EDAHOD5 201/2019

Tutorial Letter 201/2019

THE EDUCATOR AS ASSESSOR

EDAHOD5

SEMESTER 1: ASSIGNMENT No.01

DEPARTMENT: CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTIONAL STUDIES

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

This tutorial letter contains important information about your module.

SEMESTER 1: ASSIGNMENT No.01

QUESTION 1

1.1 Define the following terms

a) Assessment for learning 2x1=2

 It is an assessment used in teaching and learning to determine how learners are

progressing towards achieving the set learning goals / objectives.
 Is a daily assessment that is used to monitor and enhance learners learning through
teacher’s observation, and teacher-learner interaction with the intention of providing
the learner with constructive feedback.
 It is an ongoing process of gathering and interpreting evidence about student learning
for the purpose of determining where students are in their learning, where they need
to go, and how best to get there.
 It is also used to identify learners’ skills and knowledge gap, and thereby assist the
teacher in planning the lesson and also the assessment.

b) Assessment of learning 2x1=2

 It is a classroom or field-based assessment that takes place at the end of the lesson,
cycle or year that is used to determine the overall achievement of the learner.
 It provides the teacher with a systematic way of evaluating how well learners are
progressing in a particular subject content taught in a specific grade.
 Assessment of learning should cover all six level of Bloom’s Taxonomy and also the
three learning styles in order to embrace the concept of diversity.
 Examples of assessment of learning includes projects, oral presentations,
demonstration, performances, tests, examinations, practical demonstrations, etc.

c) Assessment as learning 2x1=2

 It is a self-assessment done by the learner in they take responsibility for their own
learning and determine steps they need to take to improve their learning.
 It is the process of developing and supporting learners’ metacognition. Learners are
actively engaged in the assessment process, that is, they monitor their own learning.

d) Assessment in learning 2x1=2

 Assessment in learning assists the teacher to identify learners’ carrier. Learners are
interested in learning something that will at the end benefit them.
 Assessment in learning can take a form of informal or formal assessment that takes
place in class during teaching and learning process.
 This assessment does not focus on the end results of learning, but in the whole
the process of learning in order to make teaching and learning meaningful for the
learner.

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1.2 Comparing assessment concepts

a) Assessment vs Evaluation 2x2=4

Assessment – a continuous and planned process that assist a teacher to collect information
about learner performance to make decisions about how teaching should unfold in the
classroom.

Evaluation – is judging the effectiveness of classroom teaching through analysing learners’

work

b) Self-assessment vs Teacher assessment 2x2=4

Self-assessment – is when the learner is given an opportunity to judge their own

performance/work, giving them an opportunity plan what needs to be done to improve their
learning.

Teacher assessment – is when the teacher passes judgment on learners work mostly for
reporting purposes

c) Peer-assessment vs group-assessment 2x2=4

Peer-assessment – is when learners make judgments about the work of another learner

Group assessment – is when learners in a group pass judgment about their work or their
contribution towards completion of the task

QUESTION 2

2.1 As an assessor, you need to know how to use the National Protocol for Assessment
(NPA) and Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) document of the
subject of your choice to develop an assessment activity. Design the Diagnostic
assessment activity for your learners using the following guidelines:

2.1.1 Which subject, grade, the topic is assessed? 3x1=3

 Subject: English First Additional Language

Grade: 7
Topic: Descriptive writing (based on the picture)

2.1.2 Indicate the purpose of the assessment activity according to the CAPS
document? 2x1=2

 To inform the teacher on learners descriptive writing skills that have the potential to
hinder their writing abilities

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2.1.3 Who is going to write the assessment? 1x1=1

 All grade seven English First Additional Language learners

2.2 Who is going to be the assessor? Give a reason 2x2=4

 The teacher will assess learners task

Reason:

 The teacher should give constructive feedback to learners

 Learners' work shall work as a road map for the teacher to can effectively plan on how
to teach and assess learners’ on Descriptive writing.

2.3 Which assessment instrument will be used to assess the activity? Give a reason
to justify why you opted in using the assessment instrument 2x2=4

 Assessment rubric

Reason:

 It contains the criteria and level descriptors indicating how learners should effectively
write the Descriptive writing task

2.4 Where will this assessment take place? Justify the choice of venue 2x2=4

 The assessment will take place in the Grade Seven English First Additional Language
classroom

Justification:

 The teacher will be able to manage, monitor and or supervise learners when writing
the activity

2.5 How will the following principles of assessment be employed in this

assessment, fair and reliability? 2x2=4

Fairness:

 Learners are given assessment activity which is at their cognitive level according to
the CAPS document.
 The teacher uses the same assessment rubric to all the learners.

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Reliability

 The teacher uses the reliable CAPS document to extract assessment activity that
match the cognitive level of English First Additional Language of grade seven
learners on writing the “Descriptive Writing” task
 The teacher uses a detailed rubric that would extensively measure the writing abilities
on “Descriptive Writing” task

2.6 State two measures that you will put in place in order to address barriers to
learning in your assessment? 2x2=4

 provide glossary that is related to the topic

 giving guidance on the tense to be used when writing
 providing learners with the criteria to be followed when writing

2.7 Indicate one learning style that the assessment will focus on, and why? 2x2=4

 The Visual learning style

Reason:

 The assessment activity is on writing descriptive task which is based on observing the
picture, studying the contents about the picture and they are to descriptively write
information based on it.

QUESTION 3

The CAPS document identifies four steps involved in assessment, namely: generating and
collecting evidence of achievement, evaluating this evidence, recording the findings and
using the information.

