MAURITIUS EXAMINATIONS SYNDICATE

NATIONAL CERTIFICATE OF EDUCATION

LIFE SKILLS AND

VALUES EDUCATION
SCHOOL BASED ASSESSMENT
GUIDELINES FOR EDUCATORS
March 2024
Table of Contents
Page

1.0 Introduction……………………………………………………………………. 1

2.0 Rationale………………………………………………………………………... 2-3

3.0 The SBA in Life Skills & Values Education…………………………….…. 4-5

4.0 Guidelines for Educators…………..…………………………..…………….. 6-7

5.0 Assessment Criteria for LSVE activities…………………………………… 8

6.0 Overall Grading …………………………………………………………….….. 8-9

7.0 SBA Observation Record Sheet………………………………………………9

8.0 Quality Assurance Mechanism……………………………………………….10

8.1 At School Level………………………………………………………….10

8.2 At MES Level……………………………………………………………..10

9.0 The Result Sheet…………………………………………………………………11

List of Annexes
Annex 1 Assessment Criteria and Level Descriptors for the activities
Annex 2 Overall Assessment Criteria
Annex 3 Example of an SBA Observation Record Sheet
Annex 4 Example of a filled-in SBA Observation Record Sheet for a student
Annex 5 Example of an SBA Progress Record Sheet
Annex 6 Example of a filled-in SBA Progress Record Sheet
Annex 7 Example of a Result Sheet for the school

Acknowledgments

The MES would like to acknowledge the participation of Life Skills & Values Education
Educators who participated in the technical committee and contributed significantly to the
elaboration of this document. We are also grateful for the participation of the representatives
from the Ministry and the MIE who played an important part in the development of these
guidelines. 1
1.0 Introduction

The National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for Grades 7, 8 and 9 (MIE 2016)
emphasises the importance of non-core subjects in imparting life skills to our young
students and contributing to their holistic education and all-round development as
advocated in the Nine Year Continuous Basic Education (NYCBE). There are 3 non-
core subjects:

• Performing Arts
• Physical Education
• Life Skills and Values Education (LSVE)

The non-core subjects will be assessed through School-Based Assessment (SBA) at

the level of Grade 9 for students of the Regular Programme and at the levels of
Grade 9 and Grade 9+ for students of the Extended Programme.

Educators will be required to keep a record and report on the progress of learners.
Towards the end of the academic year, schools will report on the overall proficiency
level attained by each learner in Grade 9 (for the Regular Programme) and Grade 9+
(for the Extended Programme) for Life Skills and Values Education to the Mauritius
Examinations Syndicate (MES).

This booklet sets out the modalities for the assessment in Life Skills and Values
Education (LSVE). It includes:

• Guidelines for Educators

• The Assessment Criteria for the various activities
• The Overall Assessment Criteria
• The SBA Observation Record Sheet
• The SBA Progress Record Sheet
• The Result Sheet

2.0 Rationale

Life Skills and Values Education plays an important role in the social, cognitive and
emotional development of students. It equips students with a broad set of social and
behavioural skills which will enable them to face and deal with the challenges of
modern society.

The National Curriculum Framework (NCF) lays emphasis on the development of life
skills and values through activity-based learning. Such an approach would help
students to acquire knowledge, experience, skills and values by carrying out diverse
activities including, inter alia, project work, brainstorming, debates and discussions,
creation of artefacts, posters or slogans and role play. According to the NCF, the

2
aims of the Life Skills and Values Education curriculum are to ensure learners will
develop the following ten core competencies or skills:

The Social Skills domain

• Self-awareness whereby they will learn to recognise themselves, to identify

their strengths and weaknesses, their likes and dislikes and their rights and
responsibilities and to further develop their self-control.

• Effective communication whereby they will be trained to express

themselves by using basic verbal and non-verbal communication skills.

• Interpersonal relationship whereby they will be taught how to relate and to

interact positively with people, how to build new relationships and value them.

