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Education Bureau December 2016 Student-oriented, Start Afresh Concerted Efforts, Gather Strength The Coordinating Committee on Basic Competency Assessment and Assessment Literacy Report on 2016 Tryout Study (Primary 3)

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The Coordinating Committee on Basic Competency Assessment and Assessment Literacy

Report on

2016 Tryout Study (Primary 3)

Student-oriented, Start Afresh Concerted Efforts, Gather Strength

Education Bureau

December 2016

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Contents

Summary

2

Chapter 1. Background and Objectives

25

Chapter 2. Specific Arrangements for the 2016 Tryout Study (Primary 3)

32

(I) Improving Assessment Papers and Question Design

32

(II) Enhancing School Reports

34

(III) Strengthening Diversified Professional Support Measures

36

(IV) Including a Questionnaire Survey on Students’

Learning Attitude and Motivation

40

Chapter 3. Progress and Preliminary Evaluation of the 2016 Tryout Study (Primary 3)

42

(I) Improving Assessment Papers and Question Design

42

(II) Enhancing School Reports

45

(III) Strengthening Diversified Professional Support Measures

47

(IV) Including a Questionnaire Survey on Students’

Learning Attitude and Motivation

49

Chapter 4. Vision and Recommendations on the Development of Basic Competency Assessments

51

(I) Serving the function of “assessment for learning” to promote quality education

51

(II) Recommendations

53

Annex

63

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Summary

Background and Objectives

1. In February 2016, the Coordinating Committee on Basic Competency Assessment and Assessment Literacy (Committee) submitted the report1 on the overall review of the Territory-wide System Assessment (TSA). The Committee considers that the review of TSA should be premised on the promotion of quality education and the following core values:

- learning needs of students;

- professionalism; and

- mutual trust among stakeholders.

2. The report reaffirmed the intent and value of the establishment of TSA and recognised the functional use of TSA data to provide feedback to learning and teaching. In response to public concerns about drilling, various stakeholders’

perception of the stakes involved as well as the provision of support for students and schools, a series of short, medium and long-term recommendations has been made (see Chapter 6 of the review report for details).

3. Among them, regarding short-term recommendations, to reflect more clearly the intent of Basic Competency Assessments, the Committee considers that the assessment papers and questions should be adjusted, and that the reports distributed to schools could adopt different formats. Such initiatives should be implemented as a tryout arrangement in 2016, of which the outcomes would inform the 2017 territory-wide implementation.

4. The Committee recommends that the 2016 Tryout Study (Primary 3) (Tryout Study) should have the following objectives:

(i) to validate whether the revamped papers and item design proposed by the relevant working group would uphold the reliability and validity of assessment while aligning with the requirements of basic competencies of Primary 3 students to tie in with the curriculum and student learning;

(ii) to try out different reporting formats to meet the needs of individual schools;

(iii) to strengthen the provision of professional support measures for schools on homework policy, assessment literacy, enhancement of

1 Report on Review of the Territory-wide System Assessment by the Coordinating Committee on Basic Competency Assessment and Assessment Literacy (February 2016) (www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/curriculum-development/tsa/fullreport.pdf)

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learning and teaching (e.g. via the promotion of reading) as well as TSA in the course of the tryout. Public education would also need to be strengthened so as to enhance stakeholders’ awareness of the TSA as part of the concept of “assessment for learning” with a view to enhancing quality education;

(iv) at the territory-wide level, to keep track on the attainment of basic competencies of all students and to provide continuous data for other related studies; and to demonstrate in good faith the low-stakes nature of TSA that it would not exert pressure on school sponsoring bodies, schools and parents; and

(v) to foster mutual trust through participation, sharing and collaboration in promoting quality education with a view to facilitating effective and pleasurable student learning.

5. More than 50 primary schools of different types participated in the Tryout Study (about 10% of the total number of primary schools in the territory). Participating schools are from different regions (Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, New Territories East and New Territories West), of various types (government, subsidised, Direct Subsidy Scheme and private schools), and school sizes. The number, distribution and proportion of participating schools closely align with the design. For the handling of data, the distribution and proportion of participating schools are taken into account, and statistical methodologies are adopted to process and analyse the related data.

Specific Arrangements for the 2016 Tryout Study (Primary 3)

6. In line with the Committee’s recommendations, the Tryout Study covers four major initiatives as below:

(i) Improving assessment papers and question design;

(ii) Enhancing school reports;

(iii) Strengthening professional support measures; and

(iv) Including a questionnaire survey on students’ learning attitude and motivation.

7. The above basket of initiatives is intended to eliminate the incentives for over-drilling induced by TSA; provide targeted service to enhance the overall effectiveness of the cycle of Learning-Teaching-Assessment as an integral part to benefit students; and improve communication and deepen mutual trust between schools and parents.

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(I) Improving Assessment Papers and Question Design

8. In improving assessment papers and question design, the main directions are to uphold the reliability and validity of TSA, align with the requirements of Basic Competencies of Primary 3 students, tie in with the spirit of the curriculum, and address students’ learning needs.

9. The Working Group on Papers and Question Design under the Committee has, from a professional perspective, reviewed the assessment papers and question design and put forward views and recommendations. In the light of the proposed review directions and principles and the specific suggestions, the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) has modified the assessment papers and question design for Primary 3 TSA, and strengthened the item setting and moderation work through different working groups (e.g. item development and moderation working groups and paper review focus groups) and rigorous mechanisms.

