Public Assessment

128

Exploratory tasks

Exploratory tasks can be very useful in learning and teaching mathematics as a way of monitoring students’ investigative abilities, higher-order skills and achievements on a continuing basis, and the scores on the tasks can be used to form part of the record of student progress. The use of appropriate tasks which are aligned with learning objectives can help to reduce the pressure of summative assessment; and the results on the tasks can also reflect the effectiveness of teaching and so lead teachers to make reasonable adjustments to their teaching strategies.

129

(d) Standards-referencing

The reporting system is “standards-referenced”, i.e. student performance is matched against standards which indicate what students have to know and be able to do to merit a certain level of performance. For Mathematics, a set of written descriptors has been developed to provide information on the typical performance of candidates at each level.

(e) Informativeness

The HKDSE qualification and the associated assessment and examinations system provide useful information to all parties. First, it provides feedback to students on their performance and to teachers and schools on the quality of the teaching provided.

Second, it communicates to parents, tertiary institutions, employers and the public at large what it is that students know and are able to do, in terms of how their performance matches the standards. Third, it facilitates selection decisions that are fair and defensible.

5.5.2 Assessment Design

Table 5.1 below outlines the assessment design of the Compulsory Part, Module 1 and Module 2 with effect from the 2016 HKDSE Examination. The assessment design is subject to continual refinement in the light of feedback from live examinations. Full details are provided in the Regulations and Assessment Frameworks for the year of the examination and other supplementary documents, which are available on the HKEAA website (www.hkeaa.edu.hk/en/hkdse/assessment/assessment_framework/).

Table 5.1 An outline of the assessment design

Compulsory Part

Component Weighting Duration

Public examination

Paper 1 Conventional questions Paper 2 Multiple-choice questions

65%

35%

2¼ hours 1¼ hours

130

Module 1 (Calculus and Statistics)

Component Weighting Duration

Public examination Conventional questions 100% 2½ hours

Module 2 (Algebra and Calculus)

Component Weighting Duration

Public examination Conventional questions 100% 2½ hours

5.5.3 Public Examinations

Various kinds of items, including multiple-choice questions, short questions and long questions, are used to assess students’ performance in a broad range of skills and abilities. Multiple-choice questions permit a more comprehensive coverage of the curriculum; short questions can be used to test basic knowledge and concepts.

Longer questions aim to test candidates’ higher-order skills. Schools may refer to the live examination papers regarding the format of the examination and the standards at which the questions are pitched.

The content to be examined is based on the learning objectives outlined in Chapter 2 of this guide. For both the Compulsory and Extended Parts, knowledge of the subject matter in the Foundation and Non-Foundation Parts of the Mathematics Curriculum (S1 – 3) is assumed, and, for the Extended Part, knowledge of the subject matter in the Compulsory Part is also assumed.

5.5.4 Standards and Reporting of Results

Standards-referenced reporting is adopted for the HKDSE. What this means is that candidates’ levels of performance are reported with reference to a set of standards as defined by cut scores on the mark scale for a given subject. Standards referencing relates to the way in which results are reported and does not involve any changes in how teachers or examiners mark student work. The set of standards for a given subject can be represented diagrammatically as shown in Figure 5.1.

131

Figure 5.1 Defining levels of performance via cut scores on the mark scale for a given subject

Within the context of the HKDSE there are five cut scores, which are used to distinguish five levels of performance (1–5), with 5 being the highest. A performance below the cut score for Level 1 is labelled as “Unclassified” (U).

For each of the five levels, a set of written descriptors has been developed to describe what the typical candidate performing at this level is able to do. The principle behind these descriptors is that they describe what typical candidates can do, not what they cannot do. In other words, they describe performance in positive rather than negative terms. These descriptors represent “on-average” statements and may not apply precisely to individuals, whose performance within a subject may be variable and span two or more levels. Samples of students’ work at various levels of attainment are provided to illustrate the standards expected of them. These samples, when used together with the level descriptors, will help to clarify the standards expected at the various levels of attainment.

In setting standards for the HKDSE, Levels 4 and 5 are set with reference to the standards achieved by students awarded grades A–D in the HKALE. It needs to be stressed, however, that the intention is that the standards will remain constant over time – not the percentages awarded different levels, as these are free to vary in line with variations in overall student performance. Referencing Levels 4 and 5 to the standards associated with the old grades A–D is important for ensuring a degree of continuity with past practice, for facilitating tertiary selection and for maintaining international recognition. Secure monitoring tests are used to ensure maintenance of standards over time.

To provide finer discrimination for selection purposes, the Level 5 candidates with the best performance have their results annotated with the symbols ** and the next top group with the symbol *. The HKDSE certificate itself records the level awarded to each candidate. The levels awarded to candidates in the Extended Part will be reported separately from the Compulsory Part.

U 1 2 3 ^{4 5}

Cut scores

Mark scale

132

(Blank page)

133