That time for myths and fears has started as the grade 12 started with their exams yesterday. I was asked to comment on the questions around grade 12 examinations by a media representative and I wanted to share my views as follows:
Question 1
What advice can be given to those sitting for their first NSC examination?
Answer: Because there is a definite process of standardization and moderation of the papers for quality assurance, my advice in the 11th hour would be to study model papers in the past 3 years. Here one sees different options in which content knowledge can be assessed. Attempts at answering these would give a good feel for the real exam, which prepares one mentally and emotionally.
Question 2:
How can learners sitting for their language examination prepare for them?
Answer: There are key areas for language papers that are examinable, depending on whether it is paper 1, 2 or 3. Like maths, science and other content subjects, language examination needs practice and rehearsal. For example, summary, short and long transactional texts, and grammar items like direct/indirect speech are obviously going to be part of the exam. For evaluative questions, which are usually a challenge for the learners, it is important to note that a "yes" or "no" answer is insufficient and they need to know that there is no wrong or right answer here. Examiners/markers are interested in the reason/s of the "yes" or "no" and they judge reasoning rather than a correct answer. For comprehension texts, they should follow the old advice to read questions first so their reading of the text is intentional. It is advisable for the learners to have a good handle of these and other parts through practice, practice and practice. Examples of old papers and memoranda are all available on the DBE website.
Question 3
In comparison to last years examination, do you think this years examination will be easier or difficult?
Answer: We have seen an increase in the level of difficulty in the past three years as the CAPS started maturing. This is however not matched by improvements in the quality of teaching. Most learners are caught in this tension as teacher education institutions and a generation of retiring teachers have equally not been helpful in decoding the CAPS as they have serially proven underprepared. Yet the public eyes are narrowly focusing on the easiness/difficulty of the papers. It is delicate matter, not simple in black and white.
Standardization of papers by Umalusi ensures that cohorts of learners are not unfairly advantaged or disadvantaged by reasons other than their own capabilities. Although the quality of papers are gradually improved, the level of change cannot be so drastic to lower or raise a pass significantly. The public often decries marks going down or up ( especially if the results at face value show an upward trend) without understanding how standardization works (e.g., why a historical average is important to assure steady growth/decline- something normal with general population growth dynamics). In short, the exams will not be either difficult or easy as this will be unfair to either the previous or current cohort. Any suggestion to either way should be dismissed as sensational.
Question 4:
Efforts made by the department and schools, do you think the provincial rates will be higher than last year?
Catch up programmes at provincial levels are commendable. But recall that these are geared mainly at lower performing schools and in particular targeting the "progressed" learners. The idea is to mitigate overall pass rates, which stand to be low due to progressed learners who usually come to grade 12 underprepared. If anything, we can learn from the impact of these programmes in 2016. Because the overall number of progressed learners were slightly above 60000, the efforts did not have a significant impact on the overall national performance. The number will most certainly rise to about 90000 this year, but this will still be insignificant relative to approximately 700000 learners in total. At a very micro level, yes to see more learners passing due these efforts is encouraging and we are likely to see a repeat of urban provinces like Gauteng doing better than rural provinces where these efforts are not as effective. For example, Gauteng, in a bid to reclaim its position as the number 1 province, has introduced an unfair and discriminatory system called "targeting the talented" to boost results while leaving the weaker even weaker. They noticed that focusing on low performers was not in the end showing statistical change in the overall provincial results. Rural provinces, in the other hand, do not have this leverage as they have more underperforming schools. It seems in my view an uncoordinated intervention that is based on competition instead of a cohesive system managed to stem out deeply unequal outcomes.
Question 5:
What could be the reasons for the high number of drop outs, learners not making it to sit for their NSC exam?
Answer: A large number of drop outs occur in grade 10, counting up to 50%. There are as many reasons as these learners including transitional and structural factors I prefer to call "push outs". Beyond grade 10, drop out/push out rate is so negligible to cause any alarms. I am not sure why this is raising concerns. The assumption of this statement is categorically incorrect as there is no mark for one to obtain to qualify to sit for the exams. Even the SBA's would not disqualify any learner.
Congratulations to the 2017 cohort!
Professor Leketi Makalela
Founding Director: Hub for Multilingual Education and Literacies
Twitter: @LeketiMakalela
www.leketimakalela.co.za
Latest Book: Shifting Lenses: Multilanguaging, Decolonization and Education in the Global South
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