10. The major modifications for the three subjects of Chinese Language, English Language and Mathematics at Primary 3 level are as follows:

(i) Primary 3 Chinese Language

- The number of texts in the reading assessment is adjusted from three to two; the total number of words per sub-paper is limited to not more than 1 200 and the number of items does not exceed 20;

and practical writing is only included in one of the sub-papers to avoid giving undue weight to practical writing;

- In the writing assessment, certain information required for practical writing is provided, such as salutation, complimentary close, greetings and date of a letter; the marking criteria on the format of practical writing are adjusted; and student exemplars demonstrating the attainment of Basic Competency are provided;

and

- “Five-options-choose-two” items, items requiring “reverse thinking” and so forth in each paper are reviewed and adjusted.

(ii) Primary 3 English Language

- The number of parts in the reading assessment is reduced from four to three. The number of words per reading task is limited to not more than 150 and the number of words of the whole paper is capped at 400;

- To help students manage the assessment time for the reading and writing papers, invigilators announce the time twice during the examination, i.e. 15 minutes and 5 minutes before the end of the examination;

- Items expecting answers in the past tense in the writing

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assessment are scrapped, such as writing a recount; and - Assessment items on basic book concepts are avoided.

(iii) Primary 3 Mathematics

- The number of items is reduced, with an immediate cut of around 20%;

- Only one Basic Competency is assessed in each item; and - Items requiring solving linking problems are minimised.

11. The oral assessments and written assessments under the Tryout Study were completed in May and June 2016 respectively. In order for the public and schools to timely grasp and understand the rationale of question design for Primary 3 TSA under the Tryout Study, instead of following the usual practice of uploading relevant question papers upon the release of TSA results, HKEAA has, right after the completion of Primary 3 assessment, uploaded to the website on Basic Competency Assessments (www.bca.hkeaa.edu.hk) the question papers of Chinese Language, English Language and Mathematics, suggested answers together with the information on item design (e.g. the corresponding key learning objective, Basic Competency and question intent), as well as the marking schemes.

(II) Enhancing School Reports

12. On enhancing the format of school reports, in order to enable schools to make better use of TSA data to benefit learning and teaching, the Working Group on Administration and Reporting under the Committee recommends that four types of reports with different coverage should be made available for schools’ selection to meet the needs of individual schools.

13. The four types of assessment reports are as follows:

(i) Existing version;

(ii) Simplified version, which only provides data of an individual school without the overall data for reference purposes;

(iii) Integrated version, which is a consolidated report on Basic Competencies by item groups and provides exemplars on students’

overall performance; and

(iv) Information analysis report, which provides the corresponding key learning objective, Basic Competency and question intent of each item, as well as an analysis of options of multiple-choice items.

14. Schools participating in the Tryout Study may, in the light of school-based needs and on a subject basis (Chinese Language, English Language and Mathematics), choose the reports that they consider appropriate in helping them analyse the performance of students. They are able to grasp the learning progress of students by

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referring to the data provided in the report and the descriptions and exemplars of students’ performance in the 2016 Territory-wide System Assessment Report (Chapters 6 to 8) on the HKEAA website.

(III) Strengthening Diversified Professional Support Measures

15. Regarding professional support measures, schools participating in the Tryout Study may, in the light of school-based needs, opt for one or more of the following professional support measures:

(i) Workshops on better use of assessment strategies and enhancement of learning and teaching

Part 1:

- Understanding what Basic Competencies are and the importance of progressive learning

- Designing quality assessment tasks/items

- Adopting diversified assessment strategies/approaches to help students achieve different learning outcomes

- Formulating school-based assessment/homework policies and measures

Part 2:

- Making optimal use of assessment data to provide feedback to learning and teaching

(ii) School-based support services

- Application by schools on a need basis

- Analysing TSA school reports provided under the Tryout Study (on-site services)

(iii) Developing teaching and assessment materials in collaboration with tertiary institutions

- Developing teaching and assessment materials and designing learning activities in collaboration with tertiary institutions and schools participating in the Tryout Study

- Trying out Web-based Learning and Teaching Support (WLTS) materials and Student Assessment Repository (STAR)

(iv) Parent education

- parent education activities are co-organised by the Education Bureau (EDB) and schools participating in the Tryout Study.

The forms of activities are determined in the light of the needs of individual schools.

(IV) Including a Questionnaire Survey on Students’ Learning Attitude and Motivation

16. In line with the Committee’s recommendations, a questionnaire survey is

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included in the Tryout Study to collect students’ non-academic data (e.g. time spent on extra-curricular activities, learning interests, learning habits and other relevant data) so as to gain a better understanding of the factors affecting learning performance and to provide further assistance for student learning. The questionnaire survey also collects the views of schools and parents on homework load.

Following the Government’s established procurement procedures, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) was commissioned through an invitation of quotation by EDB to design and conduct the questionnaire survey on students’

learning attitude and motivation.

17. Under the Tryout Study, CUHK invited schools participating in the Tryout Study to take part in the questionnaire survey and prior consent was obtained from related parties. The survey respondents were schools, parents and students (including Chinese speaking and non-Chinese speaking students). Eventually, more than 50 primary schools participated in the survey and more than 4 000 questionnaires were received from Primary 3 students and their parents. The questionnaire was designed with reference to international studies on the same nature, and the questions were meant to get a picture of the learning situation in Hong Kong.

Progress and Preliminary Evaluation of the 2016 Tryout Study (Primary 3)

18. To review the four major initiatives (namely improving assessment papers and question design; enhancing school reports; strengthening professional support measures; and including a questionnaire survey on students’ learning attitude and motivation) of the Tryout Study, the Committee collected views and suggestions in the following ways with regard to implementation of the four major initiatives of the Tryout Study, with a view to providing feedback and facilitating the review of related measures:

(i) Quantitative approach

- Questionnaire surveys/opinion surveys: The targets are principals, curriculum leaders, teachers (including invigilators who are teachers from participating schools and markers), students and parents. The main purpose is to collect stakeholders’ views and suggestions on assessment items, reports, various support measures and stakes involved.

(ii) Qualitative approach

- Focus groups/interviews: The targets are principals, curriculum leaders, teachers (including invigilators who are teachers from participating schools and markers), students, parents, councils and other relevant groups. The main purpose is to collect stakeholders’ views and suggestions on assessment items, reports, various support measures and stakes involved.

- Case studies: Four schools are invited to participate in the case

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studies, which aim to take a more in-depth look at the support measures and stakes involved, in a bid to grasp how schools effectively use the various support measures to enhance the assessment literacy and examine the effectiveness and limitations of the implementation of the Tryout Study at schools, and look into the solutions or views and suggestions.

(I) Improving Assessment Papers and Question Design

19. TSA is an objective assessment tool with reliability and validity in assessing students’ overall Basic Competencies in the three subjects of Chinese Language, English Language and Mathematics upon completing the stages of Primary 3, Primary 6 and Secondary 3 education. To maintain the standards set, HKEAA conducts a research test to maintain the stability and consistency of the standards.

Meanwhile, the improved assessment papers and items are implemented in accordance with the Basic Competency standards set in 2004, including standard setting, standard maintenance and estimation of students’ ability indices.

20. On 9 November 2016, HKEAA submitted the 2016 Territory-wide System Assessment Report, which indicated that the territory-wide attainment rates of Primary 3 students in the three subjects of Chinese Language, English Language and Mathematics remained steady. The overall performance and territory-wide attainment rates of Primary 3 students are indicative of the reliability and validity of the improved assessment papers and question design which are applicable to assess if students have attained Basic Competency.

21. For the purpose of reviewing the improved assessment papers and question design, EDB and HKEAA organised 15 focus group meetings for teachers, three sharing sessions for principals of schools participating in the Tryout Study, three seminars, 18 focus groups for parents and a focus group for principals of all primary schools respectively to collect views of different stakeholders. Some parents from the participating schools whose elder children had participated in previous Primary 3 and Primary 6 TSA indicated that they did not feel the papers difficult. Meanwhile, parents generally agreed the questions of this year’s TSA were easier than before, which helped boost students’ confidence.

22. According to the feedback collected from the aforementioned channels, the improved assessment papers and question design could align with the requirements of Basic Competencies of Primary 3 students, tie in with the spirit of the curriculum and address students’ learning needs. As such, students are able to acquire Basic Competencies in their daily learning without the need of extra preparation or over-drilling specifically for TSA. In this connection, the improved assessment papers and question design has effectively eliminated the incentives for over-drilling

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induced by TSA.

(II) Enhancing School Reports

23. Over 96% of schools participating in the Tryout Study chose to receive the existing version, integrated version and information analysis report with regard to their school-based needs, while two schools selected the simplified version.

24. EDB and HKEAA organised three seminars on the analysis of TSA reports, three focus group meetings for teachers, two sharing sessions for principals of schools participating in the Tryout Study, 18 focus groups for parents and a focus group for principals of all primary schools respectively to collect views of different stakeholders on the enhanced school reports.

25. HKEAA also conducted questionnaire surveys at the seminars to collect the views of the schools participating in the Tryout Study and other schools on the enhanced school reports. HKEAA, through the questionnaire surveys, sought to understand if the enhanced school reports could provide more data to provide feedback to learning and teaching and comprehensive data to facilitate communication between schools and various stakeholders through questionnaire surveys. The survey data reflects schools’ general acceptance of the enhanced school reports.

26. According to the choices made by participating schools on the different types of assessment reports and the feedback collected through the above channels, schools generally considered that assessment data which was too simple or limited was not conducive to providing feedback to learning and teaching. Most of the schools appreciated and welcomed the information analysis report. They viewed that the corresponding key learning objective, Basic Competency and question intent of each item provided in this report could facilitate teachers’ understanding of the rationale of the paper design as well as the connection between Basic Competencies and curriculum, which enabled the provision of feedback to curriculum planning and the adjustment of teaching strategies. The enhanced school reports could meet the needs of different schools on the whole. Schools and teachers might, on a subject basis, flexibly select appropriate assessment reports to serve different purposes (including reviewing the design of school-based assessments, facilitating curriculum planning, adjusting teaching strategies and rendering learning support, etc.). Under the Tryout Study, different reports and information provided to schools have helped enhance teachers’ assessment capability and alleviate their workload of analysing TSA data. Meanwhile, the arrangement of schools choosing different versions of reports according to the school-based needs can help alleviate schools’ concerns about the possible stakes of TSA data.

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27. Many parents agreed that the school reports provided teachers with a good source of reference for adjusting teaching practices. At the same time, some parents thought that TSA needs to be held on a continuous basis. Data provided might help schools better understand their students’ level in the territory as well as enabling teachers to identify students’ strengths and weaknesses. It was also noted that according to some parents, schools have communicated with them on the homework and assessment policies through seminars for parents. They trusted the schools and supported their professional decisions.

