This chapter focuses on the responses to the proposals on how assessment and certification arrangements will be changed to ensure alignment with structural changes and changes to the curriculum and student programmes. The overall aim of the changes is to ensure that it is possible to assess a wide range of outcomes relevant to the aptitudes, interests and abilities of the full cohort of students expected to take the HKDSE examination.
Original Proposal
7.1 The current HKCEE and HKALE will be replaced with one examination leading to the single credential, the HKDSE.
7.2 A wider range of approaches to assessment will be used to reflect curricular intentions, including the use of moderated school-based assessments, which would account typically for 20-30% of the total assessment for each subject.
7.3 A “standards-referenced” approach to reporting student achievement will be adopted to enable performance to be reported with reference to a framework of five levels for which a set of descriptors and exemplars will be available.
Information regarding the relative standing of students will still be available and could include an index for tertiary selection purposes.
7.4 Standards will be internationally benchmarked and recognition for the new HKDSE will be obtained internationally so that students can pursue further studies overseas.
7.5 Each student will have a “learning profile” to record their learning experiences and achievements throughout the years of senior secondary schooling.
7.6 Changes to university admissions procedures will be made to reflect the new system and allow for admission with a broader set of criteria.
7.7 Arrangements will be made to create clear articulation arrangements between the new HKDSE and work or further education and training options.
(A) The Single Credential
Support
7.8 There is general support from parents, teachers, students and the tertiary sector to replace the HKCEE and the HKALE with a single credential and to the introduction of a Senior Secondary Student Learning Profile.
Concerns
7.9 Some individuals have expressed concern that moving from two examinations to one may increase rather than decrease examination pressures on students.
7.10 Some parents, schools and school councils have suggested maintaining the HKCEE and HKALE beyond the introduction of the HKDSE to guarantee more opportunities for repeaters.
The Way Forward
7.11 Moving from two examinations to one will reduce the amount of time preparing for and taking examinations and thus increase the time available for learning.
7.12 Eliminating the HKCEE will reduce barriers to progression within the senior secondary education stage and thus reduce pressure on students.
7.13 The HKDSE will embody high standards and to achieve at the highest levels will require effort and ability. It will be important that students have realistic expectations regarding their results and be aware of opportunities to defer or repeat.
7.14 The HKCEE and the HKALE will be made available to repeaters in 2011 and 2013 respectively. Surveys will be conducted in September following the completion of the last HKCEE and HKALE examinations for first attempters to
ascertain the demand for different subjects and candidates will be notified shortly thereafter which subjects will be made available. However, students in this situation will need to consider carefully the alternative of studying SS2 or SS3 as most NSS subjects will include contents of the HKCEE.
(B) Standards-referenced Reporting
Support
7.15 There is general support from parents, teachers, students and the tertiary sector for the introduction of standards-referenced reporting of results, including the replacements of the system of existing Grades A-F with Levels 1-5.
Concerns
7.16 Given the larger candidature likely to be enrolled in the HKDSE examination and the smaller number of Levels relative to the current number of Grades, there is some concern that five levels will be insufficient for tertiary selection purposes.
7.17 Given that the current HKALE caters for a relatively small elite group of candidates, there is a concern that standards in the HKDSE should be set with reference to the full range of aptitudes and abilities among students.
The Way Forward
7.18 Each year, expert panels will be established for each subject to set the standards and to determine which candidates will be awarded each level. The panels will use well-established methods to make their judgments and to ensure that standards remain constant from year to year.
7.19 Each of the levels will be accompanied by descriptors that make it clear what a typical student at a given level is able to do. In addition, there will be annotated samples of student work and performance on examinations to illustrate the standards at each level.
7.20 The assessment system will be so designed that the full range of achievement can be captured and recognised, encompassing the achievements of those students operating at a level equivalent to the current AL standards and those who demonstrate threshold levels of competence in their learning.
7.21 In setting standards, efforts will be made to achieve a more balanced distribution of candidates awarded different levels. Under the current system, a student who is awarded a Grade D is likely to be regarded as having not performed well when in fact they have performed among the best candidates enrolled in that subject. However, Key Levels will be benchmarked against existing Grades, particularly where they are linked to international standards.
