Release of the 2010 Standardisation Decisions Presentation to Portfolio Committee on Basic Education 15 March 2011

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE NSC RESULTS? Context, principles, approaches and processes Dr Sizwe Mabizela – Chair of Council

Reasons for Disclosure Unprecedented interest in the role of Umalusi Uninformed comments Credibility of the NSC Credibility of Umalusi

Legal Mandate Chapter 2A of GENFETQA Act 58 of 2001 (as amended in 2008)

Section17 of the GENFETQA Act (1) The Council must assure the quality of assessment at exit points (2)(a) The Council must develop policy for the accreditation of assessment bodies other than departments of education and must submit it to the Minister for approval (b) The Minister must make regulations in which the policy for accreditation is set out (c) The Council must accredit an assessment body in accordance with the regulations contemplated in paragraph (b) (3) The Council must perform the external moderation of assessment of all assessment bodies and education institutions (4) The Council may adjust raw marks during the standardisation process.

Section17 of the GENFETQA Act (5) The Council must, with the concurrence of the Director-General and after consultation with the relevant assessment body or education institution, approve the publication of the results of learners if the Council is satisfied that the assessment body or education institution has— (i) conducted the assessment free from any irregularity that may jeopardise the integrity of the assessment or its outcomes; (ii) complied with the requirements prescribed by the Council for conducting assessments; (iii) applied the standards prescribed by the Council which a learner is required to comply with in order to obtain a certificate; and (iv) complied with every other condition determined by the Council. (6) The Council must issue certificates to learners who have achieved qualifications or part qualifications

Processes and procedures in quality assuring the NSC examinations External Moderation and approval of question papers Monitoring the “State of readiness” Monitoring of the administration and conduct of examinations Verification of marking Monitoring the capture of examination marks Standardisation

Why Umalusi standardises results, and how Provision of GENFETQA – Council may adjust raw marks. International practice – large scale assessment systems Standardisation – process used to mitigate the effect of factors other than learners knowledge and aptitude on the learners performance. Sources of variability – difficulty in question paper, undetected errors, learner interpretation of questions

Objectives for Standardisation 1)To ensure that a cohort of learners is not advantaged or disadvantaged by extraneous factors other than their knowledge of the subject, abilities and their aptitude. 2)To achieve comparability and consistency from one year to the next.

Process for Standardisation Continuation of JMB and SAFCERT model Assessment Standards Committee Qualitative Reports Standardisation booklets (data) Subjects are standardised individually, in a linear and non- iterative manner

General principles applied in the standardisation of examination marks 1. In general no adjustment should exceed 10% or the historical average. 2. Adjustments in excess of 10% could be considered at the upper end to increase the number of distinctions in a subject. 3. In the case of the individual candidate, the adjustment effected should not exceed 50%of the raw mark obtained by the candidate. 4. If the distribution of the raw marks is below the historical average, the marks may be adjusted upwards subject to the limitations.

General principles applied in the standardisation of examination marks (cont.) 5. If the distribution of the raw marks is above the historical average, the marks may be adjusted downwards subject to the limitations. 6. The computer adjusted mark is calculated based on these principles. 7. For those subjects with a practical component of 50%, raw marks could be accepted. 8. Umalusi however retains the right to amend these principles where and when deemed to be necessary based on sound educational principles.

Specific issues / debates Does Umalusi meet with government and look at the pass rates on raw exam marks? Does Umalusi adjust marks to achieve a particular pass rate? Is Umalusi subjected to political pressure to achieve a particular pass rate?

