1.
Curriculum Reforms in South Africa
Hellen Ochuot
FSM: 7 March 2018

2.
RM 4) :What is CAPS ?
 in 2010 the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) was reviewed and hence the
CAPs.
 CAPS stands for Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements.
 It is based on “Schooling 2025 vision”.
 CAPS is not a new curriculum but amendment of NCS
 Emphasis on content knowledge, and the pacing and sequencing of the
curriculum.
 There is still commitment to active learning in the curriculum
 Some additional material has been dropped in the CAPs due to its different
positioning historically (17 years post democracy)

3.
Aim of curriculum change to CAPS
 Eradicate complaints about NCS.
 Deal with underperformance of learners
 Lessen the administrative load on teachers ;To make it more accessible to teachers
 Ensure that there is clear guidance and consistency for teachers when teaching.
 Address the different interpretations of the curriculum requirements.
 Give details for every subject in each grade of what content to teach; when to
teach and how to assess (clearly delineated topics for each subject and a
recommended number and type of assessment per term.)

4.
Major changes associated with CAPS
 At the Foundation Phase (Grades R, 1, 2 & 3) Numeracy was changed to Mathematics
and Literacy to Language.
 At Grade 10, content has been reorganized for several of the subjects and the exam
structure has changed in some of the subjects.
 The terminology Learning Outcomes and Assessment Standards replaced with
“Content” and “Skills”.
 A learning Area( and learning programmes) now referred to as a subjects(
intermediate and senior phase).
 Learning outcomes and Assessment Standards now called Topics and
themes(foundation phase).
 Provides a week by week teaching plan.
 The content to be covered has changed very little in some subjects and for other
subjects it has changed substantially

5.
More changes from NCS to CAPS
 The exam structure changed in some subjects
 School Based assessments (SBA) to count 40% and end of year exam to count 60%.
 All grades to use a 7-point scale
 Reduction of subjects from eight to six (Intermediate Phase)
 Compulsory introduction of an additional language from Grade 1
 Extended hours to focus on languages, fewer projects( Foundation phase)
 The scrapping of common task assessments and single teacher file for planning
 Curriculum statement and learning programme guidelines replaced by one document
called ‘CAPS’.

6.
Changes in subject offerings
Changes in intermediate phase include:
Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) fell away.
Technology was combined with Natural Sciences;
Arts and Culture was combined with Life Orientation.
Changes in the foundation phase include:
English First Additional Language introduced in Grades 1–3.
learners to take four subjects, namely Home Language, English First
Additional Language, Mathematics and Life Skills.

7.
Implementation timeframes
 Department of Basic Education (DBE) decided to implement CAPS in a phased
approach over a 3 year period.
 The first implementation in 2012 with Grades 1, 2, 3 & 10 being affected
 Thereafter Grades 4 to 6 and 11 will implement the CAPS in 2013
 and Grades 7 -9 and Grade 12 will implement the CAPS in 2014.

8.
Changes in Assessment
 The changes were not only made on what teachers should teach, but also what and
how and when to assess in different subjects.
 The CAPS should be read and implemented in accordance with;
 the National Policy Pertaining to the Programme and Promotion requirements of
the NCS Grades R–12 (Department of Basic Education, 2012a),
 and the National Protocol for Assessment Grades R–12 (Department of Basic
Education, 2012)

9.
National Protocol for Assessment Grades R–12
 The National Protocol For Assessment Grades R–12 replaces:
 the “addendum to the policy document, the National Senior Certificate: a qualification at
Level 4 on the NQF, regarding the National Protocol for Assessment Grade R–12, (29467)
December 2006
 and National Policy on Assessment and Qualifications for Schools in the General
Education and Training Band (GET)(29626) February 2007.

10.
Aspects of policy to adhere to
 Progression (Grade R-8) and promotion (Grade 9-12) of learners to the next grade should be
based on recorded evidence of formal assessment tasks.
 The teachers must submit the annual formal programme of assessment to the school
management team before the start of the school year.
 Failure by the teacher to maintain a file of formal assessments tasks constitutes an act of
misconduct.
 Learners who for no valid reason absent themselves from the scheduled school based
assessment tasks or practical assessment task must not be permitted to write the final end of
year examinations.

11.
What should a teacher’s file contain?
 annual teaching plan
 assessment plan
 formal assessment tasks
 memoranda
 indication of textbooks and other resources
 record sheets with learners’ marks
 informal notes or any interventions that are planned to assist learners
 indicate formal tasks and should be available on request at all times.

12.
DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES BETWEEN NCS
& CAPS
 Rationale – unchanged in terms of positioning the curriculum within the aims of the
South African constitution.
 Respect for democracy, equality, human dignity and social justice
 Knowledge, skills and values/attitudes (SKVA) – unchanged eg.
 social transformation;
 high knowledge and high skills;
 progression;
 human rights, inclusivity, environmental and social justice;
 valuing indigenous knowledge systems;
 Lifelong education
 Transfer of learning to unfamiliar situations
 Logical, analytical, holistic and lateral thinking.

