Part II Career-oriented Studies (COS)
Chapter 5 Other Implementation Issues
5.1 To support the development and progressive expansion of COS to meet demands, it will be necessary to assure a steady supply of qualified teachers and to provide resources for schools and students so that COS will be a real option.
Schools will also have to establish the infrastructure for career and pastoral support for students in making decisions on COS courses to ensure that their programmes of studies are well integrated and have coherence for future learning.
Professional Development Programmes
5.2 In the second consultation on the NSS curriculum, 55% of schools indicated their intention to offer COS courses and requested professional development opportunities for secondary school teachers to take up COS teaching in the future. It is estimated that around 400 to 500 secondary teachers wish to take part in the teaching of COC/COS.
5.3 In the Action Plan, EMB reported that it would:
work together with relevant stakeholders to establish a clear profile of the teacher competencies required for delivering COS courses and exploring effective pedagogical-content practices;
set up programmes with relevant teacher education providers to prepare serving teachers to teach COS competently; and
work collaboratively with outside organisations to provide mentorship to students in their learning of COS, and to develop personnel experienced in the profession or vocation to become competent teachers of COS.
5.4 To further these commitments, a proposed framework for professional development of COS teachers is being developed, an outline of which is shown in Figure 5.1 below. The framework focuses on five dimensions of competencies for the successful delivery of COS courses which will be taught by qualified COS teachers who may include teachers from the secondary and tertiary education sectors, and practitioners active in industry, the professions or commercial endeavours.
Dimension Required Professional Development /
Work Experience A. Understanding of Students and
their Needs
B. Command of Teaching and Facilitating Skills
Teacher education in understanding school age students and in pedagogical skills
C. Command of Subject Knowledge and Skills
Training in the subject discipline (which may relate to one or more COS areas of studies)
D. Positive Attitude
Not reflected by paper qualifications, but by the inclinations of teachers and the cultivation of positive attitude
E. Authentic Experience Work/trade experience Figure 5.1 The five dimensions for COS teaching
5.5 The course providers have the responsibility to ensure that teachers of COS possess basic competency level for Dimensions A to D, and the ability to draw in expertise, either from their own background or from outside, on Dimension E. The teachers will be advised to undertake ongoing professional development programmes (PDP) to master all the five dimensions of the COS framework.
5.6 Three streams of PDP are therefore anticipated:
(a) Serving teachers with experience of teaching secondary students - the expected PDP will aim to assist such teachers to acquire work/trade experience (Dimension E) and updated subject knowledge (Dimension C);
(b) Tertiary institution teachers and practitioners with specialist knowledge and experiences - the expected PDP will focus on enhancing the understanding of school-aged students (Dimension A) and command of teaching and facilitating skills (Dimension B);
(c) All teachers will build up a PDP profile to portray their updated subject knowledge and skills (Dimension C) and work/trade experience (Dimension E). Teachers are expected to master competency-based teaching and assessment, which involves the continuous collection of valid and reliable evidence of knowledge and skills which are demonstrated by practical application.
5.7 Professional development may take the form of structured courses, job attachment, school-based training and mentoring. The mechanism for assessing and certifying the teachers’ practical skills and suitability for teaching COS will need to be further explored.
5.8 As in the case of PDP for teachers of other NSS subjects, schools are free to use the school funds or the Teacher Professional Preparation Grant (TPPG) to support the professional development of teachers for COS. School leaders are encouraged to discuss with teachers on the school’s human resource plan, and priorities in the deployment of school funds for professional development.
5.9 Teachers who wish to teach COS may also take advantage of the
Funding for COS
5.10 Funding for COS will address two distinct phases of implementation:
the transition period and intermediate steps which will occur through the evolving COC pilots;
the longer-term steady state after the initial implementation of the NSS structure.
Transition Period and Intermediate Steps in 2005-09 for COC
5.11 The Government has committed resources of HK$115.6 million for the transition period leading up to 2009 to encourage the growth of diversity of curriculum, assessment and pathways in the senior secondary schools including COC pilots.
