The 2011 grade 3 and 6 verification annual national assessment: extended technical report

Systemic evaluation and diagnostic assessment are at the core of current strategies to improve the quality of basic education in South Africa as outlined in the 2014 Action Plan. The underlying assumption is that such evaluation and assessment would foster active participation of all stakeholders in education. Through assessment, we expect to generate data reflecting the degree to which curriculum goals had been attained in a way that will facilitate the implementation of school improvement strategies. Integration of these approaches is at the core of the national Department of Basic Education's (DBE) Annual National Assessment (ANA) in which standardised tests on literacy and numeracy skills were administered to all learners in Grades 1 to 6 in 2010. This assessment has two major components - universal and verification ANA. Teachers marked the universal ANA tests and they are expected to use the results to assess performance in literacy and numeracy and develop strategies for improvement. At national, provincial and district levels the results from the ANA analysis are expected to be used to guide policies and to determine the nature of assistance that should be provided to schools to improve learners - literacy and numeracy skills.