Question 3

Explain what is meant by authentic assessment and why is it important [8]

Authentic assessment:

is realistic, relevant and applicable.

present tasks that simulate real-world situations and involves "ill-structured" challenges and roles [in
other words the task is not fully explained in order to stimulate the learner to use their own abilities to
respond to or produce their unique solution which in turns makes it more authentic. This will help
prepare them for the real world]
provides observable products and understandable evidenice [for the parents and community]
takes into account individual learning styles, aptitudes and interests.
makes provision for learner with barriers.
reflects local values, standards and contexts.
elicits higher order thinking, is holistic and not limited to classroom activities.

Authentic assessment is important because it prepares learners for the real world. It challenges them on their
level and motivates them because they get a variety of opportunities to demonstrate their abilities in different
ways and in different contexts

Question 5.2 requires us to indicate when is an assessment "credible".Now, credibility is briefly discussed in
tutorial 501 on page 35.It is stated that an assessment can be regarded credible if 4 conditions are met: The
overall assessment process is "reliable" and would yield similar results time and again, even when used by other
assessors. The assessment method of generating, gathering and evaluating assessment evidence is " fair" and
treats all learners the same before, during and after the assessment. The assessment evidence generated,
gathered and evaluated or judged, is "valid", i.e. directly related to what is prescribed in the curriculum and
addressed in teaching and learning opportunities in the classroom

Examples of fairness - before the assessment task is done all learners are given the same information, time to
prepare, written instructions, resources etc. during the assessment again - the same amount of time alloed,
resources, etc. Afterwards, when you mark (assess) their answers - you set your biases aside willfully , fold front
covers with learner names away or mark question by question, so that you do not know whose script you are
marking...you use the same instrument (memo or grid for everyone - criterion-referencing is inherently more fair
that norm-referencing, etc.

Examples to ensure Authenticity - in tests and exams we invigilate to ensure they do not copy from notes or each
other.

Authenticity is ALWAYS a concern if learners do research tasks and the like as homework - to combat this I
always allowed the to prepare for the task at home, and encouraged them to ask for whatever help they can get -
that is life...but the completion of the report will be done in class under invigilation - even if a learner memorised
the report, the written report is what she / he learnt, not so? Another way to alleviate this concern is to limit the
weight of such tasks with regard to the contribution these make towards the year mark.

Reliability - I will use a process that is tried and tested by other teachers - I will not use processes that are
untested - similar to fairness, I will prepare for the assessment well and have a pre-assessment meeting or
discussion with learners before-hand, I will use instruments that are quality assured by a moderator during and
after the task is done, i will give feedback the same way every time, etc - this issue here is that the same process
will yield similar results under similar circumstances - this means I must DO the process the same way every
time...

Bear in mind however, that in all the above examples the purpose of the assessment was summative - learners
were assessed AFTER the learning process...in formative assessment - where fior example learners do a peer
assessment - I know beforehand that the assessments will not be completely fair because learners are not
mature enough or subject matter expert enough to make accurate judgements of the peer's evidence -
nonetheless, I will urge learners to be fair, I will ask them to justify their judgements, etc, to enhance fairness...
Your examples have to illustrate your understanding of the principles very clearly...here is a hint - do not refer to
evidence in your example if the principle under discussion is related to process or method, likewise, do not refer
to method or process in the example if the principle is related to evidence...

Question 1 May/June 2017

The definition used by the Department of Education in the CAPS documents states:

Assessment is a continuous, planned process of identifying, gathering and interpreting information

about the performance of learners, and may take various forms.

It involves four steps: generating and collecting evidence of achievement, evaluating this evidence,
recording the findings and using this information. The information is particularly used to understand and
thereby assist the learners development in order to improve the process of learning and teaching.

The main aim of planning an assessment is to make sure that the teacher covers the content and skills
for each subject in each grade. In planning an assessment the following documents should provide the
framework for planning:

National Policy pertaining to the Programme and Promotion requirements of the

National Curriculum Statement Grades R-12
National Protocol for Assessment Grades R-12
The CAPS for all subjects listed in the NCS Grades R-12

When planning an assessment, the educator has to be aware of the following:

The assessment strategy is determined (how many assessments, types of

assessments) for different levels and grades.
Specify levels of assessment required for the different levels and grades (percentages
for knowledge, understanding/application and analysing/evaluating/creating questions)
Simultaneously develop an assessment plan integrated into the lesson plan (formal
or informal classroom assessments)
Choose/develop assessment activities (e.g. develop an assessment instrument with
assessment criteria to assess the experiment).

In terms of assessment, formative assessment can be seen as an assessment for learning whereas
summative assessment can be seen as an assessment of learning. The advantage of this assessment
is that the learners keep learning and remain confident that they can continue to learn at productive
levels if they keep trying to learn. A summative assessment takes place after a learning period, usually
a semester or year. The difference in assessment lies mainly in the fact that assessment results are
now tested against a set of criteria that set out the minimum standard required to continue to the next
grade. Feedback is very important at the end of all the assessments to let the learner know how they
have performed and the way forward to improve their weaknesses and to achieve better results.