WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THE NSC RESULTS?

SETTING AND MAINTAINING STANDARDS in the NSC

Portfolio Committee APRIL 2012

Regulatory Framework

Quality Assurance of Assessment• NQF Act Section 27 (h)

The QC must develop and implement policy and criteria for assessment for the qualifications on its sub-framework.

• From Quality Assurance to Standard Setting

Umalusi Model for Setting Standards for Qualifications on the Sub-framework

• Qualifications and Curriculum – Intended Curriculum

• Evaluation and Accreditation – Enacted Curriculum

• Quality Assurance of Assessment – Assessed Curriculum

Purpose of the National Senior Certificate

• Relatively new qualification

• Inherited qualificationPurpose of the NSC HE vs. School Leaving HE vs. Employment Single qualification to accommodate all

candidates vs. previous HG / SG option

• The underlying philosophy of the NCS had been designed to ensure that most people achieve the minimum requirement for a pass

Standards for the National Senior Certificate

Standards captured in National Curriculum Statements and Subject Assessment Guidelines (National Policy Documents)

HE participants in development of NCS

Umalusi responsibility to ensure that NCS and SAG standards are maintained

Quality of the NSC questioned…..

1. More learners passing – at lower levels

2. Pass mark of 30 % and 40%

3. Qualifying candidates not displaying requisite

knowledge and skills

4. Maths and Lang competencies continue to be

weak

5. Standardisation process questioned

6. National Benchmark Tests

Immediate critical issues…..

1. (perceived ) Gap between School and HE

and everything in between

2. Standards of Assessment

• Issue of University readiness as old as education itself

• NSC – minimum requirements (revision?)

• University and faculty admission requirements

• Bridging Programmes

• “Blame Game” – a vicious cycle

Higher Education

• The number of candidates passing

• The quality of the results

• The standardisation of the exam

• The predictive quality of the exam for performance at HE level

Some points of comparison

Pass Mark1. 30% and 40 % not invention of the NSC

2. SC – converted passes HG to SG; SG to LG

3. SC - exemption determined by attaining aggregate score

4. NSC – 3 x 40% and 3x 30% (40% in HL)

Higher certificate – NSC + 30% (LOLT)

Diploma – NSC + 30%(LOLT) + 4 (40% and above)

Degree - NSC + 30%(LOLT) + 4 (50% and above from

designated list)

• Massification is a natural outcome of an education system that is non-racist, non-sexist and democratic

• It is clear that there has been a steady increase over the last decade in the number of learners who enrolled for and wrote the SC and then NSC – notable exception 2010 and 2011

The number of candidates passing

SC / NSC examination results, all schools, 1994-2011SC / NSC examination results, all schools, 1994-2011

Year

No. of Candidates

Passes

Number Change in

number(%)

Number Change in passes (%)

1995 531 453 7 283 742 -1

1996 518 032 -3 278 958 -2

1997 555 267 7 261 400 -6

1998 552 384 -1 272 488 4

1999 511 159 -7 249 831 -8

2000 489 941 -4 283 294 13

2001 449 371 -8 277 206 -2

2002 471 309 5 324 752 17Sources: DoE, 2004, 2005a, 2005b, 2005c, 2007, 2008, 2009

The number of candidates passing :Trends in SC / NSC enrolment and passes

Year

No. of Candidates

Passes

NumberWrote

Change in

number(%)

Number Change in passes (%)

2002 471 309 5 324 752 17

2003 440 267 -7 322 492 -1

2004 467 985 6 330 717 3

2005 508 363 9 347 184 5

2006 528 525 4 351 503 1

2007 564 775 7 368 217* 5

2008 533 561 -6 333 604 -9

2009 552 073 3.5 334718 0.33

2010 537 543 -2.7 364 513* 8

2011 496 090 -7.7 348 117 -4.4

Sources: DoE, 2004, 2005a, 2005b, 2005c, 2007, 2008, 2009

• Concerns about quality has become a thorny issue and the subject of much debate albeit uninformed at most times.

• SA public uses the matric results as the main indicators of quality of the education system and so there is an understandable concern about what these results of a relatively new qualification is saying about the current state of education

• It is important however that we interrogate some of our assumptions that inform our beliefs about standards and quality

The quality of the results

The assumption is that “more means less” or “more means worse”

The assumption that a higher pass rate is as a result of:

Lowering standards Upward adjustment of marks

Assumptions that affect our perceptions

• Another assumption is that the NCS is of a lower standard than the previous curriculum.