7.22 To facilitate selection decisions and to give appropriate recognition to outstanding students, it is proposed that the performance of candidates with scores that place them in the top 1% and in the next 3% of the candidature in a given subject be separately reported, either through the use of a symbol Level 5** and Level 5* respectively or by means of a descriptor Level 5 with “High Distinction” or Level 5 with “Distinction”.
7.23 A key objective of the new system is to allow any student who perseveres and is supported by good teaching, to achieve and receive recognition for minimum specified threshold standard reflecting what they know and can do. The aim is to reduce significantly the proportion of students currently receiving unclassified assessments and no recognition for their learning.
(C) School-based Assessment
Support
7.24 The notion of having an SBA component is supported by tertiary institutions and by the public who see it as reducing the risks inherent in a “one-shot”
public examination. The schools and teachers support the rationale for SBA, although they have concerns about its implementation.
Concerns
7.25 Principals and school councils have suggested that SBA should not be applied to all subjects and the weighting proposed for SBA (20-30%) is too high, at least in the first instance, given uncertainties about the quality of SBA.
7.26 There is some concern that SBA will change the teacher-student relationship from one of partnership to one in which the teacher is the assessor.
7.27 There are concerns from a wide spectrum of stakeholders that SBA will increase teacher and student workload.
7.28 There are concerns from many that students will submit work that is done by someone else (cheating).
7.29 There is uncertainty regarding the form that moderation will take and concern that assessments provided by different schools will not be comparable.
7.30 There is uncertainty as to what will happen to those private candidates given SBA in all subjects.
7.31 There are concerns that teachers do not know how to carry out SBA in a consistent and effective manner.
The Way Forward
7.32 SBA has been adopted by almost all major examination bodies over the past 20 years to improve the quality of learning, teaching and assessment. For example, it has been adopted by all UK and Australian examination bodies with 50% being the typical weighting given to SBA. Provinces in Canada have up to 100% SBA and the International Baccalaureate (IB) has a heavy emphasis on SBA supported by teacher moderation arrangements.
7.33 There is a long history of SBA in Hong Kong, although it has been confined to a small number of subjects. By 2006, SBA will be implemented in 13 HKALE subjects and 13 HKCEE subjects. As a result, half of the subjects to be examined under the NSS curriculum will already have a component of SBA
by 2006 (refer to Appendix 5).
7.34 In the interests of improving both the validity and the reliability of candidates’
final assessments, it is considered that the long-term goal should be for SBA to be a part of the assessment of all subjects.
7.35 It is acknowledged, however, that some subjects are more ready for SBA than others and teachers need time to get used to SBA. We expect teachers will become more receptive after 2006 when more teachers will have experience in SBA. SBA will be phased in, with any transitional timeline to be recommended by CDC-HKEAA Committees (One Committees) and in consultation with front-line teachers.
7.36 In addition, some flexibility in the weighting given to SBA will be considered (for example, extending the range from 15% to 30% for most subjects), on the understanding that weightings may change over time.
7.37 A higher weighting of up to 50% will be considered for some practical subjects such as Visual Arts for which a larger component of SBA may increase the validity of the final assessment.
7.38 Consideration will be given to endorsing two kinds of SBA, namely Mode A (continuous assessment) and Mode B (specific activities/tasks), and to allowing One Committees to propose the use of either or both modes within a given subject.
7.39 In the interests of avoiding excessive workload pressures, One Committees will be asked to build SBA into ongoing learning and teaching activities within the classroom and not design them as “add-on” activities. They will also be asked to place an emphasis on quality rather than quantity. HKEAA will develop guidelines covering this and other aspects of the development of SBA. Profiles of hypothetical students will be described to ensure that the cumulative impact of SBA across subjects is reasonable and appropriate and contributes to the assessment of learning goals expected from student participation in the senior secondary programme.
7.40 To avoid cheating, HKEAA will require that all SBA be designed in ways that enable teachers to authenticate student work and that require principals of schools to sign off that the work assessed is the work of the students concerned.
This means that significant proportions of SBA will be done in class under direct teacher supervision.
