Assessing Life Skills in the Intermediate Phase
Assessment is about collecting evidence of the learners’ knowledge. It is an integral part of teaching and learning, and should be planned when preparing the lesson content. Assessment helps to identify the needs of the learners. It also provides evidence of progress, enables teachers to reflect on what they are doing, and provides for feedback and reporting to all stakeholders. Good assessment practice in Life Skills includes: • Assessing whether skills and aims are applied to content knowledge. • Providing feedback.
Types of assessment Informal or daily assessment
Informal assessment is a daily monitoring of learners’ progress. This is done through observations, discussions, practical demonstrations, learner-teacher conferences, informal classroom interactions, etc. For example, activities on pages 47, 82 and 111 are suitable for informal assessment.
CAPS tells us that informal assessment should be used to provide feedback to the learners and to inform planning for teaching, but it does not need to be recorded or taken into account for promotion. It should not be seen as separate from learning activities taking place in the classroom. Learners or teachers can mark these assessment tasks.
Self-assessment and peer assessment actively involve learners in assessment. These are important as they allow learners to learn from and reflect on their own performance.
Formal assessment
All assessment tasks that make up a formal programme of assessment for the year are regarded as formal assessment. Formal assessment tasks are marked and formally recorded by the teacher for progression and certification purposes. All formal assessment tasks are subject to moderation for the purpose of quality assurance and to ensure that appropriate standards are maintained.
Formal assessment provides teachers with a systematic way of evaluating how well learners are progressing in a grade and in a particular subject. Examples of formal assessments include tests, examinations, practical tasks, projects, oral presentations, demonstrations, performances, etc. Formal assessment tasks form part of a year-long formal programme of assessment in each grade and subject.
Formal assessment requirements of Life Skills
Personal and Social Well-being, Creative Arts and Physical Education must be assessed separately. The forms of assessment used should be appropriate for learners’ age and developmental level.
Section 2: Planning and assessment 25
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