• Research completed by Umalusi into the standard of the NCS curriculum confirms that in most cases the NCS presents a greater cognitive challenge

• The NCS also represents modern, updated and more demanding versions of previous subjects

Umalusi’s comparative research:NSC with SC (NATED 550)

Understanding the NSC 2008 Maintaining Standards, 2009 – 6 gateway

subjects comparing the intended and examined curricula for the SC and the NSC

2009 Maintaining Standards, 2010 – Accounting, Business Studies, Economics and History

Evaluating the South African NSC i.r.o selected international qualifications: a self-referencing exercise to determine the standing of the NSC, 2010 - research jointly undertaken by Umalusi and Higher Education South Africa

• Another assumption is that the NCS is of a lower standard than the previous curriculum.

• Research completed by Umalusi into the standard of the NCS curriculum confirms that in most cases the NCS presents a greater cognitive challenge

• The NCS also represents modern, updated and more demanding versions of previous subjects

Umalusi’s research on comparisons with other qualifications

Umalusi’s research on comparisons with other qualifications

• National Senior Certificate (NSC), Department of (Basic) Education (South Africa)/Umalusi

• International Baccalaureate Diploma, Standard Level and higher Level, International Baccalaureate Organization

• International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE), A Levels, Cambridge International Examinations (CIE)

• Namibian Senior Secondary Certificate (NSSC), Department of Education (Namibia)

Findings• NSC curriculum fits comparably within the range of

selected curricula

• Content and level most similar to the IB SL and CIE AS Level

Increasing depth and level of difficulty

NSC International Baccalaureate

Cambridge International Examinations

Namibia

IB Mathematical Studies SL

IGCSE Namibian OL

NSC IB SL AS Level Namibian HL

IB HL A Level

Minimum Pass Mark QUALIFICATION ASSESSMENT RATING

SCALEMINIMUM PASS

NSC 1-7 2 (30%)3 (40%) in HL

IB DIPLOMA 1-7 4

IGSCE A-E C* (*grade boundaries not fixed)

A / AS Level A-E D*

NSSC OLNSSC HL

A-G1-4

C*3*

• Another assumption is that we now use vastly different methods of standardising the results

• Responsibility for matriculation results has changed hands: JMB (1918 to 1992) SAFCERT (1992 – 2001) Umalusi (2002 – to date)

• The one constant has been the standardisation process used for the examinations. This is crucial to:

Obtain equivalence of the standard of the qualification across years, subjects

Deliver a relatively constant product to the HE sector and to the workplace

• Trust in the statutory institutions established with particular mandates.

Trust and credibility:The standardisation of the exam

Senior Certificate examination results, all schools, 1994-2011Senior Certificate examination results, all schools, 1994-2011

Sources: DoE, 2004, 2005a, 2005b, 2005c, 2007, 2008, 2009

SC / NSC examination results

SC/NSC examination results, all schools, 1994-2010SC/NSC examination results, all schools, 1994-2010

Year No. of Candidate

s

Passes UniversityExemption

Number Rate (%) Number Rate (%)

1994 495 408 287 343 58 88 497 18

1995 531 453 283 742 53 78 821 15

1996 518 032 278 958 54 79 768 15

1997 555 267 261 400 47 69 007 12

1998 552 384 272 488 49 69 856 13

1999 511 159 249 831 49 63 725 12

2000 489 941 283 294 58 68 626 14

2001 449 371 277 206 62 67 707 15

2002 471 309 324 752 69 75 048 16

2003 440 267 322 492 73 82 010 19

2004 467 985 330 717 71 85 117 18

Sources: DoE, 2004, 2005a, 2005b, 2005c, 2007, 2008, 2009

SC / NSC examination results and HE

SC/ NSC examination results, all schools, 1994-2010SC/ NSC examination results, all schools, 1994-2010

Year No. of Candidate

s

Passes UniversityExemption

Number Rate (%) Number Rate (%)

2004 467 985 330 717 71 85 117 18

2005 508 363 347 184 68 86 531 17

2006 528 525 351 503 66 85 830 16

2007 564 775 368 217 65 85 454 15

2008 533 561 333 604 63 107 642 20

2009 552 073 334 718 60 109 697 20

2010 537 543 364 513 67.8 126 371 23.5

2011 496 090 348 117 70.2 120 767 24.3

Sources: DoE, 2004, 2005a, 2005b, 2005c, 2007, 2008, 2009

SC/ NSC examination results and HE

Senior Certificate examination results, all schools, 1994-2008Senior Certificate examination results, all schools, 1994-2008

Sources: DoE, 2004, 2005a, 2005b, 2005c, 2007, 2008, 2009

Senior Certificate examination results

Thank You