Malaysia

Monitoring Student Progress in Mathematics and Science

The primary purpose of examinations in Malaysia is to assess student achievement, which reflects the effectiveness of education programs and teaching methods. Tests and examinations are conducted at both the school and the national levels. At the school level, teachers use a variety of methods to assess student achievement and other aspects of student development.

In 2011, the National Education Assessment System (NEAS) was introduced as a result of efforts to reconceptualize educational assessment. The NEAS comprises Central Examination and School Based Assessment (SBA). School Based Assessment is designed to measure student outcomes holistically, collecting information on student involvement, development, and achievement through four types of assessment:

• School Assessment—Refers to any form of assessment that is planned, developed, conducted, examined, and reported by teachers in school and that involves students, parents, and other individuals. The main focus of school assessment is to ensure student learning is meaningful.
• Central Assessment—Refers to several forms of assessment whose standards, instruments, scoring rubrics, and guidelines are provided by the Examinations Syndicate (ES) but whose administration, marking, and reporting are conducted by schools.
• Psychometric Assessment—Refers to student profiling in terms of psychological traits and innate or acquired abilities related to learning (i.e., general abilities, aptitudes, personalities, strengths, weaknesses, talents, interests, preferences, attitudes, and inclinations). The information from psychometric assessment helps teachers to understand their students, parents to understand their children, and students to understand themselves in order to enhance learning.
• Physical, Sports, and Co-Curricular Activity Assessment—Refers to an assessment of student involvement, participation, and performance in various co-curricular and extracurricular activities at all levels. Extracurricular activities refer to any kind of activities outside the classroom (e.g., physical education, sports, athletics, camps, and games). Co-curricular activities refer to the activities conducted by societies, clubs, or uniform groups, such as Boy Scouts or Girl Guides.

Form 3 Assessment is a Central Assessment, one of the academic components of SBA, carried out at the end of Grade 9. Student performance on the Form 3 Assessment and the School Based Assessment, as well as the information gathered in the Psychometric Assessment, determine the placement of students in academic (arts and sciences), technical and vocational, or religious streams at the upper secondary level (Grades 10 to 11).

At the national level, Malaysia conducts four major national examinations throughout the 13 years of schooling. Two main examination bodies are responsible for conducting national examinations in Malaysia: the Malaysia Examinations Syndicate (ES) and the Malaysian Examinations Council (MEC).

The ES is responsible for administering Central Examinations, which include the Primary School Achievement Test (Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah), taken at the end of Year 6 (Grade 6), the Malaysian Certificate of Education (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia), taken at the end of Year 11 (Grade 11), and the Malaysian Higher Religious Certificate (Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia), which serves as a qualifying examination for degree programs in religious studies at middle eastern and local universities.

The Primary School Achievement Test, administered at the end of Grade 6, assesses student achievement in science, mathematics, English language, and Malay language, with a focus on literacy, writing, numeracy, and reasoning skills. The Malaysian Certificate of Education, administered at the end of Grade 11, assesses student achievement at the end of secondary school. The examination, which is considered to be equivalent to the GCE O-Level examinations,^a provides a basis for admission to courses in higher education. The MEC sets and administers the Malaysian Higher School Certificate (Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia), an internationally recognized preuniversity examination considered to be equivalent to the GCE A-Level examinations^b by most universities.