The development and implementation of records of student achievement in technikon education

Abstract

This pilot project to develop and implement a system for introducing records of student achievement in technikon education was based on developments in the United Kingdom over two decades ago. From a small beginning in a few schools, the movement, later known as 'profiling' flourished to the point where in 1984. it was officially adopted as part of school policy. Most teaching and learning in schools culminates in some form of assessment and evaluation. However, in many parts of the world, it has often been the custom to eliminate/exclude all but the very best pupils from any effective or beneficial forms of assessment. thereby precluding them from any practical· means of evaluation. The situation was no different in the United Kingdom where up to the 1960's the majority of pupils left school with little more than attendance records. It was this unfair and biased situation that gave rise to the principal leverage for introducing profiling to the school system. Although originating as a reaction against this prejudice, profiling in the United Kingdom has grown to encompass reporting on various attainments and activities, including academic achievement, of all school-going pupils as well as students at a number of post-compulsory education institutions. One of the many reasons given for this expansion has been the requirements of jobmarkets. It has long been known that industry has not always been entirely happy with the end-product from Our established education system. There are varied arguments for this, and in exploring some of these, one fairly universal problem has emerged, namely industry's apparent inability to effectively use the results of assessment as it has traditionally been reported by most schools and other educational institutions.