DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, RSA

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, RSA NSLA NATIONAL
STRATEGY FOR LEARNER ATTAINMENT Johannesburg,
RSA 14 March 2007

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DESIRED STRATEGIC IMPACT

1. Enables every child to fulfill his or her
   potential
2. Matches challenging targets with appropriate
   resources
3. Achievement makes it easier for learners to go to
   HEIs or to access good jobs
4. Decreases disengagement from education and from
   wider society
5. Direct impact on Human Capital development
   initiatives

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Overall priority of education

• Increased access to quality education
• ECD
• Grades R to 9
• FET schools and colleges
• Higher Education

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Systemic Priorities

• Teachers
• Recruitment and retention bursaries and
  incentives
• Training and support
• 2. LTSM Textbooks and other essentials
• 3. Time spent teaching

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Special Projects

• Special projects
• NSLA-School development, Teacher Development and
  Learner Support
• Dinaledi-Decline in HG maths and science passes
  in 2006, Increase in Dinaledi schools but only in
  one third of schools, Monitoring and support to
  continue, Teacher training at Dinaledi schools
• Examinations- Preparation, Implementation and
  Analysis
• General
• Improved communication and understanding of
  policy
• Evidence-based policy-making

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National Strategy for Learner AttainmentNSLA

• DESCRIPTION An overarching or transversal
  programme directing the focus of the system to
  the achievement of all learners
• NSLA programme
• A planned and sustained series and set of related
  operations, projects, activities, strategies,
  interventions with short and long term objectives
  of raising learner performance and ensuring
  improved quality learner achievement in all
  schools
• Not once-off/ cosmetic/ response to crisis or
  isolated/silo feature-as it was the case in the
  past
• APPROACH Integrates nine provincially driven
  complimentary strategies and re-establishing the
  place roles of the teacher and the school in each
  community (Norms and Standards for Educators)

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NSLA MISSION

• 1. Improving the overall performance-
  across all schools.
• 2. Improving the quality of learner
  attainment- Increased numbers of Learners
• passing with endorsements.
• 3. Schools performing below the
  national average
• 4. All learners in the system- a fair
  chance to succeed (Integrated and comprehensive
  intervention to link NSLA with the National
  Numeracy and Literacy Strategy in GET)
• 5. Link with Mathematics, Science and
  Languages interventions
• 6. Monitoring and reporting (monthly
  HEDCOM and CEM reports) A teacher in the
  classroom - a textbook for every learner in each
  subject
• 7. Strategic targets-
• 7.1 Increased numbers passing
  Science, Mathematics and other gateway subjects
• 7.2 Targeting the 20 lowest
  performing schools and districts in the SC
  examinations
• 7.3 All schools with performance
  backflow beyond 10
• 7.4 New matric teachers and first
  matric classes in the schools
• 7.5 Increased endorsements and better
  subject combinations at the well endowed schools
• 7.6 Redress underperformance of HDI
  learners in top schools pushing them to compete
  amongst top achievers nationally

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NSLA
Youth Development
Teacher Development
Learner Support
Community Involvement
School Development
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PROGRAMME FOR NSLA
Youth Development
Community Development
Learner Support
Educator Development
School Development
N C S
IQMS
School Dev Strategies
Educator Dev. Needs
Learning Area/Subject/ examinations
School Dev/ Evaluation
Individual/ General
Learning Interventions
9 Focus Areas
Target driven Use of examination and other
credible data
Monitoring Value Addedness
Fair chance to succeed for all learners
Integrated NSLA Programme
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MATCHING THE PLANS WITH AVAILABLE RESOURCES

• School Improvement Plans,
• Provincial and District Improvement Plans
• Align budgets with plans
• Monitor, evaluate support
• Dedicated support staff
• Research focus

PROVINCIAL BUDGET H/P RESOURCES
IMPROVEMENT PLANS
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National Strategy for Learner AttainmentBroad
impact areas
Learners

• TEACHING
• LEARNING
• Curriculum
• Assessment

Educators
Examinations
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National Strategy for Learner AttainmentKey
Areas of Focus in 2006
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Magnitude of school effects

• International Literature
• Coleman et al. (1966) 9
• Reynolds et al. (1994) 8-15
• Bosker Witziers (1995) 7
• Australia (Victoria)
• VQSP Hill Rowe (1996) 16-19
• VCE Rowe Hill (1996) 10-21

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What is to be doneResearch perspectives

