This week, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said that the current Penilaian Menengah

Rendah (PMR) exam may be replaced by the school-based assessment (PBS) framework. The new policy that will affect the teachers directly is likely to be the key focus in the meeting on the national education blueprint, held with the National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) in the next 2 weeks. The PBS is a process of monitoring, evaluating and implementing plans to address perceived weakness and strengths of the school. It is seen as a catalyst for education reform by policymakers and educators. Since a decade ago, policymakers in Malaysia have challenged the validity of a centralised examination assessment. While the syllabus is likely to be the same across the nation, it is not a good gauge of what students are learning in the classroom and how well they are learning under the current PMR exam. While this means that teachers are naturally expected to contribute more of their time in the designing of the tests and exams, the Deputy Prime Minister is quick to clarify that the PBS methodology must be tweaked in order to add additional burden on the teachers. http://blogs.terrapinn.com/total-learning/2012/11/06/school-based-assessment-key-focusmalaysian-education-blueprint-meeting/ The Interrelationship between Assessment, Teaching and Learning Monday, March 18th, 2013 In both Part A and Part B of the SBA component in the HKDSE English Language curriculum, teaching/learning and assessment are very closely linked. Assessment includes the formal planned moments when students undertake an assessment task. However, it also includes the far more informal, even spontaneous moments when teachers are monitoring student groupwork and notice one student speaking more confidently, or while they are on the MTR and think of a technique to help students improve their speaking skills. Any programme of school-based assessment must incorporate self and peer assessment as well as teacher assessment, as it is only when students understand the assessment criteria and how they are applied to the oral language they produce can they actually take responsibility for their own learning . Thus, the most important component of the assessment cycle is feedback and reporting, as unless

assessment information is communicated clearly to students, it cannot be used effectively to improve learning (or teaching). Thus, as can be seen from Figure 2, in school-based assessment, assessment needs to be continuous and integrated naturally into every stage of the teaching-learning cycle, not just at the end. Unlike most external exams, school-based assessment tasks can be used for formativeas well as summative purposes. Summative assessment refers to more formal planned assessments at the end of a unit or term / year which are used primarily to evaluate student progress and / or grade students. Formative assessment is usually more informal and more frequent, involving the gathering of information about students and their language learning needs while they are still learning. Formative assessment has two key functions: informing and forming. In other words, formative assessment shapes the decisions about what to do next, by helping:

the teacher to select what to teach the next lesson, or even in the next moment in the lesson; and the students to understand what they have learnt and what they need to learn next.

The SBA component makes up 15% of students summative assessment in the HKDSE, but because this assessment is undertaken while students are still learning (and teachers are still teaching), these summative assessments can also be used for formative purposes, that is, to improve learning and teaching. The SBA component can even help students improve their oral skills for the external oral exam, provided the school sets clear and explicit short and long-term goals for oral language development, and not just lots of practice papers. Many still confused over school assessment system HICCUPS: Teachers claim they are still bogged down by menial tasks, says group KUALA LUMPUR: THE School-Based Assessment (PBS) is still experiencing hiccups in its implementation nationwide and has left many confused, says the National Union of the Teaching Profession. Its president, Hashim Adnan, said a meeting that took place between relevant stakeholders yesterday would tweak several issues beleaguering the system. "I have school principals, teachers and parents who do not understand the new system. Parents are also not confident that this system is better than the previous," he said when contacted by the New Straits Times.

He said teachers also complained that the system was not user-friendly. As a result, Hashim said the meeting would focus on a mechanism that allowed better understanding among school staff and parents. "We will be using the media to promote greater understanding among the public about this plan and will announce it as soon as possible." He declined to comment further and said the final decision would be delivered by the Malaysian Examination Board and the Education Ministry. The National Parent-Teacher Association also found the system confusing. Its president, Assoc Prof Datuk Mohamad Ali Hassan, said the system had not alleviated the teachers' administrative duties. "I have received complaints from teachers and they are still bogged down by menial tasks." PBS was introduced in 2011 for all government and government-aided primary schools. Last year, it was implemented for all government and government-aided secondary schools. The programme assessed students based on different evidence markers, like their ability to read or count, and was based on a certain grade or "band", starting from Band One to Band Six. Although Ali welcomed the ministry's focus on the initiatives under the Malaysia Education Blueprint (2013-2025) on Thursday, he said the education system was still exam-oriented. He said the system needed to be "more fun" and advised that teaching methods be revised. "The atmosphere in schools are still dull and students are unable to express their thoughts freely." He said one of the solutions to promote a less-rigid environment was to increase debate sessions and oral communication in classrooms. The Education Ministry said it would focus on four initiatives under the blueprint. They were the implementation of the School Improvement Partners and School Improvement Specialist Coaches programme, assessing 70,000 English teachers through the Cambridge Placement Test, setting up of parent support groups at 10,000 schools nationwide and distribution of E-Guru videos to all schools within the first 100 days of its launch this year. The Concept of School based Assessment. Public examinations have long been the only measurement of students achievement. But inline with the on-going transformation of the national educational system this could be changed. This was hinted by Y.A.B. Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Education Minister, after launching the state level 38th Teachers Day at Dewan Seri Panglima Lee Shen, SM Ken Hwa,