3.1 Briefly describe the importance of the following in assessing the learners in your
subject:

3.1.1 Continuous collection of learner’s evidence of achievement 2x2=4

 It allows the teacher and the learner to get constructive continuous feedback that will
assist in planning for teaching, learning, assessing, and for promotional purposes.
 The assessment takes place during and throughout the learning process, updating the
teacher and the learner progress towards meeting learning goals as stipulated in the
CAPS document.

3.1.2 Formal monitoring of learners’ performance 2x2=4

 The assessment feedback is recorded formally, documenting all the skills that the
learner has acquired during the learning process.

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 The learner’s performance is thereafter used for monitoring learners’ performance and
for reporting to different stakeholders.

3.1.3 Informal monitoring of learners’ performance 2x2=4

 The feedback from the assessment is used to find out if classroom instruction was
effective, or whether a different approach is needed.
 It assists the learner in knowing what is expected of them and identify knowledge gaps
they need to improve on.
 The teacher is able to identify learners with barriers and plan for remedial lessons and
to motivate learners to work towards achieving their goals/objectives.

3.1.4 Recording the findings of learners’ performance 2x2=4

 Recording helps the teacher to document the level of learner’s performance to track
the progress made by both the teacher and the learner in teaching and learning.
 The teacher uses the records to monitor learning and plan ahead to meet learners’
needs.

3.1.5 Reporting the learners’ performance to the learner and the parents 2x2=4

 Reporting learners’ performance to the leaners and parent’s entails giving constructive
feedback based on types and forms of assessment completed by the leaner.
 Tasks such classwork, homework, tests can be used as part of reporting the learners’
performance to the learner and parents
 The teacher is able to communicate learner performance to different stakeholders like
the learner themselves, school, parent and Department Basic Education.

3.1.6 Teachers’ accountability of the learner’ performance to stakeholders 2x2=4

 Teachers should give assessment plan to learners and parents. The assessment plan
should formally be communicated to parents during parents meeting.
 Teachers should continuously engage parents and require them to sign or comment
on the assessment activities given to their children
 Should have open days wherein parents and teachers engage on learners’
performance and on how they can collaboratively work together towards learners’
achievement
 They should have a portfolio of evidence or a file that contains lesson and assessment
plans, proof assessment through planned assessment activities, recorded marks and
constructive feedback based on the assessment activities.

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QUESTION 4

(NB: Read the article on Multi-grade attached on MyUnisa, announcements before

answering the below questions)

Assessment in a multi-grade (more than one grade in one class) differs from a normal class
(single grade). Design an assessment activity in which you will be assessing two different
grades that are in one class on the same subject and topic. Your assessment should clearly
indicate the following:

4.1 Indicate the two grades, subject, and topic 3x1=3

 Grades: 8&9
 Subject: Economics and Management Sciences
 Topic: Grade 8: term 4: Financial literacy: Cash receipts journal
Grade 9: term 4: Financial literacy: Credit transactions - debtors

4.2 Which form of assessment is learners going to be assessed? 2x1=2

 Case study (design case study of grade 8: Cash receipts journal; and that of grade 9:
Credit transactions - debtors)

4.3 Indicate the purpose of assessment according to CAPS document, (even though
the topic is the same, the purpose might not be the same, considering of
different grades) 2x2=4

Grade 8: To find out if learners can use columns in the Cash Receipt Journal to enter
cash transactions.
Grade 9: To find out if learners can record transactions in the Debtors Journal, Debtors
Allowances Journal, Cash Receipts Journal, concerning credit sales.

4.4 How will you ensure that the assessment is credible and fair to both grades?
2x2=4

Credibility in assessment:

 Reliability: the assessment activities of both grade 8 and 9 emanated from the lessons
plans based on financial literacy in the CAPS document of senior phase EMS.
 Practicability: All the resources are made available to all learners. Adequate time has
been allocated to complete the assessment activity.
 Validity: the assessment is relevant to the standards set according to the CAPS
document for the specific assessment activity.

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Fairness in assessment:

 Transaction, source document, subsidiary journal, general ledger, trial balance,

financial statements (income statement and balance sheet) will be provided during
assessment to both grade 8 and 9 learners.
 The financial literacy language was used when designing the assessment activity
(case study). Assessment is not biased towards race, gender, age social class and
can easily be understood by all learners.

4.5 Justify, how will take into account the three learning styles (haptic, visual, and
auditory) when assessing the learners? 3x2=6

 Haptic: Since the assessment activities were designed for learners to work in pairs,
learners will engage each other in completing the Cash receipts journal (grade 8) and
also Credit transactions – debtors (grade 9).
 Visual: learners will be encouraged to view the samples of pasted Cash receipts
journal and also Credit transactions – debtors in order to enhance their understanding
when completing their activities.
 Auditory: Learners will be working in pairs, therefore, they are obliged to
communicate, or verbalise and exchange knowledge or ideas in order to complete the
assessment activities.

4.6 What is the expected end product of the assessment activity? 2x1=2

 Each pair is entitled to submit and make presentation of the task given:
Cash receipts journal (grade 8) and,
Credit transactions – debtors (grade 9).

4.7 During the assessment activity will you allow learners in upper grade to assist
those in a lower grade (E.G. grade 9 assisting grade 8 learners)? Support your
answer. 2x1=2.
(depending on the type of the activity given, the answer may be yes or No)

 No: Grade 8 learners paired and should have their independent thoughts when
completing their task. However, during the presentation, the grade 9 may also be
allowed to add, and or subtract where necessary as part of supporting the grade 8
learners.

4.8 Briefly illustrate how you will give feedback to the learners, consider that you
have two grades in one class when answering this question. 3x1=3

 Each paired word will be marked by the teacher who will also give constructive feed
back to the learners.
 During presentation learners from both grades will be allowed to advise and or share
knowledge, as part of feedback

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 After presentation the teacher will make the general and final input highlighting
important areas that learners did not attend to in terms of the activity.
Total: 100