Monitoring Student Progress in Mathematics and Science
The EDB recommends the use of diverse assessment methods for collecting information on student learning, and that assessments should be ongoing and both formative and summative. The Basic Education Curriculum Guide: Building on Strengths (Primary 1 to Secondary 3) advises schools to design and develop a whole-school policy on assessment to promote learning for every student and on how different modes of assessment are to be used appropriately to yield a more comprehensive understanding of student learning in various aspects. The guide advises that assessments be used to inform and provide quality feedback to students to enhance student learning. The guide focuses on why students do not learn well and how to help them improve.49
Common assessment activities in mathematics include the following: classroom discussion and oral presentations; observation of student performance in class; classwork, homework, and project work; and short quizzes, tests, and examinations.50 Similar assessment activities are used to monitor student progress in science, including paper and pencil tests, written assignments, oral questioning, observation, practical assessment, project work, and portfolios.51 Nevertheless, tests and examinations are still the most widely used means of student assessment in mathematics and science to inform teachers.
In addition to assessment at the school level, the TSA is an assessment administered at the territory level. It facilitates assessment of learning by providing schools with objective data on student performance in Chinese language, English language, and mathematics, but not science, at the end of Grades 3, 6, and 9 (i.e., Key Stages 1 to 3—Primary 3, Primary 6, and Secondary 3). TSA and school reports provide information on student strengths and weaknesses against specific basic student competencies in relation to learning targets and objectives set out in the curriculum for each key stage. The reports help schools and teachers to enhance their plans for teaching and learning.52