Briefing Session on the Recommendations for
Medium-term Review of the Business, Accounting and Financial Studies (BAFS) Curriculum and Assessment
Time Contents Speaker(s)
2:30 – 2:45 p.m.
Registration
2:45 – 3:45 p.m.
Part 1
• Briefing on Summary of
Findings of School Surveys on BAFS Curriculum and
Assessment (C&A)
• Briefing on the
Recommendations of the BAFS C&A for Medium-term Review
Senior Curriculum Development Officer (Technology Education) of EDB
Manager (Assessment Development), Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA)
3:45 – 4:45 p.m.
Part 2
Q & A Session
Chaired by the Chairman of the CDC-HKEAA Committee on
Business, Accounting and Financial Studies (Senior Secondary) (2013- 15)
To update the progress of the new academic structure (NAS) medium-term review
Some recaps
•
NAS short-term recommendations announced in April 2013
•
In BAFS, short-term recommendations were implemented in 2013 in response to the feedback collected:
- Trim curriculum content by 15%
- Develop Supplementary Notes for illustrating the breadth and depth of the curriculum
- Change examination rubrics, shorten the examination time
- Cancel school-based assessment (SBA)
Some recaps
• For BAFS, t he key issue in the medium-term review is to
explore the feasibility of revising the design of the subject by splitting the subject and/or separate grading and reporting of the examination results for candidates taking the two electives, as well as other relevant options that would suit the context of the whole senior secondary student programme.
To update the progress of the new academic structure
(NAS) medium-term review
Some recaps
Schools surveys were conducted from January to March 2014 to solicit views from school principals and teachers.
The survey results and feedback collected from other stakeholders were consolidated to inform deliberations for the medium-term review
recommendations.
The medium-term recommendations for the senior secondary
curriculum and assessment of Chinese Language, Chinese Literature, Liberal Studies and BAFS were discussed and endorsed in the joint
Curriculum Development Committee – Public Examinations Board (PEB) Meeting held on 10 April 2014
EDB Circular Memorandum (EDBCM No.63/2014) were released in April 15 2014 summarising the medium-term recommendations and support measures
Please visit the NAS Web Bulletin (http://www.edb.gov.hk/nas/en) or the
To update the progress of the new academic structure
(NAS) medium-term review
Medium-term Review Process in BAFS
Date Events Actions
Oct 2013 -
Nov 2013
CDC-HKEAA Meetings
To review and address the concerns of the BAFS curriculum and assessment
Dec 2013 -
Mar 2014
Focus Group Meetings
To collect preliminary feedback from different stakeholders including
• BAFS teachers
• Principals
• representatives from tertiary and post-secondary sectors
• employers and human resources management professions
• BAFS graduates and students
• parents of BAFS students
Date Events
Actions Dec 2013
–
Mar 2014
Principal questionnaire Principal questionnaires were issued to collect views from principals on the subject-related questions on 21 Jan Teacher questionnaire • Teacher questionnaire was issued to
collect views from teachers on the proposals on 7 Feb
• Briefing session conducted on 10 Feb Joint Meetings of
CDC-HKEAA & Subject Committees on BAFS
• To consolidate the suggestions collected from FGIs and school surveys
• To discuss and propose medium-term review recommendations, for the
consideration of CDC-PEB
Medium-term Review Process in BAFS
Number of questionnaire received in response to BAFS questions
456 out of 497
Principal Questionnaire
No. of
schools
(%)
Agree 298 67.1%
Disagree 83 18.7%
No opinion 63 14.2%
TOTAL 444 100%
6.1 Do you, as a school principal, agree that BAFS as an elective subject under the existing senior secondary curriculum framework has
provided students with a broad-based and sufficient foundation
covering different aspects of business (e.g. accounting, management,
business environment) that could prepare them for future study and
careers?
Principal Questionnaire
No. of
schools
(%)
Support 291 65.4%
Do not
support 73 16.4%
No opinion 81 18.2%
TOTAL 445 100%
6.2 Taking into consideration that the above-mentioned short-term measures have been put in place in the 2013/14 school year, as a
school principal who is overseeing the all-round administration in the
school, do you support a major change in BAFS in the foreseeable
future, such as offering more than one new business-related subject to
replace/complement BAFS, based on the existing school conditions?
6.3 To provide students with business-related exposure at the senior secondary level, BAFS, Economics, Tourism and Hospitality Studies, and some Applied Learning courses such as Applied Business Research, Financial Markets and Operations, Marketing in Global Trade and Practical Computerised
Accounting are offered.
Do you, as a school principal, agree that the existing options are adequate to cater for senior secondary students with different abilities and learning
interests in business?
No. of
schools
(%)
Agree 237 52.9%
Disagree 155 34.6%
No opinion 56 12.5%
TOTAL 448 100%
Principal Questionnaire
[IF Answered “Disagree”]. If more business learning options at the senior
secondary level were to be provided in your school, please indicate the option(s) that your school, with the existing resources and expertise available, could
possibly offer to your students: (You may choose more than one options)
No. of
schools
(%) Accounting 139 90.3%
Business
Management 89 57.8%
BAFS 36 23.4%
Others 7 4.5%
Principal Questionnaire
Principal Questionnaire
Offer 1 subject only
(58 schools in total, 37%)
Accounting (47 schools)
Business Management (8 schools)
BAFS (3 schools) Offer 2 subjects
(76 schools in total, 49%)
Accounting and Business Management (61 schools)
BAFS and Accounting (13 schools)
BAFS and Business Management (2 schools) Offer 3 subjects
(18 schools in total, 12%)
BAFS, Accounting, and Business Management (18 schools)
Subject combinations indicated:
6.4 It is the aim of the senior secondary curriculum framework to lay a broad foundation to enable students to have wide career choices and future study choices, and to equip them with broad- based knowledge and skills for their lifelong learning journeys. Senior secondary students are encouraged to choose elective subjects from more than one Key Learning Area according to their needs, aspirations and interests.