(III) Strengthening Diversified Professional Support Measures

28. Regarding workshops on better use of assessment strategies and enhancement of learning and teaching (see paragraph 15 (i) above), EDB has conducted Part 1 of the workshops in May and June 2016, which aimed to share with teachers on how to make use of assessment strategies to facilitate learning and teaching. Over 140 teachers participated in the workshops and 116 feedback forms were received, which showed that the response was positive. Teachers expressed that the workshops were conducive to their work, facilitate schools to reflect on their overall assessment policies and review daily assignments and setting of assessment papers. Part 2 of the workshops was held in December 2016, focusing on how to make optimal use of assessment data to provide feedback to learning and teaching. In the light of the needs of individual schools participating in the Tryout Study, support services are also provided to analyse with schools the TSA school reports provided under the Tryout Study. Furthermore, the Curriculum Development Institute will continue to enhance the assessment literacy of teachers through professional development courses on curriculum leadership and related subjects.

29. Regarding school-based support services (see paragraph 15 (ii) above), on-site support is provided by EDB to schools participating in the Tryout Study in the light of their school-based needs. Over 80% of the participating schools selected school-based support services that could address their specific needs. Support officers have helped schools to conduct a holistic review of their school-based curricula. TSA data and students’ performance in schools are analysed and pre-tests are used to diagnose students’ learning needs and set the development focuses with schools. Learning evidence gathered from lesson observation, lesson studies, student interviews, etc. is used to adjust teaching plans and strategies. As shown in school questionnaires, all schools consider that professional support has deepened their understanding of how to use the data in the assessment reports and integrate them with internal assessment data to provide feedback to learning and teaching.

With respect to students’ strengths and weaknesses identified, schools have further conducted a holistic review of their curriculum planning, learning and teaching, and formulated relevant follow up measures. For instance, some schools will focus more on improving students’ reading and writing abilities in Chinese Language and

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English Language. In Mathematics, different schools will adjust their teaching and assessment strategies based on students’ performance in individual dimensions, such as “measurement”, to enhance learning effectiveness. At school level, professional leadership is enhanced through direct participation of principals, middle managers and teachers in planning the whole school curriculum and assessment. These show that this support measure is well-received by schools and is conducive to enhancing assessment literacy.

30. Regarding the development of teaching and assessment materials and the design of learning activities in collaboration with tertiary institutions and schools participating in the Tryout Study (see paragraph 15 (iii) above), 15% of the participating schools were involved and 20% tried out the WLTS materials and STAR.

Under this support measure, teachers of the participating schools can develop with tertiary institutions and EDB the learning, teaching and assessment materials which tie in with the school-based curriculum. In this way, teachers are able to have a better grasp of the design concept of teaching materials and techniques, so as to design quality teaching materials and develop school-based curriculum to meet students’ learning needs. Participating schools reflected that the materials designed could meet the schools’ needs, and are conducive to designing school-based curriculum and teaching materials in the future. Some schools hoped EDB could continue to introduce similar programmes in the coming year.

31. Among schools which show an interest in co-organising parent education activities with EDB (see paragraph 15 (iv) above), 80% of schools have already started the preparations, and EDB has approached them to co-organise the seminars.

It is expected that this kind of collaboration and activities can enhance parents’

understanding of assessment literacy.

(IV) Including a Questionnaire Survey on Students’ Learning Attitude and Motivation

32. Under the Tryout Study, EDB has commissioned the Chinese University of Hong Kong to conduct a questionnaire survey on students’ learning attitude and motivation. The reports cover an analysis using both TSA and non-academic data.

Each participating school receives an independent analysis report on its school data, including students’ learning motivation, the relationship between students’

socio-economic status and their academic results, etc. Principals and teachers can identify the factors affecting students’ learning attitude and motivation by making reference to the data of the questionnaire survey to improve learning and teaching.

33. EDB collected, through respective focus groups, views of principals of schools participating in the Tryout Study and parents on the questionnaire survey on non-academic data. Principals attended the focus groups gave positive comments on

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the questionnaire survey on non-academic data. They considered that such a survey could enable schools to know more about students’ learning from multiple perspectives and identify major factors affecting their academic performance. In this way, schools were able to render support in connection with students’ learning, and thus enhance learning and teaching and promote students’ development.

Meanwhile, the questionnaire survey and related research findings could raise parents’ awareness of factors affecting their children’s learning. Parents attended the focus groups expressed no objection to participating in the questionnaire survey in a voluntary manner, suggesting that the survey could help schools understand the factors affecting students’ learning.

34. It is worth-noting that based on the observation of the questionnaire survey, even students studying at the same level in the same school with similar homework and assessment arrangements, students and their parents may have very diversified views regarding the homework load. This shows that the perception of the load of exercises and homework involves multiple factors.

35. The problem of over-drilling has been a concern of the community. Based on the findings of the questionnaire survey, the Committee is aware that there is no direct relationship between the homework load and the academic performance of junior primary students. The quality of homework is more important than the quantity, and over-drilling would affect learning motivation.

36. According to the views collected in focus groups for parents from schools participating in the Tryout Study, it is revealed that in the same school, parents might have very diversified views regarding school policy, homework arrangements, purchase of exercises and extra lessons. Some parents pointed out that since there was no drilling nor additional exercises on TSA in schools, they were unaware that their children had already taken TSA. Some parents expressed that daily learning in class was already sufficient for students to handle TSA, they hence had not purchased additional supplementary exercises for their children. Parents also understood that no individual result would be provided under TSA, so students were at ease and did not feel any pressure arising from TSA.