• 36.2 is the youth share of the total
  population, largely concentrated outside urban
  areas where government services and schools are
  worst equipped
• Stats SA, 1999 survey-A tenth of the children
  almost all african spend 8 hrs a week or more
  gathering water and wood and five hours a week on
  school maintenance
• Higher attrition rate of boys and high exit
  levels prior to matric-up to 500 000 between
  Grades 9 and 12
• Systematic undervaluation of the competencies
  gained by learners who do not pass matric
• Race Relations Survey, 1997-1 in 312 Africans
  gained Matric exemption with Maths and Science
  compared to 1 in 5 for Whites, one in 62 for
  Indians and 1 in 46 for Coloureds
• Practice-shock-leading to perceptions of
  overwork (buchner,1997).
• Time on task -Of the 41 hrs a week on their
  activities, an average of 16 hrs is spent
  teaching. Eight out of ten teachers lost more
  than 30 of teaching time to other activities
  HSRC, 2005
• Assessment portfolios took up to 23 of the
  teaching time-HSRC, 2005
• Lesson transitions take up to 13 minutes of the
  actual teaching time
• 7 of time allocated to extra-curricular
  activities, 9 of the time on IQMS
• Formal allocation of periods to teachers not
  enabling the official 85 of time dedicated to
  scheduled teaching

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National Strategy for Learner AttainmentWhat is
to be done

• To identify the schools in the Districts that
  will form the focus of the Learner Attainment
  Strategy-Structured and purposeful visits
• Link the NSLA with GET National Literacy and
  Numeracy Strategy
• Audit of textbooks and reading books in the
  selected schools
• I) Develop a plan for the provision of one
  textbook per learner for each subject or LA
• ii) 100 Reading books in every foundation phase
  classroom
• iii) Common provincial mid-year examinations for
  grades 10 11 and 12 in schools in the Strategy
• 3. Three year plans (2007-2009) for Teacher
  Development and curriculum training focused on
  the content of Learning Areas and Subjects
• To promote a co-coordinated approach to school
  effectiveness.

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DISTRIBUTION OF DISTRICT PERFORMANCE
Province No. Districts No. Districts Less 50 Less 50 51-60 51-60 61-70 61-70 71-80 71-80 81-100 81-100
2005 2006 2005 2006 2005 2006 2005 2006 2005 2006 2005 2006
EC 24 23 06 03 10 07 06 11 01 02 none none
FS 05 05 None none none none none 02 04 03 01 none
GP 12 12 none none 01 01 02 none 05 03 04 08
KZN 12 12 none 01 01 01 07 07 05 03 None none
LP 06 06 none 01 02 04 04 01 none none none none
MP 10 03 04 N/A 03 none 02 03 01 none none none
NC 04 04 none none none none none none 02 03 02 01
NW 05 05 none none 02 01 02 02 01 02 none  none 
WC 07 07 none none none none 01 none 02 01 04 06
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Number of schools below 50 pass rate
Province 2005 2006 Change LER
EC 419 345 - 74 33.3
FS 26 36 10 29.5
GP 118 94 - 24 33.7
KZN 375 471 96 32.8
LP 309 547 238 33.4
MP 167 98 - 69 34.5
NC 8 8 0 31.8
NW 135 95 - 40 29.4
WC 34 16 - 18 31.1
NATIONAL 1 591 1 710 119 32.6
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National 74 297
 
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DISTRICTS

• District and curriculum interventions
• Weekend classes
• Winter Spring schools for Gr. 11 12 focus
  on Maths, Science English
• Common mid-year exam for Gr. 10 - 12 
• On-site assistance Learning Area Managers,
  Circuit Managers, District Support Teams
• Targeted interventions in schools with matric
  pass-rate below 70
• Assistance to specific schools in underperforming
  subjects
• Educator training sessions
• Various programmes for learners

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Passes per Gender from 2001 2006Narrowing the
gap towards gender parity
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2006 School Realities

• 
  DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, RSA
• 1. Learners 12 302 236
• 11 962 176 (97.2) public schools
• 340 060 (2.8) independent schools
• 2. Teachers 386 595
• 367 188 (95) public schools
• 19 407 (5) independent schools
• 23 947 teachers for 3 828 705 learners in
  5 851 secondary schools-Matric
• Results
• 3. Schools 26 292 schools
• 25 194 public 95.8)
• 1 098 independent (4.2)
• Learner to teacher ratio
• 32.6 public schools
• 17.5 independent schools

