schools
16 March 2007
About 250 teachers, principals, union representatives, tertiary
institutions, curriculum experts and senior education officials will meet this
weekend to deliberate on protocols for assessment standards and qualifications
in the new Further Education and Training (FET) curriculum and in the General
Education and Training (GET) band in schools.
Western Cape Education MEC Cameron Dugmore will open the workshop at 14h00
Friday, 16 March, at the Pearl Valley Golf Estate in Paarl. The Deputy
Director-General for FET in the National Department of Education Penny
Vinjevold will be in attendance, as well as Jenny Rault-Smith, Director of
Curriculum Development of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED).
In the light of the difficulties teachers experience with regard to
assessment, and the changes to policy, the national Department of Education
(DoE) has decided to focus on assessment this year and hosted a Western Cape
workshop earlier.
At this session two new documents "National Protocol on Assessment and
Recording for FET" (Gazette 29467); and "Qualification and Assessment for GET"
(Gazette 29629) were discussed.
The WCED has decided to take this critical issue even further and is
therefore convening a representative provincial assessment workshop on Friday,
16 and Saturday, 17 March 2007.
Professor Sarah Howe of Pretoria University will lead a session to clarify
some major assessment trends (billed as "the latest thinking in assessment")
and Ms Penny Vinjevold will present key insights and guidance to teachers who
have questions and unresolved thorny issues.
The workshop will tackle issues frankly, will list challenges and will work
on solutions. The outcomes will be reported on the WCED's curriculum website
(http://curriculum/wcape.gov.za).
MEC Dugmore welcomes this chance to interrogate the issues that keep
cropping up and plans to outline a practical role for parents to play, and to
deal with aspects of how the WCED plans to improve on teacher readiness to deal
with assessment challenges.
Please note, see attached programme and map for directions.
Enquires:
Gert Witbooi
Media Liaison Officer
Tel: (021) 467 2523
Fax: (021) 425 5689
Final programme
Provincial assessment workshop 16 and 17 March 2007
Programme Director: Wayne Alexander
Friday: 16 March 2007
13h00 to 13h50: Registration (Tea)
14h00 to 14h10: Opening and welcome
14h10 to 14h30: Address by MEC Dugmore
14h30 to 15h15: An overview of assessment for learning.
Consolidation of the latest thinking in assessment, Professor Sarah Howie,
University of Pretoria
15h15 to 15h30: Questions / Answers
15h30 to 16h00: Tea
16h00 to 16h45: Examining the National Curriculum statement
Ideas in setting examination papers towards outcomes Trevor Hall, Westville
High School
16h45 to 17h00: Questions
17h00to 17h30: National Department of Education, Me Penny Vinjevold, Deputy
DirectorâGeneral
17h30 to 17h45: Questions
17h45 to 18h00: Organisational measures for Saturday. Closure
18h00 to 19h00: Supper
Programme Director: Tebo Magwaca
Saturday, 17 March 2007
08h00 to 08h20: Registration
08h30 to 08h40: Opening and welcome
08h40 to 09h10: Implementation challenges relating to examinations and
assessment in FET, National Department of Education
09h10 to 09h25: Questions
09h25 to 09h50: WCED - Assessment implementation challenges, Jenny
Rault-Smith
09h50 to 10h00: Questions
10h00 to 10h20: Tea
10h30 to 12h45: Subject and Learning Area groups, break-away sessions
12h45to 13h00: Lucky draws
13h00 to 13h15: Summary, way forward
13h30: Lunch
Issued by: Department of Education, Western Cape Provincial Government
16 March 2007