Keningau on 5 June, 2009. A new evaluation method will be introduced to gauge the competence of students by taking into account both academic and extra-curricular achievements. The (present) evaluation is basically based on curriculum-achievements we would like to see a more rounded sort of education achievements among our children. (Daily Express, 6 June 2009) According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Educational Assessment is the process of documenting; usually in measurable terms, knowledge, skills, attitudes and beliefs. Assessment can focus on individual learner, the learning community (class, or other organized unit of learners), the institution, or the education system as a whole. The term assessment is generally used to refer to all activities teachers use to help students learn and to gauge student progress. Assessment is often divided using the following categories:

formative and summative; objective and subjective; referencing (criterion-referenced; norm referenced); informal and formal.

For the purpose of considering the different objectives for assessment practice, it is divided into: 1. Summative assessment: Summative assessment is generally carried out at the end of a course or project. In an education setting, summative assessment are typically used to assign students a course grade. 2. Formative Assessment: Formative assessment is generally carried out throughout a course or project. Formative assessment, also referred to as educative assessment is used to aid learning. In an education setting, formative assessment might be a teacher, or the learner, providing feedback on a students work, and would not necessarily be used for grading purposes. An educational researcher, Robert Stake explains the difference between formative and summative assessment with following anology: When the cook taste s the soup, thats formative. When the guests taste the soup, thats summative. 3. Performance based assessment is similar to summative assessment, as it focusses on achievement. They are commonly associated with standards-based assessment which used free-form responses to standard questions. A well defined task is identified and students are asked to create, produce or do something, often in settings that involve real-world application of knowledge and skills. Proficiency is demonstrated by providing an exended response. Performance formats are further differrentiated into products and performances. The performance may result in a product, such as a painting, portfolio, paper or exhibition, or it may consist of a performance, such as a speech, athletic skill, musical recital, or reading.

4. Internal assessment is set and marked by the school (ie. teachers). Students get the mark and feedback regarding the assessment. External assessment is set by the governing body (Malaysian Examination Syndicate / Majlis Peperiksaan Malaysia) and is marked by nonbiased personnel. With external assessment, students only receive a mark. Therefore, they have no idea how they actually performed (ie what bits they answered correctly). Two characteristics of high quality assessment are those with high level of reliability and validity. Reliability relates to the consistency of an assessment. It is one which consistently achieves the same results with the same (or similar) cohort of students. Various factors which affect reliability including ambiguous questions, too many options within a question paper, vague marking and poorly trained markers. Validity. A valid asessment is one which measures what it is intended to measure. Teachers frequently complain that some examinations do not assess the syllabus upon which the examination is based; they are, actually questioning the validity of the examination. School based Assessment for Malaysia? The then Minister of Education, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin TunHussein, stated that our education system should not be too examination oriented and suggested that The Malaysian Examination Syndicate to look into reducing the examination and to change the examination. A school -based assessment has been suggested (Utusan Malaysia, 22nd. Mac 2009). School-based assessment is a much talked-about concept but was not really understood by different communities parents, stakeholders, students and even teachers. They have different perceptions of what school-based assessment means. This is because Malaysia has been almost having similar mode of examination since independence; teachers assess their students formatively through internal test; whereas the Malaysian Examination Syndicate and the Majlis Peperiksaan Malaysiaconduct the external tests summatively at the end of the year for the whole country. According to the former Malaysia Director of Education, Tan Sri Murad Mohd. Noor, The attitude of too obsess to too many standardized examinations in the national education system are the factors to not being able to achieve maximum level of creativity and innovation. Too many examinations at primary, secondary and university levels cause students to not having time to develop their talents, ability and potentials in an area of interest (Utusan Malaysia, 29th September 2005). Because of the too many examinations, students are made to memorize the would be answers to the examination questions that are likely to be tested. Each student is competing for the maximum numbers of As without justifying the means of getting it. Some school heads even went to the extend of barring their weak students from taking the public examination for fearing that the result of that particular year might drop. What is School based Assessment?