• Empathy which will allow them to share someone else’s experiences and
feelings, to understand and appreciate the differences and similarities
between people and to avoid prejudice.

The Cognitive Skills domain

• Critical thinking which will enable them to analyse information objectively

and to think clearly and rationally about what to do or what to believe.

• Creative thinking which will help them in conceiving and elaborating new
ideas and adapting to changes more easily.

• Problem-solving skills whereby they will be prepared to identify the nature

of a problem and to find solutions to difficult or complex issues.

• Decision-making skills that will empower them to make the right choices
among possible alternatives.

The Emotional Skills domain

• Ability to manage stress by identifying its sources, understanding how it

affects them and others and by devising means to control its levels.

• Ability to cope with emotions by understanding how emotions influence

their behaviour and how to respond to these appropriately.

The NYCBE policy document calls for variety in the modes of assessment. To
encourage the development of the Social, Cognitive and Emotional skills, the
School-Based Assessment (SBA) in Life Skills & Values Education is conducted
mainly through practical activities.

3
3.0 The School-Based Assessment in LSVE
The NCE Assessment for the non-core subjects aims at assessing the level of
participation and the level of performance of students in Life Skills & Values
Education. The progress of the learners should also be taken into consideration
when the overall proficiency level is given for the purpose of certification within the
NCE.

The following is an extract from the Annual Programme for the National Certificate of
Education (2020) in connection with the conditions for the award of the NCE at the
National Qualifications Level 2:

Conditions for National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Level 2 Qualification

(1) The NCE shall be recognised as a Level 2 qualification on the National

Qualifications Framework provided that candidates have achieved the
following minimum requirements:

Either

Numerical grade 6 in SIX core subjects including English, French and

Mathematics and at least Intermediate Level in TWO Non-core subjects;

Or

Numerical grade 6 in SEVEN core subjects including English, French and

Mathematics and at least Intermediate Level in ONE Non-core subject

Or

Numerical grade 6 in EIGHT core subjects including English, French and

Mathematics.

Life Skills and Values Education has the status of a non-core subject within the NCE
and the subject code is N720. The Annual Programme for the NCE (2020) states
that the assessment will be conducted through school-based assessment throughout
Grade 9. For Extended Programme students, it will be conducted both at Grade 9
and Grade 9+.

A variety of methods should be used to assess and evaluate students’ level of

performance (including participation in activities).

The assessment should be seen as an integral part of classroom activities. It is

expected that there will be no break in teaching to start the assessment. However,
the activities being carried out during the normal teaching-learning process will be
used to make a judgment on the overall proficiency level of students. It is also
envisaged that the progress of students will be taken into consideration at the time of
4
the final grading of students as specified in the Overall Assessment Criteria table
found at Annex 2.

The assessment should be in line with the Teaching and Learning Syllabus (MIE,
2017) as well as the National Curriculum Framework (MIE, 2016). Students should
be given ample opportunities to show their proficiency levels in a variety of activities
based on the following themes:

• Intercultural Education
• Values Education (including civic education)
• Sexuality Education
• Human Rights Education
• Substance Abuse
• Road Safety Education
• Sustainable Development
• Socio-emotional Well-being

There will be no assessment in Life Skills and Values Education for private
candidates.

A grading system with three levels of competence will be used.

Level of Competence

Proficient

Intermediate

Basic

5
4.0 Guidelines for Educators

1. The assessment is school-based, which means that Educators are

responsible for planning the assessment, using appropriate assessment
tasks and making the assessment judgments.

2. Educators will use the assessment criteria provided in this booklet to make
assessment judgments about the performance of their learners.
Educators will refer to the Assessment Criteria document at Annex 1 to
make judgments on the performance of the learners in specific activities
and refer to the Overall Assessment Criteria at Annex 2 to make
judgments on the progress made by the learners for the final grading.

