School Based Assessment Portfolio Guideline 2008

UMnyango WezeMfundo Lefapha la Thuto

Department of Education Departement van Onderwys

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GAUTENG DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

DESIGN

SCHOOL-BASED ASSESSMENT

PORTFOLIO

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School Based Assessment Portfolio Guideline 2008

GAUTENG DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT

DESIGN

CONTENTS

1. What is a portfolio?

2. Purpose

3. Assessment in Grade 12

4. Content for Portfolios

5. Programme of Assessment in Grade 12

6. Teacher Evidence Portfolio

7. Evaluating Portfolios

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School Based Assessment Portfolio Guideline 2008

1. What is a portfolio?
A portfolio is a collection of a learner’s work and is determined by the Subject
Assessment Guidelines (SAG).

A variety of items are organised in a certain format which will then form the learner’s
portfolio. Portfolios should be freely available in the classroom, so that the learners
can work on them whenever they find it necessary to do so. Items which can be
included in such a portfolio include the learner’s Sourcebook/Workbook, final
products, tests and examinations, which are collected over a period of time and
which serve a specific purpose.

Portfolios are also defined as an ongoing systematic collection of products which

represent milestones in the learner’s journey towards excellence. This collection
includes items which represent the whole terrain, and also shows how the learner’s
journey has progressed towards a specific aim.

The collection of portfolio items from different components of the curriculum makes
the portfolio an instrument for documentation and analysis, serving as a summary of
the learner’s progress throughout the year.

Portfolios enable the teacher to find out more about the learner as an individual, but
the learners also find out more about themselves. The portfolio is a report on the
learner’s progress, as well as a report of that which the learner perceives to be
important.

Arter and Spandel summarise the main characteristics of a portfolio when they
describe it as follows: “A portfolio is a purposeful collection of student work that tells
the story of the student’s efforts, progress or achievement in given area(s). This
collection must include student participation in selection of portfolio content, the
guidelines for selection, the criteria for judging merit and evidence of student self-
reflection.”

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School Based Assessment Portfolio Guideline 2008

It is thus emphasised that a portfolio is an arrangement of the characteristics of

authentic assessment. It makes continuous assessment possible and includes a rich
variety of items as evidence of that which the students know and can do.
The content of the portfolio can be created within realistic contents. In addition, it can
also be a reflection of the process of product development. It provides an excellent
opportunity to transform assessment into a learning experience. Think of the portfolio
as a mechanism whereby a story is told – a story that will communicate something
about the learner to the reader.

2. Purpose
The primary reasons for using portfolios as one type of authentic assessment tool
include:
• assessing learner’s accomplishment of learning outcomes
• assessing the quality of learner’s sustained work
• allowing learners to turn their own special interests and abilities into a show-case
• encouraging the development of qualities such as pride in quality workmanship,
ability to self-evaluate, and ability to accomplish meaningful tasks
• providing a collection of work learners may use in the future for college or
university application and job seeking
• documenting improvement of learners’ work

3. Assessment in Grade 12
In Grade 12, assessment consists of two components: a Programme of Assessment
which makes up 25% of the total mark for DESIGN (CASS) and external assessment
which makes up the remaining 75% (EXAMINATION). The Programme of
Assessment for DESIGN comprises seven tasks which are internally assessed. The
external assessment component comprises three tasks: an exhibition, a practical
examination and a written theory paper.

Together the Programme of Assessment and the external assessment component

make up the annual assessment plan for Grade 12.

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School Based Assessment Portfolio Guideline 2008

The following diagram shows the annual assessment plan for DESIGN:

Annual assessment plan for DESIGN, Grade 12

PROGRAMME OF EXTERNAL ASSESSMENT

ASSESSMENT
INTERNAL ASSESSMENT EXTERNAL TASKS
TASKS
25% (100) 75% (300)
PAT WRITTEN EXAM
150 marks 150 marks
~2 tests ~Practical examination ~Written exam (all LOs)
~2 exams (midyear and trial) - 100 marks - 150 marks
~3 integrated practical tasks ~Presentation and
exhibition – 50 marks
(consists of integrated
practical tasks under-
taken during the year
converted to 50)

4. Content for portfolios

The content for portfolios for DESIGN is guided by the programme of assessment as
stipulated in the Subject Assessment Guidelines (SAG).

The portfolio comprises:

• Two tests (first and third term)
• Two written examinations (midyear and trial)
• Three practical tasks (one per term in terms 1, 2 and 3)

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School Based Assessment Portfolio Guideline 2008

5. Programme of Assessment in Grade 12

5.1 Tests
Two of the assessment tasks should be tests written under controlled
conditions at a specified time. A test should last at least 60 minutes and
count a minimum of 50 marks. Tests should include theory, underpinning
the design process, design production and design in context. The tests in
Design must be substantive in terms of time and marks, and must provide for a
range of abilities and assess a range of knowledge and skills.

