Course code: API733
Department: SMTE
Student name and number: Sibongasonke Zulu, U21646334
Contact number: 0813189917
E-mail: u21646334@[Link]
Assignment number: 2
Date submitted: 25 August 2025
Declaration:
1. I understand what plagiarism is and I am aware of the University’s policy in this regard.
2. I declare that this assignment is my own original work. Where other people’s work has
been used (either from a printed or electronic source), this has been properly
acknowledged and referenced in accordance with departmental requirements.
3. I have not used work previously produced by another student or any other person to
hand in as my own.
4. I have not allowed and will not allow anyone to copy my work with the intention of passing
it off as his or her own work.
Signature (s): _______________________________
Role of Generative AI:
The use of generative AI in the assignment.
Briefly explain which AI tool you have used, how you have used it, and which contribution
it made to your understanding of the work.
- I asked chatgpt to brainstorm the assignment for me
Signature (s): _______________________________
1. Link for video
[Link]
2. Script
What are Large-Scale Assessments?
Rutkowski, (2020) describes large scale assessment as exams which are written by learners
across a country or a region. This test are not used to check individual performance but they
are used to measure the performance of education system as a whole. It’s one of the
standardized tests in which every learner writes the same test under same conditions. They
enable the education system to compare the results. Here in South Africa we had test like
Annual national assessment which was eventually used to test literacy and numeracy in
lower grades . Furthermore we took part in tests like TIMMS which is was used for
mathematics and science performance (Johansson, 2016).
The Value in My Own Context
In my teaching context large scale assessment is used as a feedback tool. As a teacher it’s
not easy to know how my learners are performing compared to other schools or provinces
(Kayton, 2024). Therefore using large assessment data I can be able to see the level in which
they are keeping with national standards or there are areas in which they are behind. For
instance, if the results shows that my learners are struggling with reading, I would know that
I should invest more time in coming up with creative and innovative strategies that will help
them in their reading skill. Furthermore LSAs help me to reflect on my teaching methods and
get ways that make learning to be more fun for my learners and meet the objectives of the
curriculum and the international expectations (Kayton, 2024).
The Value In South Africa
In South Africa large scale assessment plays an vital role and they are valuable because they
enable us to see both our strengths and weaknesses as a country in terms of seeing how
learners are performing in subjects like maths, science as well as reading which will
eventually help teachers to modify their teaching skills (Mensah et al., 2023). . For example,
PIRLS have shown how many learners in Grade 4 are struggling to read comprehension. This
information is important as it helps the policy makers and government on where they can
put resources , how they can improve their curriculum and how they can assist teachers.
Lastly TIMSS results helps to show that there’s need for improved teaching strategies that
will help learners in improving in maths and science (Mensah et al., 2023).
Conclusion
In conclusion, large-scale assessments are not just about testing learners but they help the
education system as a whole to be improved and they are important for stakeholders such
as a policymakers curriculum makers, teacher even learners themselves. The main goal of
it is ensure that there’s equity and quality in education system.
Reference list
Johansson, S. (2016). International large-scale assessments: What uses, what
consequences?. Educational Research, 58(2), 139-148.
Kayton, H. L. (2024). Evaluating the validity and comparability of PIRLS 2016 in South Africa
(Doctoral dissertation, University of Oxford.
Mensah, F. J., Pillay, P., & Mohammad, J. K. (2023). Examining the implementation and
lessons learnt from the Annual National Assessment in a South African education district.
E-Journal of Humanities Arts and Social Sciences, 214-229.
[Link]
Rutkowski, D., Thompson, G., & Rutkowski, L. (2020). Understanding the policy influence of
international large-scale assessments in education. Reliability and validity of international
large-scale assessment, 261.