In our Malaysian System of Educations context school-based assessment could be understood as : assessment that is going to take teachers grade as part of students official grade after completing specific school level. There are four schooling levels in Malaysia; and at the end of each level, students are require to sit for : UPSR, PMR, SPM and STPM. The purpose of school-based assessment is to avoid students totally dependent on those high stake examinations alone (for their grade) which created alot of tensions and anxiety among them. The implementation of school-based assessment will imply that school teachers will have to take some of the responsibilities of Malaysian Examination Syndicate / Majlis Peperiksaan Malaysia in conducting external tests/ assessment; that is some of the external test jobs carried out by MES / MPM are to be transfered to become teachers jobs while conducting their internal test. It requires a teacher deliberately gather information (grading) how well each student has achieved stated learning objectives. This means focusing an activity on specific learning objectives and evaluating student achievement of these learning objectives against established criteria. Presently, the major reasons for MES/MPM to solely carry out the high stake test like UPSR, PMR, SPM. and STPM is to ensure the validity and objectivity of the examination of the examination. Once part of the responsibility of conducting external assessment is transferred to teachers, the major issues are: 1. how to maintain scoring objectivity or reliability , and 2. how to ensure the validity of the school based test. Thus, the need of a well-designed school based assessment system conducted by classroom teachers to complement the role of MES who conducts the conventional standardized test. Currently majority of tests administered by MES / MPM are paper-and-pencil type whereby candidates are given written questions for them to respond in a specified time span. This type of test is good for large number of candidates and the scoring objectivity can be easily and systematically maintained. One of the test forms that fit the requirement of a school-based assessment system is performance test. By performance test, we mean a test that needs students to provide genuine response in an assessment domain closest to the intended criteria for the examiner to make inferences. (Popham, 2000). The medium could be through actions or report writing; such as report writing on study of Local Geography at PMR. The examiner will observe the performance and is required to report the judgement about that performance. Thus administering performance test in a big scale is not easy in terms of maintaining scoring objectivity. Nitko (2004) in his keynote address entitled Alternative Assessment for Teaching and Learning at the Second International Conference on Measurement and Evaluation in Education; in Penang stated that alternative assessment to our existing examination system should:

1. presents a hands-on-task requiring students to do something with their knowledge, such as making (a bookshelf), produce a report(on a group project that surveyed parents attitudes), or give demonstration (show how to measure mass on a laboratory scale); 2. a clear rubric for scoring clearly defined criteria to evaluate how well the students achieved this application. A common misconception is that any alternative learning activity used in teaching is also an assessment. Usually, classroom alternative activities lack this scoring rubric component, and thus cannot qualify as assessment. Technology For School-based Assessment. 1. Computer aided assessment is a term that covers all forms of assessment, whether Summative (test that will contribute to formal qualifications) or Formative (test that promote learning but are not part of a course marking), delivered with the help of computer, either online or on a local network, and those that are marked with the aid of computers, such as those using Optical Mark Reading (OMR). One of the most common forms of computer aided assessment (e-learning) is online quizzes or examinations. These can be implemented online, and also marked by computer by putting the answers in. Many Content Management Systems will have easy to setup and use systems for online examination. 2. Since 2000, New Zealand has researched, developed, and deployed a national,computerassisted effective school-based assessment system. Eight major principles for the development of the school based assessment are focused on:

Curriculum alignment; Calibration; Innovative communication; Choice; Low consequences; Local control; Incremental design; Deployment of computer technology.

These principles can be adapted in our country to bring about effective improvements in learning and teaching outcomes. 3. A group of researchers at the School of Educational Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang; developed a performance assessment tool for a school-based assessment system a Computer Environment Diagnostic and Remediation (CEDAR) courseware programme. The programme was developed for 4 subject areas (Mathematics, Science, Bahasa Malaysia,

