Support (WLTS) website. At present, more than 730 sets of learning and teaching resources on the three subjects of Chinese Language, English Language and Mathematics are available on the website for teachers’ use. Such learning and teaching resources are developed according to the learning of Basic Competencies, including lesson plans, suggested learning activities, presentations on teaching practices, worksheets, assessment tasks, etc. Teachers can make use of these resources to help students acquire the Basic Competencies in an effective manner and overcome learning difficulties. The Committee recommends that EDB should continue to optimise the Student Assessment Repository (STAR) and continue to encourage teachers to use the resources to optimise learning, teaching and assessment
as well as promoting the concept of assessment for learning.
Recommendation 5 Continuously enhancing the effectiveness and value of TSA 4.19 In the review process of the Tryout Study, the Committee recognises the importance of the roles of various stakeholders in promoting quality education.
Therefore, the Committee recommends the following framework, which highlights the principles, strategies and respective roles of participation, for participation of various stakeholders. It is hoped that through concerted efforts of all sectors, we can gather strength to serve the function of “assessment for learning”.
4.20 Development strategies:
Strategies
- accumulate experience - drive concerted efforts - gather strength
Diagram 9 Roles of participating sectors in promoting “assessment for learning”
4.21 Roles of participating sectors in promoting “assessment for learning”:
Education Bureau
- maintaining close communication with various stakeholders on an ongoing basis to gather views and recommendations to
serve as reference for the development of TSA;
- making good use of assessment data to grasp the overall Basic Competency levels of students in Hong Kong in order to review education policies, determine the directions of professional training, provide learning and teaching resources, and conduct a further data analysis to understand the learning needs of students at different stages;
- providing schools with various support measures, including professional development activities for promoting assessment literacy, the provision of school-based support services, the enhancement of the WLTS and assessment bank, etc.;
- enhancing school professional leadership and capacity (including aspiring principals, newly-appointed principals, prospective teachers, appointed teachers, serving teachers, newly-appointed school managers, etc.) to promote whole-person development and a balanced curriculum;
- strengthening internal guidelines to enhance public understanding of how EDB will use the TSA information to refine the curriculum development, and enhance the effectiveness of learning and teaching; and
- removing TSA from the “Performance Indicators” to put emphasis on “assessment for learning”.
School sponsoring bodies / incorporated management committees
- encouraging schools to develop the school-based curriculum and assessment policies based on professional decisions in the light of school culture and students’ learning needs to support the varied pace of development among different schools; and
- assisting schools in consolidating and making optimal use of different assessment data, and analysing and adjusting teaching strategies by incorporating information on students and school backgrounds to facilitate effective student learning.
Schools (principals / panel
chairpersons / teachers)
- formulating and implementing school-based homework and assessment policies having regard to school context, students’ learning needs and schools’ professional decisions;
and promoting home-school communication; and
- making use of various assessment data to provide feedback
to learning and teaching, enhancing the curriculum and facilitating student learning.
Teacher training organisations / tertiary institutions
- collaborating with EDB to deepen the concept of
“assessment for learning” in various training programmes and courses for principals (aspiring principals and newly-appointed principals), teachers (prospective teachers, appointed teachers and serving teachers) and newly-appointed school managers; and
- conducting partnership research programmes/projects to support the Government in making good use of assessment data for tracking studies to serve as reference for education policies and school practices.
Parents - grasping and understanding the concepts, strategies and arrangements of the school-based homework and assessment policies; and
- communicating and collaborating with schools to facilitate students’ learning and healthy development.
Parent-teacher associations and regional
federation of parent-teacher associations
- assisting schools in gathering parents’ views and understanding their concerns, and helping parents grasp schools’ homework and assessment policies, as well as the objectives, implementation and functions of assessment; and - organising various activities with different groups to deepen
parents’ understanding of the concept of “assessment for learning”.
Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority
- ensuring and maintaining the reliability and validity of Basic Competency Assessments, including maintaining the stringent process of item setting and moderation, improving the papers and question design, enhancing TSA school reports, etc.; and
- assisting the Government in promoting the culture of
“assessment for learning” in the education sector.
Education profession groups
- taking forward public education activities to encourage and guide the public and the education sector to make use of assessment data with a right and positive attitude to serve the function of “assessment for learning”; and
- drawing on different educational resources to form learning communities to share successful experiences in making good use of assessment to benefit learning and teaching.
The
Coordinating Committee on Basic
Competency Assessment and Assessment Literacy
- advising the Government on the overall direction for enhancing assessment literacy (including the use of quantitative and qualitative assessment data and the optimal use of information technology to facilitate learning and teaching); and
- reviewing and monitoring the development, implementation and effectiveness of TSA on an on-going basis, and offering professional advice and recommendations on the development, implementation and effectiveness of TSA.
Recommendations on TSA 2017 and thereafter
The arrangement of 2017
4.22 The experience of the 2016 Tryout Study shows that the improved assessment papers and question design as well as the enhanced school reports would not exert pressure on school sponsoring bodies, schools, students and parents, and can effectively eliminate the incentives for over-drilling induced by TSA and reflect the low-stakes nature of TSA. In addition, according to the feedback from the stakeholders on professional support measures and the questionnaire survey on students’ learning attitude and motivation, schools treasure and value school level data, which not only provide feedback to learning and teaching, but also facilitate students’ learning, thereby reaffirming the intent and value of the establishment of TSA.