IF there were more than one business-related subject at the senior secondary level, each
specialising in a certain area in the business domain (e.g. accounting, management*) as a result of replacing or complementing BAFS, taking into consideration the above-mentioned aims and principles, do you, as a school principal, think it is desirable for students to take business-
related elective subjects only?
[* subject to further deliberation]
No. of
schools
(%)
Yes 196 44.0%
No 158 35.5%
No opinion 91 20.4%
Principal Questionnaire
6.5 Please indicate the top three factors you will consider regarding the offering of business-related subjects in your school. Rank the three factors in terms of importance
(“1” as the most important, “2” as the second, and “3” as the third)
Principal Questionnaire
Top three factors No. of schools
(%) Students’ preference 374 83.7%
Teachers’ expertise available
268 60.0%
Student’s future career/study
263 58.8%
Deployment of staff 152 34.0%
Resources availability 134 30.0%
Balance of interests among different subject panels
71 15.9%
Parents’ concerns 34 7.6%
Number of
questionnaire received
416 out of 497
Teacher Questionnaire
The respective elective module(s) offered by the school respondents
Electivemodule(s) offered at schools
No. of school respondents
PA 236
BM 46
PA+BM 125
No information
provided 6
Not yet offered 3
Teacher Questionnaire
Q1.1 Do you agree that the trimmed BAFS curriculum is able to achieve the aim of providing broad-based knowledge enabling students to explore different aspects of business to prepare for life, for further studies and for employment?
No. of
Schools (%)
Agree 291 71%
Disagree 92 22%
No opinion 30 7%
Total 413 100.0%
Teacher Questionnaires
Q1.2 With the short-term recommendations on curriculum and assessment changes in place in the 2013/14 school year, do you agree that the trimmed curriculum should be maintained, subject to regular review and refinements in future according to changing contexts?
No. of
Schools (%)
Agree 267 65%
Disagree 116 28%
No opinion 29 7%
Total 412 100%
Teacher Questionnaire
Q1.3 The BAFS curriculum is composed of a common core as the compulsory part (40%), and two electives, namely Accounting and Business
Management (60%).
1.3.1 Do you agree that separate grading and reporting of the
examination results should be adopted for the candidates taking the two elective parts?
No. of
Schools (%)
Agree 336 82%
Disagree 55 13%
No opinion 21 5%
Total 412 100%
Teacher Questionnaire
Q1.3 1.3.2 In addition to separate grading and reporting, do you agree that the weighting of the common core should be changed?
No. of
Schools (%)
Agree 168 41%
Disagree 185 45%
No opinion 56 14%
Total 409 100%
Teacher Questionnaire
Q1.3 1.3.2 If Agree, the weighting of the common core should be:
No. of
Schools (%)
Increased 36 21%
Decreased 132 79%
Total 168 100%
Teacher Questionnaire
Q1.4 Do you agree that new business-related elective subject(s) should be developed in addition to BAFS or to replace it?
No. of
Schools (%)
Agree 201 49%
Disagree 147 36%
No opinion 62 15%
Total 410 100%
Teacher Questionnaire
Q1.5 The following five proposals have been formulated based on views collected from relevant stakeholders through various channels. Regarding the proposed years of implementation, it should be noted that major curriculum changes may take more time for deliberations and design, and incremental changes under further discussion may be needed. Based on the suggestions collected from the Principal Questionnaire and this questionnaire, feedback collected from various stakeholders through meetings and focus group interviews and professional discussions of CDC- HKEAA Committee on BAFS (Senior Secondary) and the HKEAA BAFS Subject Committee, final recommendations for further improving the implementation of the curriculum and assessment of BAFS will be formulated.
In order to consolidate views from teachers for further deliberation, please tick ONE of the following options you prefer most.
(Other views, if any, can be noted in “Other comments”)
Teacher Questionnaire
No. of
Schools (%) Option 0 (Status quo) 37 9%
Option 1 (Separate grading
and reporting) 76 18%
Option 2 (Separate grading and reporting with
adjustment on the
weightings of the common
core) 46 11%
Option 3 (New subject(s) to
replace BAFS) 211 51%
Option 4 (New subject(s) in
addition to BAFS) 41 10%
Teacher Questionnaire
Q1.6 It is envisaged that separate grading and reporting of HKDSE BAFS Examination results would not have major implications on the learning and teaching of the subject and hence could be implemented earlier starting from the 2015 or 2016 examination, provided that this is supported by the majority of schools.
Please indicate below the earliest year of implementation preferred:
No. of
Schools (%)
2015 HKDSE 248 61%
2016 HKDSE 41 10%
Not supporting earlier
Implementation 62 15%
No opinion 55 14%
Total 406 100%
Feedback on existing trimmed BAFS curriculum:
Ultimate way forward for further deliberation:
