Assessment criteria on this programme are related to the applied competence of the practitioner, which includes a demonstration of the educator’s ability to practice their profession in an authentic context, the ability to understand their profession theoretically and a capacity to reflect on their practice. Since this programme is a bridging qualification, at least some of the criteria, especially for assessment in the area(s) of specialised learning, will reflect that the candidates are still on their way to achieve fully applied competence. The criteria will reflect, therefore, the intention of the Norms and Standards for Educators to have the different competences developed and assessed “in different ways, with different emphases and at different depths
Integrated assessment:
Assessment criteria derive directly from the exit level outcomes. The qualifying student must be able to demonstrate the abilities outlined there within the context of South African schools, as well as within the phase and specialisation they teach. Specifically, qualifying students must be able to demonstrate their:
Practical competence as professional educators by being able to make considered decisions about teaching, learning materials and policies
Foundational competence as professionals who are able to engage with developments in their field
Reflexive competence in being able to engage in rational and critical debate about education
Assessment procedures may include tasks, assignments, viva voce and poster presentations to class and tutorial groups, syndicate assignments, tests, closed and open book examinations, analysis of case studies, portfolios of learning materials, evaluated observation of teaching practice, involvement in service learning (community teaching) projects, mock academic or popular publications, or conference presentations, and the like
The assessment criteria and evidence requirements are that the candidates will, in a practical or simulated teaching context, or in a suitable alternative way:
Generate, explore and consider options for instruction appropriate to the particular group, topic, level and context and within the resource constraints of the context
Explain the reasons for selecting certain instructional strategies in four of others
Evaluate, monitor and adapt their own instruction as they are carrying it out, in order to identify areas of improvement
Explain the reasons for adapting their instruction, and
Reflect generally on how successful teaching and learning were
Develop, for subsequent instruction, new plans or strategies that reflect their ability to integrate what they have learned through reflection
In providing this programme, we will primarily make use of our own staff as assessors. We will, however, in relevant cases also make use of qualified, senior educators at schools who act as academic mentors to the NPDE candidates, or of tutors, members of departmental advisory services or outside agencies who have been accredited as assessors, while maintaining a monitoring and moderating function ourselves in respect of these assessments
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