3. The assessment tasks/activities can be based on those found in the

curriculum materials (textbooks) or appropriate tasks can be developed by
the Educator(s). The assessment activities can be based, inter alia, on the
learning activities which are found in the MIE Grade 9 Educator’s Book for
LSVE and/or the SeDEC curriculum materials for Grade 9 students. They
can also be based on appropriate learning activities developed by the
Educator(s). Participation of Grade 9 and Grade 9+ students in school and
extra-curricular activities such as ‘Get Connected’, Environmental clubs,
Drama club (planning and staging a drama piece), Human Rights
education and neighbourhood/community-based projects can also be used
for the assessment of the core skills/competencies.

4. Educators should ensure that each student has the opportunity to be

assessed on at least one activity covering each of the ten core
competencies based on the following themes during Grade 9 and/or
Grade 9+:

• Intercultural Education
• Values Education (including civic education)
• Sexuality Education
• Human Rights Education
• Substance Abuse
• Road Safety Education
• Sustainable Development
• Socio-emotional Well-being

5. Educators are encouraged to use more than one task/activity per

competency for the assessment. For instance, at least 2 or 3

6
 tasks/activities can be used over the year. This will enable learners to
demonstrate the progress they are making.

6. The range of tasks/activities used must give the learner the opportunity to
show his full potential and meet the assessment criteria at the highest
proficiency level.

7. The assessment is carried out by the Educator during normal teaching

hours.

8. The assessments must be carried out, at a time chosen by the Educator,

once learners have already been exposed to the activity.

9. All assessments must be completed by the end of the academic year of

Grade 9 and/or Grade 9+.

10. Educators should keep a portfolio of the activities used for the SBA. This
portfolio should include all the pieces of evidence gathered from students’
performances on the tasks carried out.

11. Educators will keep an SBA Observation Record Sheet for each student.
They are requested to keep a record of the tasks/activities that have been
used to assess the ten competencies for the SBA. This will ensure that the
tasks/activities carried out over the year meet the assessment objectives as
broadly as possible.

They will use the SBA Observation Record Sheets to make a judgment on
the overall proficiency level of each student. Educators should sign and
authenticate their SBA Observation Record Sheets.

12. Educators are also requested to fill in the SBA Progress Report Sheet
(PRS) and submit the filled-in form as indicated per communiqué issued by
the MES. This PRS is part of the Quality Assurance Mechanism process.

13. Educators will fill in the final Result Sheet to be submitted to the MES. This
should be done by the end of the academic year in Grade 9 for learners in
the Regular Programme and in Grade 9+ for learners in the Extended
Programme. The final Result Sheet should indicate the overall proficiency
level of all learners in LSVE.

7
5.0 Assessment Criteria for LSVE activities
Educators will use the assessment criteria provided by the MES in this document at
Annexes 1 and 2 to make assessment judgments about the participation and
performance of their students.

The assessment criteria found at Annex 1 will be applied to evaluate students’

learning achievement on learning activities, including inter alia:

• Working in pairs, or in groups on scenarios of issues or case studies/short

stories
• Brainstorming/class discussion/debates
• Group work on a project
• Design and execution of an artwork/production of an artefact such as a
poster, a logo or slogan, a newspaper/newsletter front page
• Role play
• Group or individual presentation (written or oral)
• Personal Reflection on activities

When devising activities which will be used as evidence for the assessment,
Educators should ensure that these are in line with the assessment criteria so that a
judgment of the attainment level can be made.

6.0 Overall Grading

Educators will evaluate their learners’ performance and award an overall grade at
the end of the academic year. This grade will be reported on the National Certificate
of Education as the grade achieved by the candidate in Life Skills & Values
Education. In order to reach the overall grade, Educators are expected to make a
judgment on the level attained in each of the different activities based on each
competency within the different themes.

