Pretoria - More than seven million learners in Grades 1 to 6 and Grade 9 are to write this year's Annual National Assessments (ANAs), scheduled to be written from 18 to 21 September in 100 days' time.
The Department of Basic Education has prioritised the ANAs, which puts literacy and numeracy skills of the county's young learners to the test, as a pivotal mechanism for monitoring and tracking the achievement of the goals set in the department's action plan.
According to the department, the purpose of the assessments is to establish an objective national benchmark by which to measure literacy and numeracy achievement levels.
"This is done so that improvement can be accurately assessed and appropriate intervention designed and implemented where it is needed," it said.
The ANA will not be used for promotion to the next grade, but as a guide for teachers to identify challenges in curriculum coverage and to inform their lessons in the classroom.
Teachers will mark these assessments according to instructions provided by the department, and parents will receive ANA results before the end of October.
The department added that the School Governing Body (SGB) will receive, at the beginning of each year, a report from the district office which will enable schools to compare its ANA results to those of other schools in the district.
The department has appealed to parents and guardians to encourage their children rather than put any pressure on them.
"Parents should build up their children's confidence in their own abilities and make sure that their children understand that these are not examinations in which they can pass or fail, but rather tests to find out if they have any problems with literacy and numeracy while they are still in primary school."
The department has also ensured that teachers are able to adequately prepare for this year's assessments.
To assist learners and parents, the department has made the following resources available on its website:
A qualitative report on what learners were not able to do in ANA 2011 and how these can be improved.
Three sets of test exemplars which illustrate the scope, depth and testing techniques used in ANA tests for each grade.
A complete exemplar test of Mathematics and language for each grade.
ANA guidelines which indicate the expected curriculum coverage at the time of ANA administration which will be at the end of the third quarter of the school year.
The department's website is: www.education.gov.za.