Vision and Recommendations on the Development of Basic Competency Assessments

(I) Serving the function of “assessment for learning” to promote quality education

Basic Competency Assessments Programme

37. In ‘assessment for learning’, assessment is an integral part of the curriculum and

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an integral part of the Learning-Teaching-Assessment cycle. Its main function is to help schools understand students’ learning, progress and needs, as well as their strengths and weaknesses for planning the curriculum, designing teaching and developing school-based assessment in order to enhance the effectiveness of learning and teaching, with a view to helping students learn more effectively.

38. The Education Commission issued “Learning for Life, Learning through Life:

Reform Proposals for the Education System in Hong Kong” which sets out detailed proposals for Basic Competency Assessments in Chinese Language, English Language and Mathematics. Basic Competency Assessments Programme comprises three components, including Student Assessment Repository (STAR) (formerly Student Assessment (SA)), Territory-wide System Assessment (TSA) and Web-based Learning and Teaching Support (WLTS) with a view to carrying out the concept of

“assessment for learning” in everyday teaching. Schools can use the assessment information (including TSA and STAR information) to understand whether students have attained Basic Competencies in the three subjects of Chinese Language, English Language and Mathematics. This enables schools to integrate assessment data and schools’ development needs, make reference to various resources (such as WLTS) and formulate learning and teaching strategies with a view to enhancing learning and teaching.

Diagram 1 Concept map of Basic Competency Assessments Programme

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39. Under the Tryout Study, EDB organised 15 focus group meetings (more than 250 teachers participated), four sharing sessions (more than 160 principals / middle managers participated, including schools not participating in the Tryout Study), 18 focus groups for parents (more than 100 parents of schools participating in the Tryout Study participated), three seminars on subjects (more than 400 teachers of participating and non-participating schools participated) and collected more than 400 questionnaires (including about 80% from schools not participating in the Tryout Study). Concluding various feedback gathered from qualitative and quantitative methods, the four major initiatives (improving the assessment papers and question design; enhancing school reports; strengthening professional support measures; and including a questionnaire survey to collect students’ non-academic data) under the Tryout Study enable the implementation of TSA to revert to the right track, reflect the original intent of TSA to serve the prime objective of providing feedback to learning and teaching and the low-stakes nature of TSA as an assessment tool.

(II) Recommendations

Recommendation 1 Handling the problem of over-drilling – removing the incentives for over-drilling induced by TSA

Design of assessment papers and items

40. Views collected through the aforementioned various channels indicated that the improved assessment papers and question design under the Tryout Study could align with the requirements of Basic Competencies of Primary 3 students, tie in with the spirit of the curriculum and students’ learning needs. As such, students are able to acquire Basic Competencies in their daily learning without the need of extra preparation or over-drilling specifically for TSA. In this connection, the improved assessment papers and question design has effectively eliminated the incentives for over-drilling. The Committee recommends that the improved assessment papers and item design under the Tryout Study should be extended to the TSA thereafter.

Meaningful assignments

41. The aforementioned measures have eliminated the incentives for over-drilling induced by TSA, hence addressed the public concerns about TSA. However, the

Committee continues to be mindful of the over-drilling culture in individual schools.

Over-drilling would affect learning motivation. The Committee recommends that EDB continue to communicate with the education sector with a view to dealing with the situation of over-drilling.

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42. The questionnaire survey on “enhancing assessment literacy”2 showed that more than 98% of schools have formulated school-based homework and assessment policies. Most schools communicated with parents through notices, talks and web pages. The Committee recommends that EDB continue to make use of different channels and approaches, such as teacher training programmes, school development visits, school curriculum visits and focus inspections, to see how the various recommendations set out in EDB Circular No. 18/2015, particularly those pertaining to over-drilling, are implemented in schools, and to reiterate that the quality of homework is more important than the quantity. The modes and contents of homework should cater for the learning needs and abilities of students, and teachers need to help students consolidate and extend their learning based on their established foundation. Mechanical drills, repetitive copying and rote learning should be avoided. Schools should also consider more comprehensively and fully the diversity of learning, such as age, gender, physical development/condition, social development, learning ability and needs, interests, family background and expectations, community and cultural contexts of students at different learning stages (including kindergarten) to design diversified and appropriate assignments so that students can have spare time to relax after completing assignments and revising to ensure a balanced physical and psychological development.

43. EDB should continue urging schools to strengthen communication with parents.

Schools should formulate and coordinate appropriate school-based homework and assessment policies by planning holistically, synthesising the objectives in the three aspects of learning, teaching and assessment, and communicate with parents. Yearly review should be conducted in a timely manner, including whether it is necessary to purchase supplementary exercises, and should seek parents’ views on relevant issues through parent-teacher associations in order to reach a consensus and secure parents’

co-operation in not arranging their children to have mechanical drills for TSA at external institutions. Also, teachers should use their professional knowledge and make more use of qualitative methods to analyse students’ work to provide feedback to learning and teaching with reference to the learning difficulties encountered by students, such as enhancing classroom learning and teaching strategies, learning materials and assessment designs, and design differentiated assignments that are close to students’ daily experiences, interesting and progressive, focusing on the cultivation of students’ generic skills, such as creativity and problem-solving skills.

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2 To plan the professional activities in the coming year, EDB issued questionnaires on "enhancing assessment literacy" to all primary schools in early December to collect information, among others, about school-based assignment and assessment policies.

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44. EDB has always attached importance to students’ whole-person development.