4.23 In considering the arrangements for the 2017 TSA, the Committee has taken into consideration the pros and cons of different proposals (such as conducting TSA on a sampling or voluntary basis). TSA, with a number of new elements under the Tryout Study, received favourable and positive feedback which is different from that of the past. The Committee considers that various new initiatives under the Tryout Study should be promoted. The Committee notes that about 90% of primary schools have not tried out the initiatives with new elements under the 2016 Tryout Study.
Since assessment is the core of Learning-Teaching-Assessment, schools need to continue to enhance the curriculum as well as learning and teaching through assessment. As such, the Committee recommends that professional enhancement arrangements under the Tryout Study (i.e. improving the assessment papers and question design, enhancing school reports, strengthening diversified professional support measures, and including a questionnaire survey on students’ learning attitude and motivation) should be extended to all primary schools in 2017, with a view to enabling more schools to understand the new initiatives of the Tryout Study through participation and the Committee and EDB to gather more comprehensive feedback, so as to continue to review and enhance the arrangements of TSA.
4.24 Although the improved assessment papers and question design has eliminated the incentives for over-drilling induced by TSA, the Committee understands that the community is still concerned about the drilling culture and the problem of over-drilling induced by other factors. Therefore, EDB should continue to follow up the aforementioned recommendations relating to the handling of over-drilling and the management of stakes made by the Committee, and to provide schools and students with support measures, and encourage various stakeholders to collaborate to ensure TSA data can be put to full and comprehensive use to enhance teaching arrangements and serve the function of enhancing student learning.
Long-term recommendations
4.25 Meanwhile, the Committee acknowledges that the advancement of information technology enables assessment tools to render more instant, effective, in-depth and interactive analysis and feedback. The Committee considers that in the medium and long run, a study could be conducted to explore how to carry out assessments with the aid of computers and interactive tools to enhance the function of providing feedback to schools. The Committee recommends exploring how the existing web-based central assessment item bank for “Student Assessment Repository” (STAR) could be expanded and strengthened to cater for daily learning and teaching as well as assessment. The Committee will continue to study the development of STAR and expects a preliminary recommendation could be available in 2018.
Annexes Review on the Territory-wide System Assessment ─ Tryout Study
List of Groups and Organisations Met I. Consultation sessions or seminars:
Activity Date Summary
1. 2016 Tryout Study (Primary 3) –
Professional Sharing Session with Principals 6 June 2016 Annex 1 2. 2016 Tryout Study (Primary 3) –
HKEAA Focus Group Meetings on Subjects (Chinese Language)
15, 16 & 18 June 2016 Annex 2 3. 2016 Tryout Study (Primary 3) –
HKEAA Focus Group Meetings on Subjects (English Language)
16 – 18 June 2016 Annex 2 4. 2016 Tryout Study (Primary 3) –
HKEAA Focus Group Meetings on Subjects (Mathematics)
16 – 18 June 2016 Annex 2 5. 2016 Tryout Study (Primary 3) –
HKEAA Focus Group Meeting for Markers (Mathematics)
18 July 2016 Annex 2 6. 2016 Tryout Study (Primary 3) –
HKEAA Focus Group Meeting for Markers (English Language)
19 July 2016 Annex 2 7 2016 Tryout Study (Primary 3) –
HKEAA Focus Group Meeting for Markers (Chinese Language)
20 July 2016 Annex 2 8. 2016 Tryout Study (Primary 3) –
Professional Sharing Session with Principals 14 September 2016 Annex 3 9. 2016 Tryout Study (Primary 3) –
HKEAA Focus Group Meeting for Principals of Hong Kong Primary Schools
13 October 2016 Annex 4 10. Meeting with TSA Concern Group 10 November 2016 Annex 5 11. 2016 Tryout Study (Primary 3) –
HKEAA Focus Group Meeting on School Reports (Chinese Language)
24 November 2016 Annex 6 12. 2016 Tryout Study (Primary 3) –
HKEAA Focus Group Meeting on School Reports (English Language)
25 November 2016 Annex 7 13. 2016 Tryout Study (Primary 3) –
HKEAA Focus Group Meeting on School Reports (Mathematics)
28 November 2016 Annex 8 14. 2016 Tryout Study (Primary 3) –
Focus Group Meeting with Principals 8 December 2016 Annex 9 15. 2016 Tryout Study (Primary 3) –
Focus Group for Parents 30 November – 9
December 2016 Annex 10
16 Thematic Seminar on “Assessment for Learning – 2016 Tryout Study”
14 and 15 November
2016 Annex 11
II. Briefings on the progress of TSA review (by invitation):
Activity Date
1. Meeting of the Panel on Education of the Legislative Council 22 March 2016 2. Meeting of the Panel on Education of the Legislative Council 12 December 2016
Annex 1 2016 Tryout Study (Primary 3)
Professional Sharing Session with Principals
Date: 6 June 2016 (Monday)
Time: 4:00-6:00 pm
Venue: EP12, East Block, EDB Kowloon Tong Education Services Centre
19 Suffolk Road, Kowloon Tong
Participants: Principals (9), Curriculum leaders (1), Subject panel heads (3), EDB representatives (7), HKEAA representatives (4), CUHK representative (1)
Organiser: Education Bureau
Summary
Item 1: Chinese speaking and audio-visual (CAV) assessments of 2016 Primary 3