Student’s role

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IV. ASSESSMENT

Assessment is the practice of collecting evidence of progress in students’ learning. It is an integral part of the learning and teaching cycle. Assessment provides information for both teachers and students on the processes of learning and teaching.

In order to bring about improvements in learning and teaching, it is essential that any assessment should be aligned to the processes of learning and teaching. Apart from the better known summative assessment which would normally be identified with tests, end-of-term examinations and public examinations, a formative assessment need to be introduced to serve as a diagnostic tool to help improving students’ learning. Further, school-based assessments, both formative and summative, should be given due consideration.

The formative assessment should be carried out on a continuous basis and through different ways such as oral questioning, observation of students’ performance, assignments, project work, practical tests and written tests. It should be integrated with learning and teaching throughout the course with the purpose of promoting the quality and effectiveness of learning and teaching. It should provide feedback to teachers who could then make decision about what should be done next to enhance students’ learning; sometimes it may lead to the employment of a more appropriate teaching method. It should also provide feedback to students so that they understand how to improve their learning.

Teaching Assessment

Learning

Assessment

School-based Assessment (Formative and Summative)

Public Examination (Summative Assessment)

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Assessment Domains

Assessment provides information on students’ achievement in relation to the set objectives.

It is important that not only the objectives in the domain of knowledge and understanding are assessed, but those related to skills and processes, being essential to the study of physics, should also be assessed throughout the course.

Higher order skills such as problem solving and decision making can be tested by using questions based on information which is unfamiliar to students who are required to use the principles and concepts learnt and apply them in a logical manner to a novel situation. In tests on abilities in analysis and evaluation with the use of open-ended questions, students are expected to consider as many relevant aspects as possible before forming their judgements.

In tests on communication skills, students are expected to give essay-type answers, presenting arguments clearly and logically.

For objectives related to values and attitudes, a certain degree of flexibility in assessment may be employed. Observations, interviews, essay writing and students’ self-assessment are some of the possible assessme nt strategies.

Assessment Strategies

In the learning and teaching of physics, a number of assessment strategies can be used.

Teachers should have plans on how to assess students’ achievements and should let students know how they will be assessed.

Paper and pencil tests

Paper and pencil tests have been widely employed as the major method of assessment in schools. However, the prolonged reliance on this type of assessment would have a narrowing effect on learning, and probably teaching too. Teachers should refrain from the temptation of teaching knowledge and understanding that can only be assessed by paper and pencil tests. Teachers should also avoid testing only basic information recall and should try to construct test items that assess the understanding of concepts, problem solving abilities and higher order thinking skills. Incorporation of open-ended questions in tests and examinations could also help evaluating students’ creativity and critical thinking skills.

Written assignments

The written assignment is widely used in learning and teaching processes. It is a good

assessment tool since it continuously reflects students’ efforts, achievements, strengths and weaknesses. Comments on students’ written work, with concrete suggestions on how to improve it, give a valuable feedback to students. Teachers are encouraged to make use of students’ written assignments as a formative assessment tool to show students’ progress in learning. As a means of evaluation, assignments can also reflect the effectiveness of teaching, provide a feedback upon which teachers can set further targets for students, and make reasonable adjustments in their teaching.

Oral questioning

Oral questioning can provide teachers promptly with specific information on how the students think in certain situations. Students’ responses often provide clues to their strengths, weaknesses, misunderstandings, levels of understanding, interest, attitudes and abilities.

Teachers are encouraged to use questions targeting a range of abilities, from those require only recall of facts to those demand higher order thinking. In addition, a balance of both open-ended and closed-ended questions should be maintained, and questions or problems, based on information which is unfamiliar to students, could be set.

Observation

While students are working in groups or individually, teachers could take the opportunity to observe and note the different aspects of students’ learning. When students are engaged in learning activities, teachers could observe the approaches students take to solve problems and their attitudes to work, such as perseverance, independence, cooperation, and willingness to address difficulties. In practical sessions, teachers could look for the choices students make in regard to the equipment they use, the safety measures they adopt, the activities they prefer, whom they work with, and the interaction with others. Teachers should keep brief records and use such information for making further judgements about students’ learning.

Practical assessment

Whether the assessment of practical skills by written tests and examinations is desirable or appropriate deserves further deliberation. It is generally agreed that more suitable strategies for assessing these skills are direct observations or practical tests, i.e. assessing in an authentic environment where learning and assessments are integrated, and a feedback can be given to students immediately. Students’ laboratory or investigation reports can also be assessed so that more information about students’ performance can be obtained.

Project work

Project work, a powerful learning and teaching as well as assessment strategy, allows students not only to exercise` their practical skills and apply what they have learnt, but also to employ

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various other skills in addition to thinking processes such as identifying problems, formulating hypotheses, designing and implementing strategies and evaluation. Teachers can make use of a combination of assessment strategies to collect evidence of student learning in the knowledge and skill domains, and gauge their creativity, communication skills, collaboration skills and problem solving abilities. Teachers can also make use of appropriate criteria to assess students’ values and attitudes demonstrated in the process of doing a project.

The assessment strategies suggested above are by no means exhaustive. A combination of assessment strategies can provide a more vivid picture of students’ achievements, and teachers should explore various assessment strategies for their own students.

Public Examination

The Hong Kong Examinations Authority (HKEA) organises the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) to assess students’ attainment, and publishes annually a physics examination syllabus which serves to provide information to teachers and students so that they have a clear understanding of the examination requirements. It should be read along with this document.

Given the mode of assessment adopted in the HKCEE, it is neither possible nor desirable to translate all the learning objectives into assessment objectives. Teachers should note the assessment objectives of the HKEA syllabus are based on the learning objectives suggested in this Curriculum. However, teachers should not ignore the learning objectives not included in the assessment objectives.