13.
DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES BETWEEN
NCS & CAPS
 Layout: Whereas the NCS followed the same format and layout in
all phases and grades, CAPS format and layout differs are not
exactly the same as they differ in some aspects.
 There is a difference in terms of presentation of information in
different subjects.
 Allocated time per topic: There are guidelines on time to be spent
on each topic and content to be covered within the specified time.

14.
Analytical differences between CAPS and
NCS
 Move away from OBE has resulted in a shift from discovery-based learning to a
more content-driven learning approach.
 This led to a shift of the position of the learner from being a participant in the
learning process, as a negotiator of meaning, to a recipient of a body of pre-
determined knowledge.
 Significant loss of the intention to develop critical thinking about knowledge
validity and bias, which is captured in some to the Los of the NCS.

15.
Similarities between CAPs and NCS with focus
on type of learner envisaged
 Both documents include critical outcomes:
Creative problem solving
Cooperation
Self-management
Information handling
Communication
Responsibility towards society and environment
Application of knowledge to real world

16.
Differences between CAPs and NCS with focus
on type of learner envisaged
NCS includes Developmental Outcomes, not in CAPS:
 Reflection on learning
 Responsible citizenship
 Cultural and aesthetic sensitivity
 Education and career awareness
 Entrepreneurship

17.
Differences between CAPs and NCS with focus
on type of Teacher envisaged
 NCS describes teacher role as being:
 “key contributors to transformation of education in SA”
 “qualified, competent, dedicated and caring”
 “able to fulfil the various roles outlined in the Norms and Standards for Educators”
 CAPS makes no mention of the envisaged teacher, and leaves very little room for
own interpretation of what and how to teach

18.
Differences in terms of pacing
NCS
 Pacing was difficult to judge
 Lower levels of specification
 Flexibility granted to teachers to determine pace in response to the varying needs of learners
CAPS
 experienced as fast by the learners
 Exceptions: Geography and Mathematical Literacy consider CAPS pacing to be moderate

19.
Differences in terms of Progression within
grades
NCS:
 Sequence within grades was left to teacher / education departments / textbooks
 Hence progression could not be commented on
CAPS:
 Sequencing leads to clear progression within grades for Accounting, Economics,
Business Studies and Mathematical Literacy
 For other subjects, reasoning behind sequencing is not always clear, and in some
cases does not appear to have been designed with progression in mind

20.
Progression across grades
NCS:
 Progression across grades is clearly evident through ASs
 Clear increase in cognitive demand in the way in which these are expressed per
grade
CAPS:
 Clear progression in content and skills across the grades
 Exceptions:
English HL: CAPS only offers guidelines as to how progression should take
place, but does not give sufficient guidance to teachers to ensure a clear
increase in the level of complexity or difficulty
English FAL: “almost no specification as to the expected depth of topics to
be covered in each successive grade, and no indication of progression
across the phase

21.
Assessment guidance
NCS:
 Baseline, diagnostic, formative and summative assessment
 Distinction between formal and informal assessment
 Methods of recording include rating scales, task lists or checklists and
rubrics
CAPS:
 Formal and informal assessment
 Conflation of formative + informal, and summative + formal
 No mention of assessment as an aid to diagnosing or remediating
barriers to learning
 Method of recording is purely based on marks

22.
Assessment guidance
 CAPS has simplified assessment from the elaborate approach of NCS
 Reduces the complexity and administrative load caused by assessment
under the NCS
 CAPS has greater emphasis on controlled tests and exams, de-emphasis
of continuous assessment

23.
Implications for SA Context
 Clearer specification of content in CAPS is helpful for majority of SA teachers who lack
subject confidence
 Shift from discovery-based learning to content-driven learning:
• Shift in power / position of learner in learning process from participant in negotiating meaning to
recipient of pre-ordained knowledge
• Diminishing role of teacher in curriculum development
• Narrowing of focus to a more clearly discipline-specific approach, with strong subject boundaries
 Shift from strong focus on group work to focus on learner taking individual
responsibility
 Loss of critical thinking about knowledge validity and bias
 Prescribed activities require specialised equipment
 Economics: required learner support materials are not available in all South African
classrooms
 Physical and Life Sciences: Fewer than 5% of South African schools have equipped,
functioning laboratories (based on statistics from Equal Education, 2012)

24.
Conclusion
 Most teachers concluded that the CAPS are a distinct improvement over the NCS
with regard to providing ‘statements which are clear, succinct, unambiguous,
measurable, and based on essential learning as represented by subject disciplines’.
 Exceptions:
 Mathematics: CAPS is significantly more demanding than NCS in both breadth and depth
 English FAL: disparity between topics in the content overview and in teaching plans
 English HL: lack of guidance regarding the texts to be selected, and language structures
should be incorporated

25.
Thank you.
Questions…comments…suggestions…