Apart from learning, students also need to have leisure time for doing physical exercises, cultivating personal interests and participating in healthy social life or extracurricular activities, and have enough time for rest and sleep. The Committee understands that schools will provide professionally remedial teaching and appropriate group learning activities based on school contexts to address the needs of individual students (such as non-Chinese speaking students) in helping them to tackle their learning difficulties. However, the Committee considers it is inappropriate for schools to treat drilling and supplementary lessons before and after classes as additional lesson time and make it compulsory for all students to attend.

Mechanical drilling is also inappropriate as this enhances students’ learning pressure and undermines their learning interests. Therefore, the Committee recommends that schools should pay attention to the arrangements of supplementary lessons so as to avoid affecting the healthy growth and whole-person development of students.

Recommendation 2 Removing stakes Removing stakes and fostering mutual trust

45. In fact, the Committee has made concrete recommendations in the review report submitted in February 2016 (please see paragraph 1 above) to address various public concerns. EDB has been actively following up the related recommendations, including enhancing various stakeholders’ (including school sponsoring bodies, school managers, parents, etc.) understanding of “assessment for learning” to ensure the proper and effective use of TSA data. Therefore, the feedback from schools participating in the Tryout Study and views from various stakeholders (including schools and teachers not participating in the Tryout Study, parents, district parent-teacher associations, parent concern groups, etc.) collected through various channels and methods generally showed that the measures are effective in eliminating the stakes involved, reflecting the low-stakes nature of TSA and deepening the mutual trust among stakeholders.

46. As recommended by the Committee in February 2016, EDB has stepped up public education and enhanced training for teaching staff at different stages (including training for prospective teachers, pre-service training for appointed teachers, and in-service training for serving teachers) and the response is positive.

The Committee recommends that EDB continue to organise these training programmes to enhance the assessment literacy of various sectors, and encourage better use of assessment information or data to provide feedback to learning and teaching and develop and refine the school-based curriculum and learning activities.

EDB should continue to work with various stakeholders in their various roles to ensure appropriate use of TSA data in the promotion of quality education which addresses students’ learning needs, embodies professionalism and is founded on

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mutual trust among stakeholders, hence serving the functions of Basic Competency Assessments to the fullest extent.

47. To further remove the stakes of TSA and deepen mutual trust, the Committee recommends that EDB strengthen internal guidelines to provide clear guidelines on the use of TSA data and information by various sections of EDB.

Recommendation 3 Enhancing communication and deepening mutual trust The Government and school sponsoring bodies

48. Meanwhile, as a principal partner in school management, the Committee recommends that EDB maintain communication with school sponsoring bodies and school managers, strengthen professional training and deepen mutual trust, ensuring that TSA data is used properly to achieve the objective of enhancing the school-based curriculum and teaching practices.

Parents and schools

49. As parents are one of the major stakeholders of schools, the Committee considers that enhanced communication between parents and schools on education issues facilitates parents’ understanding of the concept of “assessment for learning”

and the implementation of TSA. Meanwhile, admitting that parents are major stakeholders in education, the Committee recommends that EDB and schools continue to enhance parents’ understanding of education issues through various channels.

Allocation of resources

50. Besides, the Committee recommends that the Quality Education Fund can consider including promoting parents’ understanding of “assessment for learning” in the priority themes and activities to encourage schools, tertiary institutions, research organisations and non-governmental organisations, etc. to enhance parents’

understanding of “assessment for learning”, and making use of existing resources to design different types of activities to enhance the assessment literacy of the education sector and parents. Meanwhile, related successful experiences can be shared through the Quality Education Fund Thematic Networks.

Recommendation 4 Enhancing assessment literacy Providing support for schools and students

51. Four types of reports are made available under the Tryout Study for schools’

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selection to meet their needs. Over 96% of schools participating in the Tryout Study opted for the existing version and the integrated version, while only two schools selected the simplified version (without territory-wide data). It reflects that data at the territory-wide level are of reference value to schools. In general, schools make use of students’ results in internal assessments (such as tests and examinations) together with TSA data to understand the standards of students in relation to that of the territory-wide. Meanwhile, the questionnaire survey on students’ learning attitude and motivation provides abundant data and information for schools to grasp the factors affecting students’ learning. Under the Tryout Study, the analysis of non-academic data enables schools to see the relationship between non-academic factors and students’ academic performance from multiple perspectives. This arrangement can be found in some international assessments, such as Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), that similar kinds of survey are included to understand students’ learning. Therefore, the Committee recommends that the survey on non-academic data conducted by an independent organisation should be continued, and the sample size of the survey should be expanded to enhance the reference value of the data and information to provide more useful information to schools to provide feedback to learning and teaching. The questionnaire survey on learning attitude and motivation includes schools, students and parents. The Committee recommends that the use of questionnaire survey could be further explored to understand the views of schools and parents on homework arrangements and pressure.

52. The Committee recognises that targeted support measures contribute significantly to the better use of assessments by schools to facilitate learning. At school level, professional leadership is enhanced through direct participation of principals, middle managers and teachers in planning the whole school curriculum and assessment. The professional support measures implemented under the Tryout Study, including workshops, seminars and school-based support services are well-received by schools. The Committee recommends that EDB should continue to strengthen various support measures to schools to promote “assessment for learning” and enhance assessment literacy. The Committee notices that in the 2014/15 school year, more than 70% (about 370) of primary schools in the territory were provided with the school-based support services, among which about 280 primary schools were provided with support services in relation to the subjects of Chinese Language, English Language and Mathematics. The Committee recommends that EDB should continue to provide diversified professional support services to schools to cater for the different needs of schools and teachers.

