Abstract:

South Africa has been piloting the implementation of a General Education Certificate (GEC) at a grade 9 level which will act as both a school leaving certificate and a means to stream learners into academic or vocational fields. The implementation plan involves high-stakes external assessments. In this paper, we argue against its implementation in its current form. Our argument is based on the findings of an empirical study conducted in one education district. We found there were significant logistical hurdles and financial constraints to implementing the assessments, as well as negative impacts on teacher workload and timetable scheduling. But more importantly, the assessments also led to teachers adopting behaviourist pedagogies – ‘teaching to the test’. These pressures appear to reinforce socio-economic differences impacting learner motivation in poor communities. Moreover, learner aptitudes often clash with parental career aspirations. The South African case provides useful lessons for other countries on implementing high-stakes assessments.

Keywords:

High-stakes assessment, school leaving certificate, streaming learners.