7.41 For all subjects with large enrolments, statistical moderation will be used.
Non-statistical methods will be considered for subjects with small candidatures and that involve outcomes that are very different from those assessed through the written examination.
7.42 Private candidates will continue to be able to access the public examinations.
One Committees will be asked to recommend either that private candidates take an alternative assessment or that their total score be calculated using examination results only and annotated accordingly.
7.43 Training packages and training sessions will be organised for all teachers. In the early stages of implementing SBA, HKEAA will err on the side of detailed prescription in terms of expected outcomes, the design of tasks and the specification of how work will be marked, rather than leave too much to teacher judgment. This will also reduce the amount of time teachers need to devote to preparing SBA.
(D) Recognition of the HKDSE
Support
7.44 Tertiary institutions welcome the assessment reforms and expect to be able to operate with broader selection criteria in future in the interests of promoting a more general education experience in the senior secondary years.
7.45 The University of Cambridge International Examinations has advised that
“there should be no problems in establishing equivalence of the new qualification with the UK AS-level examinations.”
Concerns
7.46 There is a strong desire among parents, teachers and principals that tertiary selection details be announced as soon as possible.
7.47 There is widespread concern to ensure that there will be international recognition of the new HKDSE and that this recognition be secured for the first cohort of candidates awarded the new credential rather than granted retrospectively.
The Way Forward
7.48 A Working Group, comprising representatives of universities, HKEAA, UGC and EMB was established in October 2004 to facilitate liaison on various interface issues relating to “3+3+4”. Chapter 8 includes discussion on various interface matters.
7.49 HKEAA will work closely with the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES) to ensure international recognition by benchmarking Key Levels in the new HKDSE subjects to British General Certificate of Education (GCE) grades. In addition, HKEAA will negotiate direct recognition of both the current examinations and the new HKDSE with overseas universities.
7.50 Benchmarking of standards in English will be undertaken with reference to international English as second language qualifications such as International English Language Testing System (IELTS) and other relevant international tests.
7.51 Chapter 8 provides more detailed discussion on arrangements for recognition of the HKDSE.
(E) Senior Secondary Student Learning Profile
Support
7.52 There is general acceptance of the importance of recognising abilities and achievements other than academic performance in public examinations.
7.53 A very high proportion of schools agreed that the achievements, qualifications and other learning experiences of a student should be recognised by means of a Senior Secondary Student Learning Profile.
Concerns
7.54 There is concern about the different ways of interpreting the student learning profile. For instance, should the profile be a showcase of student achievements or a record of a student’s endeavour, in particular for the low achievers?
7.55 There is also concern about whether the student learning profile should include remarks from schools on the general performance of a student such as services engaged, his/her attitude towards learning, and conduct. Some believe that the inclusion of these elements help encourage whole person development while others argue that these elements cannot be assessed and recorded objectively.
7.56 Some principals remark that an unbalanced profile would not give a fair reflection of a student’s strength and weakness.
7.57 Incorporating other learning experiences in a student learning profile may disadvantage the students from low-income families.
7.58 There is also concern about how data pertaining to the student learning profile should be stored, processed and authenticated.
The Way Forward
7.59 EMB will develop in collaboration with other partners including schools and HKEAA the necessary guidelines and templates for the production of the Senior
Secondary Student Learning Profile which will be both practical for schools and useful for students. Further discussion with stakeholders is necessary on the types and performance levels of attainments achieved outside school which might be included in the student learning profile.
7.60 The student learning profile should provide a comprehensive picture of the full range of achievements and abilities of students. Schools should use resources flexibly and efficiently to provide students with sufficient activities for other learning experiences within schools to cater for their diversified needs and interests.
7.61 For students with SEN not adopting the curriculum for ordinary schools, their student learning profile will be based largely on their IEP over the last 3 years of secondary education.
7.62 Schools should ensure all students, regardless of social background will have the same opportunities to gain access to the other learning experiences in the same school.
7.63 Consideration will be given to the development of an electronic version of the Senior Secondary Student Learning Profile to facilitate use by students in presenting their achievements for tertiary institutions and employers.
7.64 The New Senior Secondary Curriculum Guide to be developed by 2006 will provide necessary advice to fulfil this objective of wider recognition of student achievements.