Territorywide System Assessment

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Territory-wide System Assessment
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• The Government has started implemented the
  Territory-wide
• System Assessment (System Assessment) since
  mid-2004
• System Assessment is not an examination. It only
  assesses
• the general competence of students at the end of
  key stages of
• learning, namely, at P3, P6 and S3

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• It is generally agreed that most students can
  improve if given time and support. The Basic
  Competency Assessment (BCA) sets out standards we
  would expect our students to be able to achieve
  at ends of key stages of basic education (P3, P6
  and S3). Students who cannot demonstrate these
  defined capabilities may find it increasingly
  difficult to engage successfully in their future
  learning. The BCA is to assist our students to
  learn to their potential.
• BCA does not compare performance amongst
  students. It is to help schools and teachers
  better understand progress of learning of their
  students such that timely and effective
  assistance to students can be provided.

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• What is System Assessment?
• System Assessment is a low stake assessment.
  It aims at providing the overall performance data
  of our students in Chinese, English and
  Mathematics. At the school level, schools will
  know from the assessment the strength and
  weakness of their students in the above three
  subjects. The data can help schools, in
  conjunction with other school internal data and
  school-based priorities, improve school plans.
  At the territory-wide level, the assessment can
  help government evaluate education policies and
  provide support to needy schools
• The System Assessment does not report results of
  individual students

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• Time Table
• System Assessment was introduced at P3 level in
  2004. Government will expand the System
  Assessment to P6 and S3 levels in 2005 and 2006
  respectively. From then on, the System
  Assessment will be conducted at P3, P6 and S3
  annually.

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• BCA consists of two parts the System Assessment
  and Student Assessment. The two parts have
  different functions but complement each other to
  help government and schools better know strength
  and weakness of students
• System Assessment Student Assessment
• Centrally coordinated by government Flexibly
  used by schools and teachers
• Mainly conducted with pencil and paper Computer
  aided
• Implemented on specified places and dates Used
  flexibly in conjunction with daily teaching
• Provide school and territory-wide level
  results Provide student level results
• Results provided to schools for internal
  reference Results provided to teachers for daily
  use

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Tips for Parents

• Q What are assessed in System Assessment and
  how the assessment is conducted?
• System Assessment assesses students
  competencies which are required under the
  curriculum of English, Chinese and Mathematics.
  Therefore teachers and students do not have to
  change usual learning and teaching arrangements
  merely for preparing for System Assessment. The
  oral assessment on Chinese and English is usually
  conducted in May on a sample basis, and the
  remaining parts in the three subjects are usually
  assessed in early July in schools.
• Q How the System Assessment results may impact
  on my child?
• System Assessment aims at providing overall
  performance results to schools for the schools to
  improve school plans. The assessment does not
  have any bearing on promotion prospect of
  students.
• Q Is System Assessment related to secondary
  school places allocation?
• System Assessment only provides data for school
  improvement. It is not related to secondary
  school places allocation.

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• Q What should I do if my child does not perform
  well in System Assessment? Will this affect my
  childs progression to the next level?
• System Assessment does not provide results on
  individual students, therefore schools are unable
  to use the System Assessment results to rank
  students or to determine if individual students
  can progress to the next level. The schools will
  know, at an aggregated school level, the overall
  performance of students and their general
  strength and weakness. This will help schools to
  improve.
• QHow should I prepare my child for the System
  Assessment?
• Parents may
•   - Treat the Territory-wide System Assessment
  just like ordinary school tests
• - Encourage their children to try their best in
  the assessment but no need to put pressure on
  them
• - Cooperate and discuss with the schools of
  their children when the schools are making
  arrangement for the children to participate in
  the assessment
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• Q The school of my child has given additional
  exercises to my child for the Territory-wide
  System Assessment, what shall I do?
• There is no need to give additional exercises to
  prepare students merely for the sake of the
  System Assessment. If schools have arranged
  supplementary exercises for students to
  consolidate their learning, such exercises shall
  not affect other learning activities or resting
  time of students, and shall not put too much
  pressure on students. Parents also do not have
  to buy extra exercise books for students.
•   Q Will the results of the Territory-wide
  System Assessment be used to rank schools and
  affect the prospect of my child? How would I
  know the ranking of the school of my child after
  assessment?
• No. The assessment results will be used to
  improve learning and teaching only, not to rank
  schools and are unrelated to students promotion
  or secondary school places allocation. Rankings
  are misleading and do not provide insight into
  how schools may improve to help students
  learning, hence will not be provided. Parents
  may discuss with the schools of their children on
  how the schools will arrange to improve students
  learning after assessment.  
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