Educators are also requested to take into consideration the following general criteria
before reaching an overall grade:

• Interest and participation in the activities

• Following instructions, taking initiative and showing respect for
agreed rules and during peer interaction
• Creative and innovative ways to solve a problem and propose a
solution
• Making the right choice/decision for a course of action
• Completion of the task/activity
• Reflection on own/pair/group performance/action

8
 • Effective Communication of ideas and opinions
• Ability to work independently

The overall grade will be the one which best fits the learner’s achievement and
progress and the grade which the learner has achieved the most in the different
activities.

The overall grade descriptors found at Annex 2 of this document can help Educators
make the final judgment of the grade attained by each student.

7.0 SBA Observation Record Sheet

Educators should keep a record of all the activities and assessment tasks that they
have used for the school-based assessment (SBA). An SBA Observation Record
Sheet must be kept for each learner. This document serves to keep track of the
assessment tasks carried out by the Educator as well as to provide documentary
evidence of how learners have progressed over the academic year. Educators will
have to record which tasks/activities have been used as well as the level at which
the learners performed.

The SBA Observation Record Sheet should be kept confidential and made
available during the monitoring process at school level and to the MES. In addition,
the SBA Observation Record Sheets should be kept securely at school for at
least 6 months after the issue of results.

An example of the SBA Observation Record Sheet can be found at Annex 3 of this
document which can be used as a means to keep track of the activities for each
learner. It is to be noted that more than one activity can be used within each theme
provided that learners are given the opportunity to fulfill the assessment criteria
defined for each activity at proficient level.

9
8.0 Quality Assurance Mechanism
As the assessment in Life Skills & Values Education forms an integral part of the
NCE certification process, a quality assurance mechanism has been set up to
ensure that all schools implement the school-based assessment in a fair and
consistent manner.

8.1 At School Level

There will be a monitoring process carried out at school level.

The objectives of the monitoring process are to ensure that Educators are:

• encouraging students to participate in the activities;

• providing a fair chance to all learners to demonstrate what they can do and
are being assessed throughout the year;
• using the assessment criteria to make judgments;
• keeping a record of the tasks used in their portfolio;
• keeping the SBA Observation Record Sheets properly and
• keeping the SBA Progress Record Sheet.

The monitoring should also ensure that proper support is provided to Educators
where required.

8.2 At MES Level

The Quality Assurance Mechanism set up by the MES will require schools to:

a) submit an SBA Progress Record Sheet (PRS). The PRS will detail the
activities/tasks carried out over a specific period of time.

b) The template of the SBA PRS will be downloadable from the MES
website mes.intnet.mu. Once filled in, the SBA PRS should be signed
and certified by the Educator/s concerned and the Head of School.

c) submit duly filled-in SBA PRS forms to the MES through the following
email addresses:

[email protected] or [email protected]

d) keep evidence of students’ work and activities carried out at school and
make it available to the MES when required.

MES will visit schools in the context of the implementation of this Quality Assurance
Mechanism.

10
A sample of a blank SBA Progress Record Sheet and filled-in SBA PRS can be
found at Annexes 5 and 6 of this document.

9.0 The Result Sheet

A Result Sheet will be provided to all schools by the MES. Educators will have to
record the overall level of proficiency achieved in the Result Sheet. Heads of
Schools will authenticate and sign the Result Sheet before it is submitted to the
MES. The deadline to submit the Result Sheet to the MES shall be communicated
to all schools.

A sample of the Result Sheet can be found at Annex 7 of this document.

11
 Annex 1

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
Domain Competencies Code Descriptors
P Demonstrates good understanding of personal strengths and weaknesses
Self-Awareness SS1 I Demonstrates some understanding of personal strengths and weaknesses
B
Demonstrates limited understanding of personal strengths and weaknesses
P Communicates clearly, expresses and shares ideas well
Effective SS2 Communicates with some hesitation and shares ideas when
I
Communication asked/prompted
B Has difficulties to communicate and share ideas
Social Participates actively, listens to others and shows respect for others and
P
Skills Interpersonal SS3 works cooperatively in group
Relationship I Shows some initiative to participate and work in a group