and English) of Year Six pupils who are sitting for their UPSR examination. Mokhtar et. al (2003) in his paper Diagnosis of pupils Learning Difficulties in Mathematics presented at the Second International Conference on Measurement and Evaluation in Education in Penang, discussed the suitability of the programme for diagnostic purposes to prepare pupils for the UPSR examination. The important feature of CEDAR programme is the pop-up signal and remediation activities. If a students fails an item after three continuous attempts, a pop-up signal will appear on the teachers computer terrminal. On getting the signal, the teacher will go to the pupil concerned and starts talking to that pupil on mistakes that he or she made. After completing the remediation, the teacher will key in a password on the pupils key-board to let the pupil continue with the diagnostic testing programme. Scores obtained by each pupils are recorded and these scores can be cumulated to beome part of school based assessment scores. This Computer Environment Diagnostic and Remediation Courseware programme is one of the many alternative that can make our Malaysian school-based assessment a success. OPEN TO DISCUSSION: New system to be key focus at meeting on national education blueprint, says Muhyiddin KUALA LUMPUR: THE school-based assessment (PBS) is expected to be the key focus of a meeting on the national education blueprint, to be held between the National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) and the Education Ministry within the next two weeks. Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the PBS framework, introduced to replace the Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) exam, may require additional tweaks to ensure that teachers are not unnecessarily burdened. "PBS is a new system and is one of the areas in the blueprint where teachers are directly involved. So, naturally, there are a lot of questions on how the framework will affect them. "Teachers want to know when and how it will work. It will also require them to adapt to some significant changes, such as learning to use the new computerised system," he said after opening the Gathering of Malaysian Teachers here yesterday. Muhyiddin, who is also education minister, said the ministry was always open to discussions on the PBS, which was part of wide reforms outlined in the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025.

With academic achievement overshadowing all other aspects of holistic education in Malaysia, it is time to re-assess our assessment system. AT some point in their schooling life, every student is likely to experience some form of centralised exam. Whether as a form of evaluation, assessment or examination, these paper-based tests are used to ensure that students of the same level have achieved the objectives of the education system they are a part of.

In Malaysia, primary school pupils have the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) at the end of Year Six, while secondary schoolstudents have the Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) at Form Three and the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) or Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia Vokasional (SPMV) at Form Five. Learning should be centred on the students interest and curiosity, rather than mugging for the exams. SHARON OVINIS / TheStar With Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin having recently reminded the public that the Education Ministry is still mulling the possibility of doing away with the UPSR and PMR (see sidebar), the debate for and against these exams has stirred up again. The question StarEducation has posed is: are exams really necessary for learning? Learning is not about exams There is no evidence that Im aware of that shows a positive correlation between exams and learning, says International Medical University (IMU) Psychology head Prof Dr Ray Wilks. Nowadays, we are talking a lot about authentic learning and authentic assessment; that is, assessing life-long learning skills, rather than an end-of-the-year exam, he explains. Learning, he believes, should not be about the passing, or not, of exams. Learning should be about the interest that teachers inculcate into students. Although he has only been in Malaysia for two years, Prof Wilks speaks from his experience as an education psychologist and former primary school teacher in Australia. He says: Its up to teachers and parents to motivate kids to enjoy learning, rather than just learning for exams. His colleague, Faculty of Medicine and Health deputy executive dean Prof Dr Peter Pook, agrees. We should create more curiosity in our childrens learning to nurture creative and innovative people. He adds: Continuous assessment is a more reliable way of looking at the learning process. Prof Wilks shares that the educational assessment system in Australia for primary and secondary schools relies on continuous, school-based assessment. PROF WILKS: Learning should be about the interest that teachers inculcate into students. The type of assessment they have looks at broader education skills, like communication, critical thinking and teamwork, rather than just textbook skills.

Those sort of skills are assessed by teachers and through activities like debates, dramas, analysing issues and project work. He adds that the type of assessment conducted here is consistent with the type of teaching being done. There is an over-emphasis on the academic aspect of childrens education, which is just one part of holistic education. Mother of two Chua Hooi Dean agrees that if there were no public exams, her children would have more time to explore areas like music and the arts, which could help instill creativity in them. Abolishing the UPSR and PMR could even mean more opportunities for parents and children to spend quality time together. Ive always wanted to teach my children to play the piano, but they are tired most of the time after school, she says. One way to reduce emphasis on academic achievement, while still maintaining public exams, is to lower the weightage given to those exams. Father of three Dr Theng L C, who takes that stand, says: Its no harm sitting for an exam. However, if the goal is to make the education system more holistic, there should be more activity-based learning in the school curriculum. When there is less emphasis on exams, he says, teachers would have more time to organise activities such as field trips and excursions, which would allow school children to be in contact with nature and discover new learning opportunities that may not be present in the classroom. Father of four Dr Arzmi Yaacob agrees that public exams should stay, but does not oppose the suggestion of reducing their weightage. Its like a check and balance. PROF POOK: Its not just the assessment system that has to change, but we ourselves have to change as we are the ones driving our kids. The exams will serve as an indicator for students to gauge how well they have done in schools, and will give students positive pressure and motivate them to work hard for what they want, he says. However, Form Three student Esmeralda Noor Mohd Junaizee thinks that school-based assessments are good enough to test students on their knowledge and skills in the subject areas they study in school. There is competition among the students when we undergo school-based assessments, so it will still motivate me to study and work hard, she says.