5.2 Integrated Practical Tasks

The integrated practical task culminates in the mark for the exhibition.

The three integrated practical tasks should include both preparatory practical
and theoretical work and a product produced on this preparation.

A Source Book must be developed to provide evidence of the preparatory

work undertaken prior to the production. This preparatory work could include
planning, preliminary sketches, research or any other written tasks required to
be carried out before the product is produced.

Marks must be allocated to both the preparatory process recorded in the

source book and the final product.

The marks for the integrated practical tasks will be constituted and attained by
the following elements which must be weighted according to the focus of the
task:
ƒ Preparatory work recorded in a Source book
ƒ Presentation of the product
ƒ Making of the product

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School Based Assessment Portfolio Guideline 2008

These integrated practical tasks allow learners to demonstrate their practical,

technical, theoretical and research skills in depth, their ability to solve
problems, show evidence of innovative thinking and insight.

The evidence produced in the three integrated practical tasks culminates in an

exhibition at the end of the year. The marks earned in each of the integrated
practical tasks (preparation in source book and practical work) are added
together to arrive at a mark out of 150 converted to 50.

Note: Grade 11 practical year work can form part of the Grade 12 final
exhibition.

The exhibition, incorporating the three integrated practical tasks, will run from
January to September. While most schools run on a four-term system, there
are some schools that work on a three-term system, and it would therefore be
more useful, in administering the integrated practical tasks, to plan in months
rather than terms.

The WORKBOOK/SOURCEBOOK LO 1 (reference, research and preparatory

drawings) and the Final Practical Works/s / Product/s LO 2 are to be seen as a
unit. The completed WORKBOOK/SOURCEBOOK and the Final Work/s are
to be handed in at the given date and learners will be required to exhibit their
work during the 4th term. The date will be confirmed in an official National
Department of Education letter for Grade 12 where it is compulsory to exhibit
the work for moderation.

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School Based Assessment Portfolio Guideline 2008

5.3 Examinations

Examinations are part of the seven tasks given to Grade 12 learners. This means
that the midyear and trial exams form part of the seven tasks.

GRADE 12
MIDYEAR AND TRIAL EXAMINATIONS
Format Learner responds to a single design brief in a specified
context.
PRACTICAL No. of 01
EXAMINATION papers
Duration To be carried out during contact time Maximum: 6 hours
LOs All LOs
Format Design Literacy
Theory of design and application to the design process
WRITTEN Design History
EXAMINATION No. of 01
Papers
Duration 3 hours
LOs All LOs

5.3.1 External Assessment in Grade 12

The external assessment component in Grade 12 consists of an exhibition, a

practical examination and a written theory examination.

5.3.2 Exhibition

The evidence produced in the three integrated practical tasks culminates in a

Practical Assessment Task at the end of the year. The marks earned in each
of the integrated practical tasks ( preparation in source book and practical
work) are added together and converted to arrive at a mark out of 50.

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School Based Assessment Portfolio Guideline 2008

Three Practical Year works as well as the two Examination Practical works
(June and End of Year Practical Examination Work) must be exhibited for
Grade 12 assessment and must be available to the Examiner or Moderator.
Learners may choose to exhibit more work.

The year work and exhibition should show the learner’s involvement and
commitment over the period of the first three terms.

5.3.3 Examination papers

Learners are expected to complete two examinations: one practical and the
other written. The practical will focus on Learning Outcomes 1 and 2, while
the three-hour written examination paper will focus on all three Learning
Outcomes for Design.

Suggested outline for the Grade 12 external examination:

END-OF-YEAR EXAMINATIONS
Format Presentation of final examination process and products
PRACTICAL No. of papers 01
EXAMINATION Duration 18 hours during term 4
LOs All LOs
Format Design Literacy
Theory of design and application to the design process
WRITTEN Design History
EXAMINATION No. of 01
Papers
Duration 3 hours
LOs All LOs

The practical examination paper and instructions are to be handed to the candidates
as confirmed on the final examination timetable for Grade 12.

Examination work for Grade 12 must be certified as a candidate's own original work
by the examination commissioner and the principal of the school, and clearly marked
as such.

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School Based Assessment Portfolio Guideline 2008

5.4.1 Moderation of assessment tasks

The final product(s) that have resulted from the learners’ individual responses
to the externally set Design brief, together with Design Workbook containing
supporting evidence of the process, will be presented in the form of an
exhibition or display. The work will be assessed by the teacher and mode-
rated by a provincial moderator.