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE NSC RESULTS? STANDARDISATION DECISIONS ERCO NSC 2010

SUBJECTADJUSTMENT Accounting 0 at 0 scale to +18 at 72, block 18 at 222 and scale to 0 at 300 Afrikaans First Additional LanguageRaw Afrikaans Home LanguageRaw Agricultural Management PracticeRaw Agricultural ScienceRaw Business Studies Raw Civil Technology (DBE) 0 at 0; scale to -15 at 30, scale to -8 at 248, scale to 0 at 300

SUBJECTADJUSTMENT Computer Application Tech.Raw Consumer Studies (DBE) Block +4 Dramatic Arts(DBE)Raw EconomicsRaw Electrical TechnologyRaw Engineering Graphics and DesignRaw English First Additional Lang. 0 at 0, scale to +6 at 234 and scale back to 0 to 300 English Home Language 0 at 0, scale up to +9 at 111, scale down to 0 at 300

SUBJECTADJUSTMENT French 2nd Additional Language (IEB) 0 at 0, +20 at 70 scale back to 0 at 300 Geography (DBE) 0 at 0, scale to +8 at 41, block +8 at 86 ; scale to 0 at 154, and then raw. History (DBE) Raw Hospitality StudiesRaw Information Technology (DBE)Raw IsiZulu First Additional (DBE)Raw Life OrientationRaw

SUBJECTADJUSTMENT Life SciencesRaw Mathematics 0 at 0, scale to +27 at 63, scale to +12 at 228 and scale to 0 at 300 Mathematical Literacy Raw Mathematics P3Raw Mechanical Technology (DBE)Raw Physical Science 0 at 0, scale to +12 at 78 and scale to +2 at 238 and 0 at 300 Portuguese 1st Additional Language (IEB)Raw

SUBJECTADJUSTMENT Religion StudiesRaw Sesotho 1st Additional Language (DBE)Raw TourismRaw Visual Arts (DBE)Raw

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE NSC RESULTS? STANDARDISATION DECISIONS IEB NSC 2010

SUBJECTADJUSTMENT Accounting 0 at 90 scale to at -7 to 247; Scale back to 0 at 300 Afrikaans First Additional Language 0 at 0, scale to +6 at 84, block +6 from 84 to 234, scale down to 0 at 300 Afrikaans Home LanguageRaw Business Studies 0 at 0, scale up +6 at 84, scale to +9 at 231, scale back to 0 at 300 Computer Application TechnologyRaw Consumer StudiesRaw DesignRaw

SUBJECTADJUSTMENT Dramatic Arts 0 at 200 scale -4 at 244 and scale back to 0 at 300 EconomicsRaw Engineering Graphics and Design 0 at at 78 scale to 0 at 200, scale to -10 at 250, scale back to 0 at 300 English First Additional LangRaw English Home LanguageRaw GeographyRaw HistoryRaw Information TechnologyRaw

SUBJECTADJUSTMENT IsiZulu First Additional LanguageRaw Life OrientationRaw Life SciencesRaw Mathematical Literacy 0 at 0 to -30 at 63, block -30 from 63 to 281, scale back to 0 at 300 Mathematics 0 at 0 to +6 at 105, block +6 from 105 to 144, scale back to 0 at 300 Mathematics P3Raw Physical Science 0 at 90 scale to +6 at 144, block of +6 from 144 to 234, scale back to 0 at 300

SUBJECTADJUSTMENT TourismRaw Visual Arts 0 at at 238, scale back to 0 at 300 Dance StudiesRaw Hospitality StudiesRaw MusicRaw Sepedi First Additional LanguageRaw Sesotho First Additional LanguageRaw Setswana First Additional LanguageRaw

SUBJECTADJUSTMENT Siswati First Additional LanguageRaw Siswati Home LanguageRaw IsiXhosa First Additional languageRaw IsiZulu Home LanguageRaw Arabic 2nd Additional Lang 0 at 0, scale to +20 at 70 scale back to 0 at 300 French 2nd Additional Lang 0 at 0, scale to +20 at 70 scale back to 0 at 300 German Home LanguageRaw German 2nd Additional Language 0 at 200,scale to -7 at 247, scale back to 0 at 300