It would definitely take the pressure off the students if the Government ever decides to abolish the UPSR and PMR, she adds. Form Two student Sally Lim agrees. I would probably feel more relaxed in school, and have more time to pursue my interest in drama and performing arts. However, Id still study hard for school based-assessments and the SPM, she says. Chua shares their opinion. Children will find going to school and learning even more fun when there is no pressure of getting good grades in exams like the UPSR, which many people use to determine if the child is smart or not, says Chua. The bad aspects of exams Picking up her point, Prof Pook says: We need to understand what the UPSR and PMR are doing; they are actually streaming kids into different classes. But in terms of psychology, it is actually bad to label kids like that. Its positive reinforcement for the smart kids smart, as is defined by our assessment system but not for the kids who dont do well. The tools that we are using at the moment are picking up all the rote-learners. Adds Prof Wilks: From a psychological point of view, to label a child of 12 is kind of a life sentence. Experiments show that if you tell a teacher that a child is of a certain achievement level, they will teach to that level. They wont raise their teaching to the next level for that child. Prof Pook says that it is the negative aspects of the examination system that worries educationists like himself and Prof Wilks. Its not just the assessment system and education system that needs to be changed, we also have to change as we are the ones driving our kids. It will take an enormous change; but when the education system changes, the method of assessment will also follow suit, says Prof Wilks. Speaking as a former teacher, I have to say that we do take comfort in having one set of questions to test students on, and also, having that threat of a big exam over our students. But a written exam shouldnt be used as a one-fit-for-all. Some people dont react well under those type of situations.

Different forms of assessments should be used throughout the year, so that all students have an opportunity to show what they have learnt in situations they perform best in. Definition of School-based Assessment School-based assessment (SBA) is an assessment which is embedded in the teaching and learning process. It has a number of important characteristics which distinguish it from other forms of assessment:

It involves the teacher from the beginning to the end: from planning the assessment programme, to identifying and/or developing appropriate assessment tasks right through to making the assessment judgments. It allows for the collection of a number of samples of student performance over a period of time. It can be adapted and modified by the teacher to match the teaching and learning goals of the particular class and students being assessed. It is carried out in ordinary classrooms. It is conducted by the students' own teacher. It involves students more actively in the assessment process, especially if self and/or peer assessment is used in conjunction with teacher assessment. It allows the teacher to give immediate and constructive feedback to students. It stimulates continuous evaluation and adjustment of the teaching and learning programme. It complements other forms of assessment, including external examinations.

Differences between SBA and External Exams Some people are concerned that school-based assessment is neither as reliable nor as fair as traditional end-of-course examinations, which are set and marked by external assessors, but in fact SBA has a number of advantages over external examinations. This is why SBA has been incorporated into the assessment of all subjects in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education.

Table 1: Advantages of SBA compared with External Examinations

Point

Characteristics of SBA

Characteristics of Exams

Scope

Extends the range and diversity of assessment

Narrower range of assessment opportunities: less diverse

Point

Characteristics of SBA

Characteristics of Exams

collection opportunities, task types and assessors Authenticity is the degree to which assessment materials and conditions are able to simulate the natural use of oral langauge. Assessments more likely to be realistic Improves validity through assessing factors that cannot be included in public exam settings Improves reliability by having more than one assessment by a teacher who is familiar with the student; allows for multiple opportunities for assessor reflection / standardisation Fairness is achieved by following commonlyagreed guidelines, processes, outcomes and standards Students can receive constructive feedback immediately after the assessment has finished, hence improving learning Ongoing assessment encourages students to work consistently; and provides important data for evaluation of teaching and assessment

assessment; one exam per year

Authenticity

Removes assessment from teaching and learning; stressful conditions may lead to students not demonstrating real capacities

Validity

Limits validity by limiting scope of assessment

Reliability

Examiners' judgments can be affected by various factors (task difficulty, topic, interest level, tiredness); little opportunity for assessor reflection / review

