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Over the years, the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) has undergone various reviews and revisions in order to improve its content and address challenges in its implementation. There were some significant changes in the subjects at different levels since 2016 . The changes largely aimed at improving curriculum clarity, improving methods of assessment, and updating the subject material to keep pace with educational and technological changes. Each revision confirms the Department of Basic Education's resolve to build an increasingly inclusive, equitable, and future-looking learning framework for South African learners.
Over the years, the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) has undergone various reviews and revisions in order to improve its content and address challenges in its implementation. There were some significant changes in the subjects at different levels since 2016 . The changes largely aimed at improving curriculum clarity, improving methods of assessment, and updating the subject material to keep pace with educational and technological changes. Each revision confirms the Department of Basic Education's resolve to build an increasingly inclusive, equitable, and future-looking learning framework for South African learners.
some amendments and reviews made on CAPS till date
some amendments and reviews made on CAPS till date
GET CAPS AMENDMENTS Gr 4-6
The changes were made to relieve teachers from the burden of overload regarding the number of assessment tasks, thus improve the focus on teaching and learning. The revisions in some subjects include guidance regarding cognitive demands and types of assessment. The reduction of tasks varies from subject to subject. There was no reduction of tasks in Creative Arts, Languages, Life Orientation and Social Sciences. In all other subjects, the reduction varies from 1-4 formal assessment tasks per year. For some subjects like Creative Arts and Social Sciences, more clarity and guidance has been provided on mark allocation, percentages and or weighting, type/ form of assessment and examination guidelines(Department of Basic Education, 2011) .
The below document presents an abridged version of Section 4 of the CAPS document. It specifically provides the interim changes made to the programme of assessment for subjects in GradesR-9. click here for document
GET CAPS AMENDMENTS Intermediate draft 7.pdfThe interim changes made to the programme of assessment for subjects in Grades 12, for implementation in January 2021
Following a number of concerns were received from teachers, subject specialists, parents and education stakeholders about the challenges in the implementation of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) in many subjects across the grades. The Department of Basic Education then considered the concerns and agreed to undertake a holistic review of the CAPS documents to enhance the effectiveness of the curriculum. However, due to the fact that a curriculum strengthening process is lengthy and includes strict policy processes and at the same time to urgently address the most pressing needs and provide interim relief to teachers whilst supporting effective curriculum implementation, the DBE developed an abridged version of Section 4 of the CAPS, focusing mainly on the reduction of formal assessment tasks across most subjects.
The concerns with regards to CAPS are highlighted below Click to see
curriculum/assessment overload and poor curriculum coverage;
• poor quality of formal assessment tasks;
• lack of guidance on the use of cognitive levels;
• omissions on the forms of assessment; and weighting of assessment with regards to time and marks;
• the need to create more time for teaching and formative assessment;
• the number of tasks based on the need to make valid and reliable judgments about learning outcomes; • shift from disconnected ‘tagged on’ assessments to credible assessment tasks;
• the nature of the subject and Grade used to determine the required number of assessment tasks; and
• to reduce dominance by any single type or mode, e.g.: Tests, Projects, Assignments, Case Studies, Simulations etc.
The changes were made to relieve teachers from the burden of overload regarding the number of assessment tasks, thus, improving the focus on teaching and learning. The revisions in some subjects also include guidance regarding cognitive demands and types of assessment. The reduction of tasks in the FET phase varies from subject to subject based on the individual nature of the subject (DBE, 2021)
click to download the abridged version of Section 4 of the CAPS or read document below.
Art subjects-CAPS 14 Dec 2020.pdfGrade 12 Abridged Section 4 CAPS -14 Dec 2020.pdfReview and Revisions (2018)
Review and Revisions (2018)
Following consultation with the Council of Education Ministers, Basic Education Minister Angelina Matsie Motshekga invited all stakeholder bodies and members of the public to provide feedback on the draft Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) on Twenty Six Technical Subjects to be included in the National Curriculum Statement Grade R-12, in accordance with section 3(4)(l) of the National Education Policy Act, 1996 (Act No. 27 of 1996). She requests written feedback on the Policy modifications included in the Schedule from interested parties, stakeholder bodies, and members of the public. see details DBE website
Gazette document
2017 Guidelines to Strengthen the Implementation of CAPS (FET)
S1 2017 Annexure B_FET_ Grade 10 - 11_Guidelines to strenghtening_CAPS_Section 4.pdfCall for Comments: 2016 Notices
In 2016 the nomenclature of the subjects was changed at Foundation Phase .There was a Call for written submissions from stakeholder bodies and members of the public on the draft Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements for languages at Second Additional Language level Grades 1 -3 . Significantly, First Additional Language was for the first time separated from the broader area of languages and given priority in weighting. This was an attempt to address the fact that approximately 80% of learners made a transition from mother tongue instruction to English as a language of teaching and learning in Grade 4 (OakHillWebmaster, 2023)
click the link for details http://www.education.gov.za/Resources/Legislation/CallforComments/DraftSALCAPSforFP.aspx, or below for the Gazette
39987_13-5_BasicEducation.pdf(Government Gazette, 2016)
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