Developing South Africa's National Student Assessment Framework

This policy brief provides guidance to South Africa on the further development of its National Student Assessment Framework. It forms part of a broader OECD technical assistance project supporting the Department of Basic Education in strengthening the country's student assessment system and specific assessment instruments. The brief provides an overview of the strengths and challenges of the current national assessment system, focusing on national standardised assessments, national examinations and centrally-developed classroom-based assessments. The brief concludes by providing recommendations to help the country further develop and implement its National Student Assessment Framework. These efforts aim to support South Africa’s broader goal of using assessment to enhance the quality and equity of student outcomes. The brief may also be of interest to other countries seeking to strengthen their student assessment systems.