SUBJECTADJUSTMENT Gujurati 2nd Additional LangRaw Hebrew 2nd Additional Lang 0 at 200, scale to -7 at 247, scale to 0 at 300 Hindi 2nd Additional LangRaw Italian 2nd Additional LangRaw Latin 2nd Additional LangRaw Modern Greek 2nd Additional LangRaw Portuguese 1st Additional LangRaw Portuguese 2nd Additional LangRaw

SUBJECTADJUSTMENT Spanish 2nd Additional LangRaw Tamil 2nd Additional LangRaw Telegu 2nd AdditionalRaw Urdu Home LanguageRaw Advanced Programme Mathematics 0 at 0, scale to +15 at 150, block +15 to 240, scale to 0 at 300 Equine StudiesRaw Sport and Exercise Science 0 at 0, scale to +15 at 30, block +15 at 200, scale to 0 at 300

WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE NSC RESULTS? STANDARDISATION DECISIONS DBE NSC 2010

SUBJECTADJUSTMENT Accounting 0 at 0, scale to +23 at 67, scale to +6 at 234, scale to 0 at 300 Afrikaans FAL Raw Afrikaans HL Raw Afrikaans SAL Raw Agricultural Management Practice Raw Agricultural Science 0 at 0, scale to -9 at 18, block -9 from 18 to 220, scale down to 0 at 240 and raw to 300

SUBJECTADJUSTMENT Agricultural TechnologyRaw Business StudiesRaw Civil Technology 0 at 0; scale to -15 at 30, scale to -8 at 248, scale to 0 at 300 Computer Application Tech Raw Consumer Studies Block +4 Dance Studies Raw Design Raw Dramatic ArtsRaw

SUBJECTADJUSTMENT EconomicsRaw Electrical Technology 0 at 0, scale -6 at 46, block -6 to 226, scale to 0 at 240 and raw up to 300 Engineering Graphics and Design Raw English HL 0 at 0, scale to +3 at 117, scale back to 0 at 171, thereafter raw to 300 English First Additional Lang FAL Block +3

SUBJECTADJUSTMENT English Second Additional Lang Raw Geography 0 at 0, scale to +8 at 41, block +8 at 86 ; scale to 0 at 154, and then raw to 300. HistoryRaw Hospitality StudiesRaw Information TechnologyRaw IsiNdebele HL Block - 6 IsiZulu HL Block - 6 IsiZulu FALRaw

SUBJECTADJUSTMENT IsiZulu SALRaw IsiXhosa HL Raw IsiXhosa FAL Block -6 IsiXhosa SAL Raw Life OrientationRaw Life Sciences 0 at 0 ; scale to -9 at 23; block -9 from 23 to 286 and scale down to 0 to 300 Mathematics 0 at 0, scale to +22 at 68, scale down to +15 at 225, scale to 0 at 300

SUBJECTADJUSTMENT Mathematical Literacy Raw Mathematics P3Raw Mechanical TechnologyRaw MusicRaw Physical ScienceRaw Religion Studies 0 at 0 scale to -12 at 24; block -12 to 291 and scale down to 0 at 300 Sepedi HLRaw Sepedi FALRaw

SUBJECTADJUSTMENT Sesotho HL 0 at 210, scale to +4 at 236, scale down to 0 at 300 Sesotho FALRaw Sesotho SALRaw Setswana HL Raw up to 210; scale to +7 at 233; scale to 0 at 300 Setswana FALRaw Setswana SALRaw Siswati HL Block - 6 Siswati FALRaw

SUBJECTADJUSTMENT Tshivenda HL 0 at 210 scale to +7 at 233 and scale to 0 at 300 Tshivenda FALRaw TourismRaw Visual ArtsRaw Xitsonga HL 0 at 120 scale to -6 at 148 and block of -6 to 272 and scale to 0 at 300 Xitsonga FALRaw Nautical ScienceRaw Maritime EconomicsRaw