Assessment Objectives

The assessment objectives are closely aligned with the curriculum framework and the broad learning outcomes presented in earlier chapters.

Students of HMSC will be assessed on their ability to:

 demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concepts, principles and terminology appropriate to the subject content;

 apply knowledge, understanding and skills to address health and social issues/

problems;

 plan and carry out investigations and tasks in which they analyse HMSC-related issues and problems;

 collect, extract and record evidence and information from appropriate sources;

 analyse information and draw reasoned conclusions from data;

 present and justify opinions on HMSC-related issues and problems;

 communicate and evaluate information, and present findings and conclusions in appropriate forms;

 demonstrate the reflective thinking and evaluate the issues of health and social care from different perspectives;

 take on responsibility to maintain and promote health at individual, family, community and society levels;

 appreciate the value of healthy lifestyles and of the commitment to building a caring and harmonious society.

5. 4 Internal Assessment

This section presents the guiding principles that can be used as the basis for designing internal assessment and some common assessment practices for HMSC. Some of these principles are common to both internal and public assessment.

5.4.1 Guiding principles

Internal assessment practices should be aligned with curriculum planning, teaching progression, student abilities and the school context. The information collected will help to motivate, promote and monitor student learning, and will also help teachers to find ways of promoting more effective learning and teaching.

 Alignment with learning objectives

A range of assessment practices should be used to assess the achievement of different learning objectives for whole-person development. The weighting given to different areas in internal assessment should be discussed and agreed among teachers. The assessment purposes and criteria should also be made known to students so that they can have a full understanding of what is expected of them.

 Catering for the range of student ability

Assessment practices incorporating different levels of difficulty and diverse modes should be used to cater for students with different aptitudes and abilities. This helps to ensure that the more able students are challenged to develop their full potential and the less-able ones are encouraged to sustain their interest and succeed in learning.

 Tracking progress over time

As internal assessment should not be a one-off exercise, schools are encouraged to use practices that can track learning progress over time (e.g. portfolios). Assessment practices of this kind allow students to set their own incremental targets and manage their own pace of learning, which will have a positive impact on their commitment to learning.

 Timely and encouraging feedback

Teachers should provide timely and encouraging feedback through a variety of means, such as constructive verbal comments during classroom activities and written remarks on assignments. Such feedback helps students sustain their momentum in learning, and to identify their strengths and weaknesses.

 Making reference to the school’s context

As learning is more meaningful when the content or process is linked to a setting which is familiar to students, schools are encouraged to design assessment tasks that make reference to the school’s own context (e.g. its location, relationship with the community, and mission).

 Making reference to current progress in student learning

Internal assessment tasks should be designed with reference to students’ current progress, as this helps to overcome obstacles that may have a cumulative negative impact on learning. Teachers should be mindful in particular of concepts and skills which form the basis for further development in learning.

 Feedback from peers and from the students themselves

In addition to giving feedback, teachers should also provide opportunities for peer assessment and self-assessment in student learning. The former enables students to learn among themselves, and the latter promotes reflective thinking which is vital for students’ lifelong learning.

 Appropriate use of assessment information to provide feedback

Internal assessment provides a rich source of data for providing evidence-based feedback on learning in a formative manner.

5.4.2 Internal assessment practices

A range of assessment practices, such as open book tests, oral presentations, projects, and field learning suited to HMSC should be used to promote the attainment of the various learning outcomes. However, teachers should note that these practices should be an integral part of learning and teaching, not “add-on” activities.

The following is an illustration of some of the activities that can be used for internal assessment.

 Open book tests

HMSC students need to make use of a wide range of printed materials. With open book tests, students can have access to source material throughout the test.

Questions for this type of test should focus on assessing how students interpret, analyse and apply the given information.

 Oral assessment

Oral tests can be a valuable supplement to conventional assessment methods and need not be seen a form of assessment to be used in language subjects only. Teachers can assess what students understand, and how well they can explain and argue a viewpoint through oral assessment.

 Projects

A project is any piece of extended work from which the constraints of lesson time have been largely removed. Carrying out project work provides an opportunity for students to study a topic of interest in depth, and teachers may wish to draw the following steps in the process to their attention:

 Clarifying the areas of interest

 Establishing a framework for enquiry

 Finding out and selecting resource materials

 Organising data

 Presenting findings.

 Field learning

Field learning provides opportunities for students to observe, explore or study health and social care services in an authentic context. They can then be required to prepare field learning notes or reflect on their understanding of related issues by writing reflective journals.