5.4.2 Supervision of Learners’ Work

Learners must be able to work in conditions that allow the teacher adequate
supervision. Regular communication with individual learners will allow the
teacher to testify to the authenticity of the learners’ work.

Both the learner and the teacher are required to sign a declaration confirming
the work submitted for assessment is the learners’ own. The teacher declares
that the work was conducted under the specified conditions.

5.4.3 Promotion

For promotion and certification purposes learners should achieve at least a

level 2 rating. Elementary achievement: 30-39% in Design. This is subject to
the requirement that a learner must achieve at least a level 3 rating Moderate
achievement: (40-49%) in at least one of the three choice subjects.

6. Teacher Evidence portfolio

It is required from the Department of Education that a teacher’s portfolio should

accompany the learners’ portfolios. This portfolio should include the following:
• a contents page;
• the formal Programme of Assessment;
• the requirements of each of the assessment tasks (e.g. practical tasks, tests
and examination papers);

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School Based Assessment Portfolio Guideline 2008

• the tools used for assessment for each task (e.g. memorandums, checklists,
rubrics); and
• record sheets for each class (working mark sheets).

7. Evaluating portfolios

Periodic evaluation of portfolios should be conducted at a time predetermined by the

teacher and his learners. Logical times for evaluation would be at the conclusion of a
project, the end of a programme or unit, term or academic year.

The teacher must make sure that every assessment task is marked and captured.
Marks on the teacher’s record sheets must correspond with the marks in the learners’
portfolios.
Moderation of the assessment tasks should take place at three levels during the year.

LEVEL MODERATION REQUIREMENTS

School The Programme of Assessment should be submitted to the
subject head and School Management Team before the start
of the academic year for moderation purposes. Each task
which is to be used as part of the Programme of Assessment
should be submitted to the subject head for moderation
before learners attempt the task. Teacher portfolios and
evidence of learner performance should be moderated twice
a year by the head of the subject or her/his delegate.
Cluster/ Teacher portfolios and a sample of evidence of learner
district/ region performance must be moderated twice during the first three
terms.
Provincial/ Teacher portfolios and a sample of evidence of learner
national performance must be moderated once a year.

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School Based Assessment Portfolio Guideline 2008

APPENDIX 1: EXAMPLE OF AN INTERNAL ASSESSMENT

DESIGN: MODERATION OF INTERNAL ASSESSMENT

Region: _________________________ District: _______________________
Name of School: ___________________________
Name of Teacher: __________________________
Grade: ___________________ Term: _________

LEARNER EVIDENCE PORTFOLIO 9 or Comments

x
Does the portfolio cover carry all the necessary information
i.e. name of learner, grade, name of school, year?
Does the portfolio have an index?
Have the required number of assessment tasks been carried
out?
Assessment tasks – what evidence?
Controlled tests?
Informal assessment tasks?
Research Tasks?
Practical Assignments in response to project briefs using
different forms, media and methods, and showing evidence of
designing and making skills?
Exhibitions, display?
Design Workbook – evidence of research, analysis of problem,
generation of ideas, development of solutions, evaluation,
testing and modification, specification, and planning for
making?

Standard of assessment
Do the tasks reflect all the LOs?
Do the tasks reflect the appropriate Assessment Standards for
the Grade?
Has assessment been carried out according to the set criteria
and/or memorandums?
Are the marks/level descriptors awarded fair and consistent
according to the level of the Grade?
Are the assessment tasks of a satisfactory standard?
Are the assessment tools included?
Do the tasks take into account the varying abilities of learners
i.e. do they reflect varying levels of difficulty?
Do the tasks sufficiently develop skills, knowledge, attitudes
and values?
Is there evidence of feedback?

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School Based Assessment Portfolio Guideline 2008

TEACHER EVIDENCE PORTFOLIO 9 or Comments

x
Does the portfolio cover carry all the necessary information
i.e. name of teacher, name of school, year?
Is the Portfolio well organized and indexed?
Are all mark sheets included?
Assessment tasks
Is there evidence of a range of assessment tasks being
carried out?
Are copies of instructions for all assessment tasks included?
Are the assessment tools included?
Further comments: see below

__________________________________ _______________________
Signature of Teacher Date

__________________________________ _______________________
Signature of Head of Department/Cluster Date
Coordinator/Provincial Moderator

EXAMPLE OF A MODERATION TOOL FOR LEARNERS.

See the Subject Assessment Guidelines DESIGN pg.23

Writer and compiler: Theresa Prinsloo

Co-writer: Arina Oosthuizen

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