In recent years there has been an increased emphasis on providing schools with feedback on performance with the aim of improving the quality of education (Coe & Visscher, 2002; van Petegem & Vanhoof, 2005). School Performance Feedback Systems (SPFS) are information systems, which are developed external to the school, that provide schools with information on its functioning and performance. The goal of such systems is to maintain and improve the quality of education taking place. Yet, if feedback is to be used by schools, key issues need to be addressed such as what is being monitored, what information is fed back into the system, can schools access the information and then use the information as well as are the needs of schools in a developing world context the same as that in a developed world context (as reflected in literature). In 2003 the Centre for Evaluation and Assessment at the University of Pretoria undertook a collaborative research project with the Curriculum, Evaluation and Management Centre (CEM) at Durham University in the United Kingdom. The aim of the project was to explore the extent to which monitoring systems developed by CEM would be valid and reliable in the context of South Africa. The next step in the project is to focus on the feedback provided to schools. Two research questions are addressed in this paper. Firstly, what information based on performance data do the schools feel they need? Secondly, how can complex information based on performance data be presented in an accessible manner? The conceptual framework for the study draws on the frameworks proposed by Visscher (2002) and van Petegem and Vanhoof (2005) amongst others.

Design research using a mixed methods approach is followed (see e.g. Van den Akker et al., 2006). This project started with a needs analysis of 6 primary and secondary schools from which the first prototype of feedback mechanisms to schools could be developed. The needs analysis comprised of interviews with the principal, head of department and selected teachers from Grade 1 and Grade 8. 21 Primary and 21 secondary schools are currently participating in the project. The schools were purposively sampled, in the Tshwane area of the Gauteng province, for maximum variation to reflect different school profiles typical in South Africa. A sample of Grade 1 and Grade 8 learners were randomly selected. These Grade 1 and Grade 8 learners completed the assessments, as part of the CEA monitoring systems, in English, Afrikaans and Sepedi depending on the language of instruction of the school. Furthermore questionnaires were sent to the schools as well as follow-up focus group interviews were conducted.

The research is still in progress. A full report on the results of the first phase of the project will be given at the conference. It is expected that the results of the this research will contribute to the discussions and body of knowledge on feedback systems as seen in literature as well as inform the development of future feedback prototypes used in the project.