Monitoring Student Progress in Mathematics and Science

South Africa has participated in a number of large-scale assessments in science and mathematics, including TIMSS 1995, TIMSS 1999, TIMSS 2003, TIMSS 2011, and now, TIMSS 2015. At a regional level, the country participated in the UNESCO-coordinated Monitoring Learner Achievement studies for Grade 4 students in 1999, in addition to the Southern and East African Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality (SACMEQ) in 2000, 2007, and 2011, which tested literacy and mathematics at the Grade 6 level. Nationally, there were systemic studies in 2001 and 2007 at Grade 3, and in 2004 at Grade 6.

In 2011, the Annual National Assessments (ANA), a national standardized testing of literacy and numeracy conducted from Grades 1 to 9, were introduced. These assessments use samples to monitor student learning over time, and to measure improvements in the quality and levels of educational outcomes in the schooling system by tracking learner performance in literacy and numeracy. These assessments are population-based and designed to provide feedback to teachers. However, results of these assessments are not reported along with student background data, and information such as socioeconomic background, culture, and parents’ educational background.