Fairness

Fairness can only be achieved by treating everyone the same, i.e. setting the same task at the same time for all students

Feedback

Feedback is usually a grade at the end of the course

Positive washback (beneficial influence on teaching and

Examination is summative, and does not directly serve teachingrelated purposes; effects on teaching and learning may be negative; may encourage teaching

Point

Characteristics of SBA

Characteristics of Exams

learning)

practices in general

to the test and a focus on exam technique, rather than outcomes Teachers play little role in assessment of their students and have no opportunity to share their expertise or knowledge of their students. Students have no control over what will be assessed

Teacher and student empowerment

Teachers and students become part of the assessment process; collaboration and sharing of expertise take place within and across schools

Professional development

Builds teacher assessment skills, which can be transferred to other areas of the curriculum

Teachers have little or no feedback on how to improve as teachers

SBA and Assessment for Learning In Hong Kong, as in many education systems around the world, school-based assessment is aligned with and embedded within the broader educational philosophy of assessment for learning. Assessment for learning is any assessment in which the main aim is to enhance students learning. An assessment activity can help learning if it provides information that can be used as feedback by teachers and by students in order to improve the teaching and learning process in which they are engaged. It thus differs from assessment of learning, which is designed primarily to serve the purposes of accountability, ranking, or certification of competence. In Hong Kong the aim is to move the education system from an almost exclusive focus on assessment of learning to one in which all assessments are used creatively and constructively to improve learning and teaching, and school-based assessment is widely utilized as a complement to external exams. Exams themselves are being restructured to better support learning and teaching, to make standards of achievement explicit, and to provide more qualitative information which can provide feedback for learners and teachers. The key characteristics of assessment in an assessment for learning culture have been described as:

being embedded in a view of teaching and learning of which it is an essential part;

involving sharing learning goals with students; aiming to help pupils to know and to recognise the standards they are aiming for; involving students in self-assessment; involving both teacher and students reviewing and reflecting on assessment data; providing feedback which leads to students recognising the next steps in their learning and how to take them; and being underpinned by confidence that every student can improve.

To build a more coherent and stronger assessment for learning culture, all assessments, including traditional summative assessments, need to be reoriented towards improving learning and teaching. This means school-based assessment should be integrated naturally into the normal teaching-learning cycle, and should include a continuous process of reflection, observation and monitoring, recording and reporting, with feedback and self and peer assessment being integral components of all teacher-student interaction. http://www.hkeaa.edu.hk/DocLibrary/SBA/HKDSE/Eng_DVD/sba_definition.html School-Based Assessment System to Address Dropout Problem BANGI, 8 JULY, 2011: Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is confident that dropout problems can be addressed through the implementation of the school-based assessment system, particularly in enhancing the students' reading, writing, arithmetic and reasoning skills. Muhyiddin, who is Education Minister, said the implementation of the system was an important move towards putting in place a systematic assessment of students' abilities. The system is an improvement to the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) examination-based assessment system. It will be implemented from Year 1 and Form One starting next year. "This is in line with the concept that no child will be left behind, similar to those being practised in the United States where standard-based education system is in place and tailored towards continuous learning improvement. Through information collected during the assessment process, teachers and the school will be able to give constructive feedback and take follow-up steps to ensure students are able to work on overcoming their weaknesses," he said when launching a book on the school-based assessment system at Sekolah Kebangsaan Seksyen 7, here today. Muhyiddin also hoped that the system could be one of the instruments for evaluating pupils' accomplishment in other aspects other than academic, such as in sports, co-curriculum and so on. He said new policies introduced by the Education Ministry such as the 1Pupil 1Sport concept would help the school identify and hone the potentials of every individual in various fields. "The individual's efforts and commitment in activities outside the school should also be recognised. Nevertheless, what is more crucial is that we do not want our children to be

intellectually competent but less inclined towards their health, or produce knowledgeable human capital but cared little for self-improvement activities." The deputy prime minister said the Literacy and Numeration (Linus) sub-NKRA was a timely initiative to ensure success in instilling knowledge among the pupils. Muhyiddin said screening tests conducted last year showed 85 per cent of Year One pupils were able to read while 91 per cent performed well in arithmetic. "The government wants illiteracy in the community to be eliminated. My hopes are that 100 per cent of pupils can read, write and count by 2012," he said.
SCHOOL-BASED ASSESSMENT: The 'accent' should be on quality teachers SCHOOL-BASED ASSESSMENT: The 'accent' should be on quality teachers - Letters to the Editor New Straits Times

PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak recently commented about bringing in English teachers from India to raise students' English proficiency. Some comments were made by the public about the accent of Indian English teachers, which Malaysian students may find difficult to understand. The older generation of Indians used to speak English with a heavy accent, but in the last three decades, many improvements have been made, especially in Indian private and missionary schools. The students coming out from these secondary schools are on a par with any in the West or Commonwealth. Just look at the tens of thousands of Indians working in multinationals, tertiary institutions and other sectors in across the world. Look at how India's sportsmen, corporate leaders and film stars speak English. They are the products of India's educational system. Of all the former British colonies, it was only in India and Pakistan where English was truly nurtured, and this explains the large number of people from these two countries who converse well in English. India has a strong pro-English lobby which has defended the use of English in the country, and fought off attempts to reduce the importance of English in India. Since the 1980s, proficiency in English has enabled India to become a powerhouse in information and communications technology and today, most Indians realise the economic value of English. Indian English teachers are highly in demand, especially with the mushrooming of international schools worldwide. These teachers command high salaries.

They place more emphasis on literature, grammar and other linguistic skills and their teaching methods have been found to be effective as proven by the thousands of Indian students who secure places in top universities. Malaysian students will benefit from Indian English teachers, who could prove to be better than native English teachers, whose own accent is a big problem for students, especially in rural areas.

SEPANG: The school-based assessment (SBA), which replaced the exam-oriented teaching methodology, is gaining popularity among teachers, students and parents. Lauding the Education Ministry's efforts to create a more holistic education system, teachers said they had noticed an improvement in their students. SK Taman Putra Perdana teacher Jumilah Ahmad, 41, said her students were more confident and outspoken after being exposed to the Primary School Standard Curriculum (KSSR), which goes hand in hand with the SBA. "Students are not stressed as they do not have to strive for one particular examination. "The assessments are ongoing and they are a part of their daily learning," she said after a media briefing on SBA here yesterday. The Bahasa Malaysia teacher, with 15 years experience, added that the students' improvement in understanding the subject matter also had surprised many parents. "A parent was close to tears when her Year One child wrote essays as her other children were only able to do so in Year Four." She said the modular approach for language subjects to sharpen students' listening, speaking, reading and writing skills also had allowed them to master the subjects more easily. The new system incorporate "language art" in Bahasa Malaysia and English syllabus where they were taught songs, story-telling, poems and acting. SBA was introduced last year for all government and government-aided primary schools, and for all government and government-aided secondary schools this year. The teachers are given guidelines to grade their students according to their performance academically and based on co-curricular activities, as well as their innate and acquired abilities. The programme assesses students based on different evidence markers, like their ability to read or count, and is based on a certain grade or "band", starting from Band One to Band Six. Malaysia Examination Board examination director Dr Na'imah Ishak said SBA had received positive feedback despite a few hiccups.

"Some schools are still not clear about the system and we are conducting continuos assessments and training to ensure that the system is delivered well in all schools," she said.

School Based Assessment One of the things we need to do for school based assessment (PBS - Pentaksiran Berasaskan Sekolah) is to assess students. And the yardstick will be the instruments used to measure their progress. There is a lot more paper work for the teachers for sure. We also have to key in the marks online too. Given that class sizes are still quite big, anywhere between 30 to 45 in many schools, we'll be buried under more administrative and clerical work. Recently I was given a set of 'instruments' to gauge my Form 1 students' mastery. Now these are simple questions like 'What is your name?, How old are you?, Where do you live? and What is your hobby?' My colleague had this look of disbelief on her face when I told her that I did not expect one of my classes to be able to clear those questions to qualify for Band 1. I went into the class and proceeded with the 'measuring'. About 3 could handle 3 of the 4 questions. They tanked at the 'Where do you live?' question. Another 3 could answer 2 questions. The rest simply sank into their own sea of ignorance, with 2-3 students answering 'bola' for the 'What is your hobby?' question. I guess the word 'hobby' saved the day for them since it's also 'hobi' in BM. Interestingly too, all 6 students who could answer either all 4 or 3 questions came from Chinese vernacular schools. And there only 6 Chinese in the class. The rest of the students came from national (kebangsaan) schools. Both sets of students are weak students but one set was able to qualify for Band 1 quite easily. This is the 5th month I'm teaching them. It took me about 2 months to make them sit still in class and another 2 months to finally knock some sense into the really recalcitrant ones that it's better that they do the work given... even if it's just copying the questions into their exercise books. I feel more like a babysitter and sometimes taskmaster when I am in this particular class and 2 other Form 5 classes. This is secondary school and I am supposed to work on the skills that they are supposed to have, like being able to construct sentences, have a certain amount of vocabulary, basically some language skills. Yet all the years they have spent in the classrooms have amounted to almost nothing. But for the Form 1 kids who came from Chinese vernacular schools... (these include the Malay kids who studied there), compliance is high and there is less discipline problem. I think there is something the Chinese schools are doing right.... I am a firm believer that language being a skill is something that everyone can pick up. When a kid has no command at all of a language they are supposed to have been learning for 6 or 11 years, it points to a few things. One, the students have shut their minds. Why they are shut would be an interesting study. Two, language is a skill. If I were to put a Malay baby in a family that speaks Swahili, the kid will grow up speaking Swahili. I started teaching my girl Science in Mandarin this year. I learned Mandarin to do it. I could

