Technical Assistance for Analysing and Reporting on Large-Scale Assessment Data
Partnering with the Department of Basic Education to strengthen the use of national and international assessment data for improving learning outcomes
Introduction
South Africa takes part in a number of large-scale national and international assessments that measure how well learners are performing in reading, mathematics and science, and track progress in the early grades. These include the Early Learning National Assessments (ELNA), the South African Systemic Evaluation (SASE), the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Together, they give the Department of Basic Education (DBE) essential evidence to benchmark the schooling system, monitor learning outcomes over time, and guide policy and planning.
The DBE’s National Assessment Unit oversees this work, and for international studies has historically partnered with organisations such as the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) to process the resulting data. These partners typically produce high-level reports focused on national averages. What is often missing is the more granular, decision-ready analysis, disaggregated by province, district, school quintile, language and specific skill area, that education planners and practitioners need to target support where it is most needed. South Africa currently lacks sustained local capacity to consistently provide this deeper level of analysis across all major assessments.
Project Overview
Zenex Foundation is supporting the DBE’s National Assessment Directorate to strengthen the analysis and reporting of data from four major assessments over the 2025–2029 period: the 2024–2026 Early Learning National Assessments (ELNA), the 2026 South African Systemic Evaluation (SASE), the 2026 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), and the 2027 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).
Zenex is funding technical assistance delivered by the EQUAL Network, a multi-disciplinary team of psychometricians, statisticians and data scientists with a strong track record on previous DBE assessment cycles. Working alongside DBE officials, the team will clean and quality-assure each dataset as it becomes available, conduct advanced statistical and psychometric analysis, and co-produce reports tailored for different audiences, from national policymakers to district officials, researchers and civil society.
Objectives
The technical assistance is designed to:
- Support high-quality data cleaning and advanced psychometric and statistical analysis of the datasets produced by ELNA, SASE, PIRLS and TIMSS.
- Produce timely, nuanced and policy-relevant reports that go beyond national averages to reveal diagnostic and disaggregated insights by province, district, quintile, language and learning sub-skill.
- Build the technical capacity of the DBE Assessment Unit through hands-on collaboration, joint analysis, training and mentorship alongside the technical assistance team.
Outcomes
Through this project, it is anticipated that:
- DBE datasets from the four assessments will be cleaned, validated and analysed to a high technical standard, strengthening the reliability of national assessment results.
- Richer, more actionable reporting, including technical reports, policy briefs and infographics, will reach policymakers, education officials, researchers, donors and civil society through DBE and sector platforms.
- DBE staff will develop stronger analytical and reporting skills, embedding capacity within the Department that outlasts the life of the project and reduces reliance on external support over time.
- The national evidence base on learning outcomes will be strengthened, better informing curriculum, teacher development and resource-allocation decisions aimed at improving foundational learning and reducing inequality.