B Shows little interest to participate and work in group

Shows positive understanding of others' feelings and points of view in a

P
variety of situations
Empathy SS4 Shows some ability to understand others' feelings and points of view in a
I
variety of situations
B Shows little understanding of others' feelings and points of view
P Shows good ability to analyse situations
Critical CS1 I Shows some competence in analysing situations
Thinking
B Shows limited ability to analyse situations
Creative CS2 P Regularly shows creative, innovative and original ideas
Thinking
I Occasionally shows creative and original ideas
Cogniti B Rarely shows creative and innovative ideas
ve
Skills Problem CS3 P Shows admirable ability to solve a problem
Solving
I Shows some ability to solve a problem
B Shows little ability to solve a problem
Decision CS4 P Demonstrates commendable ability to make the right choice
Making
I Demonstrates some ability to make the right choice
B Demonstrates little ability to make the right choice
ES1 P Shows great ability to manage stress
Coping
I Shows some ability to manage stress
with Stress
B Shows little ability to manage stress
Emotio
nal Coping ES2 P Shows excellent confidence in expressing feelings and emotions
Skills
with Emotions I Shows some confidence in expressing feelings and emotions
B Shows little confidence in expressing feelings and emotions

12
 Annex 2

Overall Assessment Criteria

The following table gives the assessment criteria to judge the overall proficiency
level of the student.

Proficiency Descriptors
level
• Shows interest and participates actively
• Takes the lead and initiative
• Demonstrates skills to work in a team and cooperates with
others
• Shows systematic and coherent development of creative and
Proficient
innovative ideas
• Shows confidence in communicating opinions and expresses
ideas clearly
• Needs only minimal prompting from teacher to complete the
task

• Shows some interest in the activities and participates only

when asked
• Demonstrates some initiative
• Shows the ability to work in a team, only when encouraged
by peers and/or teacher
Intermediate • Carries out some research but lacks new ideas and creativity
• Shows hesitation in communicating ideas and opinions,
communication is not always clear and precise
• Listens to and follows instructions but some
prompting/guidance by the teacher is required to complete
the task

• Shows little or no interest in activities

• Demonstrates low level of initiative to complete the task
• Shows low level of cooperation and teamwork
Basic • Shows limited or no creativity and originality
• Has difficulty communicating and expressing opinions,
speaks mainly in isolated words or phrases
• Needs constant help and guidance from teacher and yet fails
to complete the task

13
 Annex 3

Mauritius Examinations Syndicate

SBA Observation Record Sheet
Please read the SBA guidelines for Life Skills & Values Education before you fill in this form.
School Name Centre Number
Student Name Index Number
Subject Examination series
Class
Competencies Performance Level
Theme Covered Activity assessed Date
(Codes) Basic Intermediate Proficient
Intercultural
Education

Values
Education
Sexuality
Education
Human Rights
Education
Substance
Abuse
Road Safety
Education
Sustainable
Development
Socio-emotional
Well-being

Overall Proficiency Level

Comments on overall proficiency level (based on level descriptors)

Name of Educator:

Signature of Educator:

14
 Annex 4

Mauritius Examinations Syndicate

SBA Observation Record Sheet (Filled-in)

School Name XXXXXXXX Centre Number XXXX

Student Name XXXXX Index Number XXXXXXX
Subject LSVE Examination series 2024
Class Grade 9 Red
Competencies Performance Level
Theme Covered Activity assessed Date
(Codes) Basic Intermediate Proficient
Intercultural Education Project work SS2, SS3, SS4, 05/02/24
CS3, ES1, ES2 ü

Values Education Brainstorming SS1, SS2, CS1, 23/02/24

CS2 ü

Sexuality Education Debate SS1, SS2, SS3, 07/03/24

SS4, CS1, CS4,
ES2

Human Rights Poster SS3, CS1, CS2, 15/03/24 ü

Education CS4, ES1, ES2
Substance Abuse Role Play SS1, SS2, SS3, 22/05/24
SS4, CS2, CS4, ü
ES1, ES2