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53. Besides, the Committee recommends that EDB should continue to develop and encourage schools and parents to use the Web-based Learning and Teaching 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 Development strategies for continuously enhancing the effectiveness and value of TSA

54. 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”.

55. Development strategies:

Strategies

- accumulate experience - drive concerted efforts - gather strength

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Diagram 2 Roles of participating sectors in promoting “assessment for learning”

56. 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

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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

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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

57. 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

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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.

58. 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.

59. 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

60. 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

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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.

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Chapter 1 Background and Objectives

Education Reform and the Introduction of TSA

1.1 In 2000, the Education Commission proposed to introduce Basic Competency Assessments in its report entitled “Learning for Life. Learning through Life” to better enhance the effectiveness of learning and teaching. The main objectives of the Basic Competency Assessments are:

(i) to provide the Government and the school management with territory-wide information on schools’ standards in key learning areas;

(ii) to underpin the Government’s efforts to provide support for schools in need of assistance; and

(iii) to enable teachers and parents to understand students’ learning problems and needs so as to facilitate timely and targeted assistance through appropriate teaching practices.

1.2 TSA is one of the components of Basic Competency Assessments. Other than TSA, Basic Competency Assessments also cover Student Assessment and WLTS.

Student Assessment is an online assessment item bank, capable of assessing through a computer system the performance of participating students, and generating instant assessment reports for teachers’ reference. As for WLTS, it is an online platform for the development of students’ Basic Competencies, providing ready-made learning activities and materials developed to address learning difficulties for teachers’

reference and use.

1.3 Basic Competencies are the essential knowledge and skills acquired by students in relation to the learning targets and objectives set out in the curriculum for each key stage, in order to learn effectively at next stage. TSA is an assessment on students’

Basic Competencies in Chinese Language, English Language and Mathematics upon completion of the three key learning stages (i.e. Primary 3, Primary 6 and Secondary 3 levels). Basic Competencies form part of the curriculum. Students are expected to acquire the Basic Competencies in the three subjects in order to proceed effectively to the next key learning stage.

1.4 TSA is a low-stakes assessment. At the student level, TSA does not provide assessment results of individual students, it is by no means a tool for grading students, determining their advancement in studies or allocating school places for admission to Secondary 1. At the school level, EDB does not use TSA results to assess the

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performance of schools. Since 2014, EDB has removed TSA from “Key Performance Measures” to put emphasis on “assessment for learning” with a view to alleviating schools’ concerns about the stakes involved in the use of assessment data.

Functions of TSA

1.5 Implementation of TSA serves the function of promoting “assessment for learning” through the use of assessment data for provision of feedback to inform learning and teaching. The feedback includes information at the territory-wide and school levels, each serving different functions. The ensuing paragraphs elaborate on how information at the territory-wide and school levels serves the functions of enhancing teaching arrangements and facilitating students’ learning.

Territory-wide Level

1.6 On the territory-wide level, TSA data helps the Government review education policies, provide resources and set directions of support measures and professional training, etc. Details are as follows:

Facilitating the review of education policies

1.7 TSA data reflects the overall performance of Hong Kong students and its trends of changes in the subjects of Chinese Language, English Language and Mathematics.

EDB takes into account students’ overall performance in TSA and different Basic Competencies in formulating the directions and priorities of education policies.

1.8 Through TSA data, EDB gauged the ability of lower and upper primary students in comprehending and summarising the main ideas of a passage. Therefore, EDB encourages schools to enhance the strategies for teaching of reading, and has set

“reading to learn” as one of the four key tasks of the curriculum reform. For strengthening “reading to learn”, a series of online resources has also been developed for primary and secondary schools’ reference.

Setting directions and priorities of professional training

1.9 EDB analyses TSA data to better understand the learning progress and teaching needs of Hong Kong students in the three subjects of Chinese Language, English Language and Mathematics, with a view to determining directions and priorities for

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professional training.

1.10 With the aim of improving language education at the pre-primary, primary and secondary levels, EDB has, by making reference to TSA data, sought an injection into the Language Fund to strengthen support for teachers and students at pre-primary and primary levels3.

Providing learning and teaching resources

1.11 In the light of the learning difficulties reflected by students’ performance in TSA, EDB conducts case studies and collects views of teachers through focus group meetings. The WLTS, an online learning and teaching platform, was developed in 2003 to provide ready-made learning and teaching resource packages for teachers’

use or reference. Relevant resources, including teaching plans, suggested learning activities, presentations on teaching practices, worksheets and assessment tasks, etc., enable teachers to help students acquire Basic Competencies in an effective manner.

At present, there are more than 730 sets of learning and teaching resources for Primary 1 to Secondary 3 levels, covering nearly 70% of Basic Competencies for the three learning stages. It is expected that resource packages covering all Basic Competencies will be available by 2019 for teachers’ reference and use.

Planning school-based support services

1.12 Curriculum, learning and teaching, and assessment are interrelated. EDB has been providing school-based support services to schools. Based on the needs of individual participating school, support officers would help schools make use of the assessment data, such as student assignments, test and examination results and performance in TSA to understand the learning progress of students, and collaborate with schools’ teaching staff to plan the curriculum, design appropriate teaching strategies and use various assessment methods through lesson preparation ____________________________

3 Details are set out in LC Paper No. FCR2004-05(44). Support measures for teachersinclude:

(i) sponsoring local serving teachers of the English Language subject at primary schools to attend overseas immersion courses lasting four to eight weeks or more;

(ii) sponsoring primary school teachers to attend intensive courses focused on specific aspects of the learning and teaching of the language subjects, such as grammar/phonics in context; and

(iii) providing professional development programmes for pre-primary school teachers.

