NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION 234
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 04/06/2010
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 15-2010)
Mr M J R de Villiers (DA-WC) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
(a) What are the details of the Teacher Performance Appraisal System
(TPAS) of her department, (b) what role-players are involved in the
development of the system, (c) when will the system be completed and
(d) what process will be followed to implement the system? CW305E
Answer:
a) The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has been implementing the
Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) since 2003. The system
is used to identify needs for teacher development purposes as well
as evaluate educators for payment of rewards for good performance.
Due to the challenges that have been experienced in implementing
the system, a decision was taken at the Teacher Development Summit
held in June 2009, that the IQMS be revised through delinking
instruments for Performance Measurement(PM) from that of
Developmental Appraisal (DA). A simplified and streamlined
instrument for both DA and PM needs to be developed.
In line with the above decision, a new Teacher Performance
Appraisal system (TPAS) is being developed. The system will have
the following components:
1. Purpose
The purpose of the TPAS, amongst others, is to assess the levels of
competence of educators, to enhance good performance and to improve
the quality of teaching and learning in schools.
2. Roles and responsibilities
The principal will be responsible for assessing teachers with the
assistance of the School Management Team (SMT).
3. Performance Appraisal Instrument
The performance standards in the current IQMS instrument for
educators will be streamlined and simplified.
4. Implementation process
It is proposed that the performance appraisal of educators will be
conducted annually by the principal during the 1st quarter of the
subsequent school year. There will also be informal quarterly
assessments. This will allow for the appraisal to be holistic and
be based on the educatorâs overall performance over the previous 12
months.
5. Moderation
The moderation process will form an integral part of the system in
order to validate and ensure consistency in the application of the
TPAS. The moderation of the educatorsâ scores will be conducted by
the district office, under the supervision of the District
Director.
b) The DBE will be responsible for developing the system in
consultation with the unions represented in the Education Labour
Relations Council (ELRC).
c) It is expected that the system will be finalize in the ELRC by the
end of 2010, for implementation in 2011.
d) Once the system has been finalized, the DBE will be responsible for
the training of all principals and circuit managers. This will be
followed by an advocacy campaign for all educators.