5.12 Recurrent provision for the COS, among other things, will be disbursed through a Diversity Learning Grant (DLG). The Government has committed recurrent funding to support diversification of learning opportunities for students, including COS, in the NSS curriculum. In the context of increased but limited funding provision, a viable funding model which maximises the benefits for students needs to be worked out in consultation with schools. Three possible options are set out in para. 5.19 below.
5.13 The first cohort of the COC pilots in 2003-05 was funded by schools and students, and some courses were subsidised by the course providers. Students generally fulfilled the course requirements outside school hours. In the second cohort of 2004-06, courses and student numbers expanded and schools were encouraged to integrate the courses into the school programme and use part of their resources to subsidise the course fees for students.
5.14 The funding of the third cohort (2005-07) has put the following principles to test:
Students will contribute not more than 18% of the COC course fees.
Students with financial difficulty can apply for fee assistance, in part or in full. This arrangement ensures that no student would be deprived of a diverse education because of financial hardship.
The Government will make up the remaining 82% with the schools contributing 41% from existing resources. Where schools have difficulty meeting their share of the costs, the Government will consider making up the shortfall.
The Government bears the cost of quality assurance.
Course providers contribute to the cost of course development.
These arrangements apply for the third cohort only. Feedback and further evaluation will inform funding arrangements in the future.
Longer Term Steady State Funding for COS
5.15 We see a good case for tripartite contribution from parents/students, the Government and schools in funding the COS.
Contribution by Parents/Students
5.16 The overall guiding principle on future funding arrangements is that a student should not be deterred from choosing any programme in senior secondary which matches their interest, aspirations and aptitude for financial reasons.
5.17 In the steady state, it is intended that students’ contribution to the course fee will be reflected in the school fees. This will mean that the unit cost of COS
Comprehensive Social Security Assistance Scheme.
Government’s and Schools’ Contribution
5.18 As for the Government’s contribution under the steady state, the cost will consist of three major components:
Subsidisation of COS course fees will be based on actual demand from students. The money from the DLG will support COS courses, and contribute to other ways in which diversity can be built into student programmes, such as electives which may have low student enrolment like French by establishing networked classes.
Assistance for students with financial hardship.
Payment for quality assurance to be carried out by the HKCAA and HKEAA.
5.19 On subsidisation of course fees, we envisage three possible models:
Option (a) Schools apply to EMB for additional funding to top up their expenditure in providing COS courses to their students. EMB vets the applications based on a number of factors, including the number of students enrolled in the COS courses, the financial position of the school, the school’s plan in institutionalising COS in its senior secondary curriculum, etc.
Option (b) Schools share part of the funding of COS courses calculated on the basis of encashed teaching load in offering a school subject of the same duration on a per capita basis. EMB will top up the difference.
Option (c) The funding for offering COS courses is embedded in the annual subvention. Schools can flexibly deploy their resources to make available a variety of COS courses to meet the learning needs of their students.
5.20 Option (a) seems to be the best option to meet the needs of individual schools, but the administrative overheads will be high (and the required contribution will reflect the higher cost) while at the same time, the vetting process might not match schools’ planning and implementation cycle. Option (b) involves a formula, the details of which will have to be worked out with schools with regard to the various possible scenarios in course planning and year-to-year enrolment variations. Option (c) is the simplest but does not take account of the different needs of schools. It also lacks incentive to encourage schools to offer a diversified curriculum to their students that includes COS.
5.21 A rigorous model for assessing the cost of COS courses will ensure that schools and course providers keep course fees to an acceptable level. Off-site delivery, partnership arrangements with tertiary providers, networks of schools contributing to classes delivered at a single school, and schools operating as specialist centres or regional providers of COS will also contribute to maintaining a realistic cost environment.
Catering for Diverse Interests and Abilities of All Students
5.22 The proposed COS C&A Frameworks will apply to students of all abilities, including non Chinese-speaking students and students with SEN. Adaptation of curriculum, supportive assessment arrangements and choice of medium of instruction will ensure all students can benefit from the NSS curriculum, including COS. Part III of this document provides further details on how the NSS curriculum will cater for students of SEN.