REPORT ON THE ANA OF 2014

(c)Test ReviewThe tests were first reviewed by an internal moderator appointed by the DBE and then forwarded for external review tothe members of an Advisory Committee that comprised both local (national) and external (international) experts. Theinternational experts are based in Washington DC, United States of America (USA) at the National Centre for EducationStatistics. The Advisory Committee was appointed by the Director-General to advise on the broader issues relating toANA and to provide expert opinion on the construction and design of the tests. Members of the Advisory Committee wereprovided with the tests, marking guidelines, test frameworks and Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS)for Grades 3, 6 and 9 to allow them to make their inputs on the basis of the curriculum statements.Moderators and chief examiners interacted with the inputs provided by the Advisory Committee and effected changes tothe tests accordingly. Critical principles relating to the changes in the tests were identified from the Advisory Committeeinputs, which were then implemented in the tests of the other grades.(d)Formatting and ProofreadingThe tests were formatted (layout) to give them an aesthetic and professional look. There were three levels of editingas a quality assurance measure. The first level was done by the editors appointed for the test development process,per panel, to remove any linguistic or typographical errors. The second level of editing and proofreading was done byprovincial editors. The final editing and quality assurance of the ANA tests was done by the DBE full-time editors whoare also responsible for the quality assurance of the National Senior Certificate (NSC) question papers.(e)AdaptationThe tests were then adapted for learners with barriers to learning and this included learners who are blind and deaf.Adaptation for the Deaf means that the language in the test was simplified as learners in this category do not haveequivalent vocabulary to other learners who write non adapted tests and the test had to be on par with the standards ofthe South African Sign Language. In the case of the blind learners, the tests were brailled and versioned into all officiallanguages as in the mainstream. For the partially sighted learners the tests were enlarged into various font sizes. Audiotapes were also provided for learners who were hard of hearing.(f)Printing, Packing and Distribution of TestsThe printing, packing and distribution of the ANA tests were either done by the provinces or by the DBE. In the case ofthe Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and Western Cape the tests were printed, by the province, using theirin-house facilities, in line with the Norms and Standards for printing, packing and distribution. The DBE procured theservices of two service providers through a tender process to print, pack and distribute the tests for Gauteng, Limpopo,KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, and North West. The printing, packing and distribution of the tests were monitored at eachof the key stages by the DBE.The printed tests were packed according to grade and subject per school. As a security measure the tests were first putinto sealed bags, per subject, language and grade before being packed into a labelled box for each school. The packingprocess was closely monitored by DBE and PED officials to ensure accuracy of packing. The packed tests were thendelivered to districts where district officials verified the test material per school. This was done a week before the testadministration process. DBE also employed part-time monitors for further verification and monitoring of the distributionof the test materials.GRADES 1 – 6 & 9 | 31