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meetings and the Evaluation-Planning-Implementation-Evaluation (EPIE) process, in order to provide effective feedback for students. In the 2014/15 school year, more than 70% of primary schools in the territory (about 370 primary schools) were provided with the school-based support services, among which about 280 primary schools were provided with support services in relation to the subjects of Chinese Language, English Language and Mathematics. Schools can consider their school-based development needs in applying for individual support services.

Reviewing the curriculum

1.13 TSA data is a source of reference for curriculum review. Take the Basic Competency of ‘using “gram” (g) or “kilogram” (kg) as the unit to measure or compare the weight of objects and using “hour” and “minute”, “minute” and

“second” or “second” to measure the time used in activities’ in Mathematics as an example. Taking into account the average TSA performance of students in this aspect as well as the views of frontline teachers collected in focus group interviews on reasons for students not being able to grasp the content, EDB and the Curriculum Development Council Committee on Mathematics Education propose an adjustment in the sequence of related topics when reviewing the Mathematics curriculum at primary levels, suggesting that students could be exposed to this topic after accumulating more related learning experience. The related recommendation has been included in the latest proposed revisions to the Mathematics Education Key Learning Area Curriculum Guide (Primary 1 – Secondary 6). Subject to the approval of the Curriculum Development Council, the Guide is expected to be published in 2017.

Using related data for further analysis

1.14 HKEAA reports on the research findings of the cohort study for the same group of students in the annual TSA report. HKEAA also conducts further analysis on students’ performance to identify areas of unsatisfactory performance by students, with a view to formulating and providing further support proposals.

School Level

1.15 At the school level, TSA school reports are provided. On top of the overall students’ attainment rates of a school in Chinese Language, English Language and Mathematics (starting from 2014, individual primary schools are no longer provided

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with the attainment rates), the school reports provide item analysis and other supplementary data, including the percentage of students who have answered each item correctly and the performance of students in questions related to the respective Basic Competency.

1.16 Related information helps teachers identify the strengths and weaknesses of overall students and formulate plans to improve the effectiveness of learning and teaching with reference to the assessment data and their schools’ development needs.

After analysing students’ performance in TSA, schools will generally follow up through various measures, such as adjusting the teaching content, improving the design of assignments/assessments, arranging after-school remedial programmes to cater for learner diversity, etc. Related follow-up measures addressing the competencies of students participating in TSA can be implemented after students are promoted to another level, and can address the learning needs of students of different classes with a view to building a solid foundation for the students’ grasp of Basic Competencies in the three subjects of Chinese Language, English Language and Mathematics.

Enhancement and Review of TSA

1.17 Since the introduction of TSA in 2004 (Primary 3, Primary 64 and Secondary 3 TSA was implemented since 2004, 2005 and 2006 respectively), EDB has maintained close communication with various stakeholders (including schools, teachers, parents, primary and secondary schools councils, the Committee on Home-School Co-operation, TSA Concern Group, etc.) to understand the progress of implementation.

1.18 In 2014, the EDB launched a number of enhancement measures (including not disclosing attainment rates to individual primary schools, removing TSA from the Key Performance Measures for primary schools, continuing administering Primary 6 TSA in alternate years and enhancing TSA’s reporting functions in stages), with a view to striking a balance between preserving the core functions of TSA and lessening the pressure on students and teachers. Details have been set out in LC Paper No. CB(4)284/13-14(03).

1.19 As part of the continuous improvement of the implementation arrangements of TSA, the Committee conducted a comprehensive review of the operation and various _________________________

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4 Since 2014, the P.6 TSA has been implemented in odd-numbered years (i.e. 2015, 2017, etc.).

implementation arrangements of TSA in late 2015. In February 2016, the Committee submitted the review report5 which put forward that the review of TSA should be premised on the promotion of quality education and the following core values:

- learning needs of students;

- professionalism; and

- mutual trust among stakeholders.

1.20 The report reaffirmed the intent and value of the establishment of TSA and recognised the functional use of TSA data to provide feedback to learning and teaching. Meanwhile, in response to public concerns about the over-drilling problem, various stakeholders’ perception of the stakes involved as well as the provision of support for students and schools, various short, medium and long-term recommendations have been made (please see Chapter 6 of the report for details).

1.21 Among them, regarding short-term reocmmendations, to reflect more clearly the intent of Basic Competency Assessments, the Committee considers that the assessment papers and questions should be adjusted, and that the reports distributed to schools could adopt different formats. Such initiatives should be implemented as a tryout arrangement in 2016, of which the outcomes would inform the 2017 territory-wide implementation.

1.22 The Committee recommends that the 2016 Tryout Study (Primary 3) (Tryout Study) should have the following objectives:

(i) to validate whether the revamped papers and item design proposed by the relevant working group would uphold the reliability and validity of assessment while aligning with the requirements of Basic Competencies of Primary 3 students to tie in with the curriculum and student learning;

(ii) to try out different reporting formats to meet the needs of individual schools;

(iii) to strengthen the provision of professional support measures for schools on homework policy, assessment literacy, enhancement of learning and teaching (e.g. via the promotion of reading) as well as TSA in the course of the tryout. Public education would also need to be strengthened so as to enhance stakeholders’ awareness of the TSA as part of the concept of _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

5 Report on Review of the Territory-wide System Assessment by the Coordinating Committee on Basic Competency Assessment and Assessment Literacy (February 2016)

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