that a candidate has special educational needs.

10.2. Stage 2: Cluster moderation

10.2.1Information about cluster moderation

10.2.1.1The cluster moderation is the most crucial aspect of moderation since it will ensure that the marks of every school in the cluster are moderated to ensure that standards within the cluster, as well as between clusters are the same.

10.2.1.2A cluster group will consist of about 10 schools, which are relatively close to each other. The number of Grade 12 candidates per school must be taken into account when drawing up clusters.

10.2.1.3The responsibility for organising the cluster language groups rests entirely with the district FET language facilitators. The district FET language facilitator must ensure that the schools which offer languages for moderation are clustered in such a way that the clusters will allow for the moderation process to be completed within the given timeframes by the Department. The clusters must also reflect reasonable travelling distances between schools.

10.2.1.4In each cluster, the district language facilitator will identify one school as the co-ordinating school for that particular language group. The HOD from the identified school will act as the cluster co-ordinator for that language and shall assume responsibility for calling an initial meeting with all schools within that cluster. He/she will also work closely with district language facilitators to ensure that the whole process of moderation, as well as the co-ordination and submission of final marks (after moderation), is completed within the timeframes stipulated by the Department.

10.2.1.5A list of all schools in their respective language cluster groups with the co-ordinating schools and co-ordinators must be sent via the district FET language facilitator to the Project Manager: Oral Moderation, Exams and Assessment Directorate at Head Office.

10.2.1.6Initial meeting: Dates, times and procedures for the moderation of each school, as well as a date and time to discuss the observations and recommendations of moderators, must be agreed upon by all moderators at the first cluster meeting. The management plans for each cluster must be sent, via the district facilitators, to the Project Manager: Oral Moderation, Exams and Assessment Directorate at Head Office before the end of March.

10.2.1.7Schools that are not represented at the meetings called by the cluster co-ordinator must be reported to the Director of the district, via the FET district languages facilitator, who will take the necessary steps to bring them back to the process. The following important points must be taken into consideration:

• All candidates for moderation at the particular school must be available for cluster moderation. The date selected for the moderation should therefore not be one on which they are involved in other school activities.

• Cluster moderation should be conducted and completed without disrupting the culture of teaching and learning. Therefore, careful planning must take place in consultation with the school principals concerned.

• It is recommended that cluster moderation takes place between 14:00 and 16:00 (or as negotiated with the principal) and only the candidates selected for oral moderation remain after school hours.

10.2.1.8Cluster moderation should commence by the 2nd week in July and should be concluded by the end of August. A detailed report by each cluster co-ordinator, together with all moderated mark sheets for all the schools in the cluster, must be handed to the district subject facilitator by the last Friday in August.

10.2.1.9The district FET language facilitator will forward the mark sheets in cluster/district batches, with a control list and make his/her recommendations to the Project Manager: Oral Moderation, Exams and Assessment Directorate, Head Office, once the district moderation is completed.

10.2.2Moderation venue

10.2.2.1Depending on the factors which influence and affect each cluster, (e.g. whether they are situated in urban or outlying areas) cluster moderation teams may decide either to call candidates to a central venue for oral moderation or choose to visit the school.

10.2.3Composition of the moderation team

10.2.3.1 Depending on the size of the cluster, the district facilitators and the cluster co-ordinators can decide on the size of the moderation teams.

10.2.3.2 The teacher whose learners are being selected for oral moderation can request to be part of the moderation team. This will ensure that the moderation is free of any bias and will give the teacher an opportunity to justify the marks allocated to candidates.

10.2.3.3The moderation team should not, however, allow the teacher to influence its independent judgement. The moderation will be by consensus. If consensus cannot be reached the matter must be referred to the district language facilitator for mediation. The marks will only be adjusted if agreed upon by the educators involved.

10.2.4Selection of candidates for moderation

10.2.4.1The school principal must inform the candidates (preferably in writing via their parents/guardians) that moderation is an integral part of their oral examination and they cannot absent themselves on the day set aside without a valid reason or medical certificate. Those who are not present on the day of the moderation should be subjected to moderation on another day by appointment.