Road Safety Education Brainstorming SS1, SS2, CS1, 15/06/24 ü

CS2
Sustainable Slogan SS2, CS1, CS2 22/07/24 ü
Development
Socio-emotional Well- Discussion SS1, SS2, SS3, 28/08/24 ü
being SS4, CS1, CS4,
ES2

Overall Proficiency Level INTERMEDIATE

Comments on overall proficiency level (based on level descriptors)

Shows some interest in the activities and participates only when asked.
Shows the ability to work in a team.
Hesitates to communicate.

Name of Educator:
Signature of Educator:

15
 Annex 5

Mauritius Examinations Syndicate

SBA Progress Record Sheet for Life Skills & Values Education
Please read the SBA guidelines for Life Skills & Values Education before you fill in this form. This
form should be submitted to the MES via email at [email protected] or
[email protected] at the end of each term.

Centre
School:
Number:
Examination
Name of Educator:
Series
Class: Number of students:

Theme: Term 1 2 3
Social Cognitive Emotional
Domain:
Skills Skills Skills

Date Activities carried out Notes/Remarks

Competency:

Activity:

No of
Proficient: Intermediate: Basic:
students

Competency:

Activity:

No of
Proficient: Intermediate: Basic:
students

Signature of Educator: ________________________________________ Date: ___/___/_

Name of Head of School: _________________________________________

Seal of
Signature of Head of School: ________________________
school
Date: ___/___/___
 Annex 6

Mauritius Examinations Syndicate

SBA Progress Record Sheet for LSVE (Filled-in)
Please read the SBA guidelines for Life Skills & Values Education before you fill in this form. This
form should be submitted to the MES via email at [email protected] or
[email protected] at the end of each term.

Centre
School: Martin Luther King Jr. SSS MU 326/453
Number:
Examination
Name of Educator: yyyyyyyyyyy 2024
Series
Class: xxxxxxx Number of students: 20

Theme: Values education (Civic 1 2 3

responsibilities and duties)
Term ü
Social Cognitive Emotional
Domain: ü ü
Skills Skills Skills

Date Activities carried out Notes/Remarks

Competency: SS3 Participate and work in a Group Page 6 MIE
CS2 Show creative and original ideas Educator’s
SS2 Communicate and share ideas Book. Whole
class activity.
13 Activity: Brainstorming This activity was
Jan not assessed.
Instructions
No of given to think
Proficient: Intermediate: Basic:
students about group
activity.
Competency: SS3 – CS2 – SS2 Group activity

Activity: Groups of 5 students to think creatively and present 20 students in 4

20, sustainable ways of civic and social engagement at the level of groups of 5 were
27 the school/locality assessed on 20
Jan and 27/01/24

No of Proficient:
Intermediate: 5 Basic: 5
students 10

Signature of Educator: _____________________________________Date: ___/___/___

Name of Head of School: ______________________________________

Signature of Head of School: ________________________ Seal of school

Date: ___/___/__
 Annex 7

MAURITIUS EXAMINATIONS SYNDICATE

NCE Assessment 2024

RESULT SHEET FOR GRADE 9 – Non-Core Subject

School:

COMPETENCY LEVEL

Index Index Candidate

Gen Gender Physical Performing Life Skills &

Number Name Education Arts Values

Education

1004/00000/00
1 XXXXX, YYYYYY B P I B

2 1004/00000/00 XXX,YYY B B B I

1004/00000/00
3 XXXXX, YYYYYY G I I I

1004/00000/00
4 XXXXX, YYYYYY B I P P

1004/00000/00
5 XXXXX, YYYYYY G P P P

Total: 5
Seal of School

I certify that the above competency levels have been verified and found correct.

Name of Head of School: ______________ Signature: _______________ Date: ___/___/____