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NSLA IN SCHOOLS

• Seeks to raise learner achievement from Gr. R to
  Gr. 12
• Integrates the gains of the the GET National
  literacy and Numeracy Strategy
• May need to employ different strategies,
  approaches for different learners
• All learners can learn therefore all learners can
  achieve
• Move beyond the narrow constraint of only
  academic, scholastic, theoretical knowledge
• Learners can achieve at a variety and at varied
  levels
• Must at least ensure that learners perform
  optimally / achieve within current programmes
• Therefore there is still a role and place for
  special or specific interventions, remedial and
  corrective strategies
• The institution (schools) remain the central
  place for the execution of our core mandate and
  for executing the NSLA

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Dealing with Classroom practice-How learners
Learn Learning styles Learning styles are
traits that refer to how learners receive and
process information. Felder and Silverman ( Kemp,
1999) developed one set of categories for
analysing individuals learning styles.

• Visualthrough pictures, diagrams, and
  demonstration
• Auditorythrough words and sounds
• Sensory (external)sights, sounds, and physical
  sensations
• Intuitive (internal)insights and hunches
• Inductivefrom facts and observations to infer a
  principle
• Deductivefrom a principle to deduce applications
  and consequences
• Activelythrough physical engagement or
  discussion
• Reflectivelythough introspection
• Sequentiallyas a series of related steps
• Globallyas a large jump or holistically

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Teacher training and support for Grade 10 12
teachers

• Content training on NCS by HEIs
• SABC Broadcasts Grade 11 and 12
• Assessment workshops in all provinces in February
  and March
• Teaching guidelines Learning Programme
  Guidelines with Work Schedules for each grade
• Subject Assessment Guidelines Jan 2007
• Examination exemplars for Grades 10 and 11

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Time spent teaching

• Minimum time per week specified in NCS
• LPGs promote 40 week year plan
• Examinations to begin in Mid November for all
  grades
• Grade 12 examinations from 2008 to begin in
  November

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Textbooks and other LTSM

1. National Catalogue developed for Grade 11
2. Screening of grade 12 textbooks from 15 19
   January
3. National Catalogue to provinces by end March 2007
4. Literature lists to provinces end of March 2007
5. Lists of essential equipment to provinces end of
   March 2007

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CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

• TEACHER DEVELOPMENT
• Integrate with School Improvement Plan
• Focus on IQMS responding to development needs
• Establish SMT responsibility
• 3-year plans for educator development
  curriculum training
• Focus on content of learning areas/subjects

• School Visits
• Appropriate monitoring tools
• Teacher orientation Workshops
• EXAM Feedback/ ITEM ANALYSIS

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MAKING THE NSLA WORK

• Computerized system for tracking learner
  achievement and early interventions towards 100
  success rate by 2014 IECS
• All information relating to learner progression
  collected
• Includes all learners in the system
• Integrated database developed

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2007 FOCUS

• 1. Improving the overall performance-
  across all schools.
• 2. Improving the quality of learner
  attainment- Increased numbers of Learners
• passing with endorsements.
• 3. Schools performing below the
  national average
• 4. All learners in the system- a fair
  chance to succeed (Integrated and comprehensive
  intervention to link NSLA with the National
  Numeracy and Literacy Strategy in GET)
• 5. Link with Mathematics, Science and
  Languages interventions
• 6. Monitoring and reporting (monthly
  HEDCOM and CEM reports) A teacher in the
  classroom - a textbook for every learner in each
  subject
• 7. Strategic targets-
• 7.1 Increased numbers passing
  Science, Mathematics and other gateway subjects
• 7.2 Targeting the 20 lowest
  performing schools and districts in the SC
  examinations
• 7.3 All schools with performance
  backflow beyond 10
• 7.4 New matric teachers and first
  matric classes in the schools
• 7.5 Increased endorsements and better
  subject combinations at the well endowed schools
• 7.6 Redress underperformance of HDI
  learners in top schools pushing them to compete
  amongst top achievers nationally

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Conclusion

• All learners-a fair chance to succeed by 2014
• Early warning systems-GET
• Resources
• Central to educational planning and budgeting
  processes
• A critical Mass of Monitors at all levels
• Accounting systems
• Computerized system for tracking learner
  achievement and early interventions towards 100
  success rate by 2014 IECS
• All information relating to learner progression
  collected
• Includes all learners in the system
• Integrated database developed