A National Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement is a single, comprehensive, and concise policy document, which has replaced the Subject and Learning Area Statements, Learning Programme Guidelines and Subject Assessment Guidelines for all the subjects listed in the National Curriculum Statement Grades R - 12 in January 2012.

The National Curriculum Statement Grades R - 12 represents a policy statement for learning and teaching in South African schools and comprises the following:

• Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements for each approved school subject as listed in the policy document National policy pertaining to the programme and promotion requirements of the National Curriculum Statement Grades R - 12;
• The policy document National policy pertaining to the programme and promotion requirements of the National Curriculum Statement Grades R - 12 which describes the number of subjects to be offered by learners in each grade and the promotion requirements to be obtained; and
• The policy document National Protocol for Assessment Grades R - 12 which standardises the recording and reporting processes for Grades R - 12 within the framework.

Wally Morrow (2008) defined teaching as “the organisation of systematic learning… characterised by the content knowledge, lesson preparation, classroom management, teaching strategies and finally the assessment of work by the teacher”.

Effective teaching starts with good planning which serves as a framework for:

• the teacher to engage in pedagogies that are learner-centred, organised and deeply reflective, and
• a School Management Team (SMT) to ensure continuity and progression of knowledge, skills and related attitudes and values across grades/phases as well as assessment that provides evidence of strengths, weaknesses and the next steps in teaching and learning.

In support of this, the WCED Senior Curriculum Planners and Subject Advisers developed Teaching and Assessment Plans (TAPs) for every subject and every grade. The plans are aligned to the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements and the 2020 amendments (Section 4) to the requirements for school-based assessment (SBA).

Source: Department of Basic Education