1.1 Read the case study below and answer the questions that follow.

Question

Events that unfolded at XYZ Secondary School

XYZ Secondary School is a new school that has been in operation for two (2) years. In all the years it has been in operation, the school has been led by Mr Num who has just started on his role as the principal. Even though the school is still new, the expectation is it must follow all rules and regulations as mandated by the Department of Basic Education (DBE) on how the school needs to operate. When the DBE conducted some investigation focusing on its recording and reporting of learners’ performance, it emerged that teachers do keep current mark sheets of learners’ progress. It also emerged that parents receive their children’s report cards in the second and fourth term only. When submitting learners’ end of year report cards, the school only released marks for Term 4 in the report cards. When questioned about such acts the principal’s response was, “What is important is for learners to get marks for that term. The previous terms’ marks are not important.” The DBE also realised that the school has no schedules as they are only completed once a year which is at the end of the year. Furthermore, the schedules only had a school stamp and the principal’s signature. When asked why the schedule did not include number of years learners spent in a phase, the principal mentioned that he was not sure if such information must be included in the schedule. It was however pleasing to learn that in the midst of all the challenges, teachers’ file were always availed for moderation whenever they were requested.

1.1.1 From reading the case study above, which of the NCS Grade R-12 policy documents do you think addresses matters that transpired at XYZ Secondary School and explain the reason for your answer? (2)

Answer 1

The National Curriculum Statement for Grades R-12 (NCS) policy document, specifically the Assessment Policy Statement (APS), addresses the matters that transpired at XYZ Secondary School. The APS provides guidelines on how assessments should be conducted, recorded, and reported throughout the year, including the importance of keeping current mark sheets, providing report cards in all terms, and including learners' progress from previous terms in the end of year report cards. Additionally, the APS also outlines the requirements for schedules, including the information that must be included in them such as the number of years learners spent in a phase. The issues raised in the case study point to a lack of adherence to the APS guidelines, showing a need for improvement in the school's assessment practices.