read because there was a need for me to master it - for my kid. And so now I can read enough Mandarin to understand the questions. These kids basically don't see the need for English in their lives. And instruction probably has something to do with it too. Add that to the point that they are not academically inclined, the years in school will be wasted. I have 2 other Form 5 classes who are no better than the class above. After spending 11 years in school, most of them can't even talk about themselves in English, let alone read and understand a simple passage. We seem to be coming up with new policies but they have not done much to solve anything. The standard of English has continued to slide. And it's getting worse by the year. As much as fhe authorities will deny, one main problem is the quality of instructor. Less than competent instructors will not be able to produce competent students. And because of that too, PPSMI never had a chance. It was doomed to fail right from the start because the most important component wasn't able to deliver. I think the School Based Assessment can be good for such kids as it might draw our attention away from scoring in exams and allow us to ensure that students are equipped with the necessary skills. Learning might actually become fun. But other factors come into play here too, which might require real political will to overcome. There also doesn't seem to be any urge to look into the plight of these less academically inclined students. Instead of allowing them to languish in an academic environment, we should have more vocational training for them. Skills are what they need to be useful and productive. And that sadly is lacking from our current system. What is the point of PBS when it does not equip these kids for the real world. They go out worse, in fact... worse from the years of negative reinforcement. It's exam time for the other forms now. And my boys from my two Form 5 classes have been spending most of their exam time sleeping. The scenario in my Form 1 class is repeated in these 2 classes. Five years down the road, that's how my Form 1 boys will be like. Teaching loses its meaning for me sometimes because instead if teaching language that I am supposed to be doing, I am spending most of my time dealing with behavioural problems. And this coming from a school standing in the 50th percentile in the national list. It speaks volume of the situation in our nation too. SCHOOL-BASED ASSESSMENT: Band system is tedious THE school-based assessment, or its Malay acronym, PBS, continues to cause much hue and cry in schools. It is understandable. Let me share my observations and inferences. First, the band system makes no substantial or material difference. Under PBS, students' mastery of a subject is assessed and ranked with reference to bands one to six, with one being the lowest and six the highest. How different is this from the A-to-F grade or percentage-score systems? Secondary student will associate Band Six with Grade A and a percentage score of 80 and above.

Students with a Band Six must have "mastered" the subject as much as one who scored a Grade A or a percentage score of 80 and above. If the questions are of standard quality, then only those with a good understanding of the subject can score a Grade A or a percentage score of 80 and above. Second, the band system is a tedious process for a normal school with normal-sized classes. Imagine a class of 35 students. How is a teacher going to "band" each student for every topic taught, for that's what banding is all about, if it is to achieve its effectiveness and efficiency? The teacher has to enter all these data online into System Pengurusan Pentaksiran Berasaskan Sekolah, which is a computer program for the school-based assessment. Teachers are also required and responsible to teach students in different bands differently and take them to Band Six. How can this be done in a 40-minute period or an 80-minute double period of teaching? On the other hand, experienced teachers know the percentage of students in the class who can grasp a topic taught. The percentage varies with the difficulty level of the subject taught. Experienced teachers who know their class well know this at the onset of the lesson or they will detect the level of understanding the class can achieve as the lesson progresses. There is no need to do banding. Teachers know if they have sufficient time with their students. PBS takes away this interaction time from the teachers. To improve efficiency, teachers will gear their teaching approach for the benefit of the majority of the students. That is a practical approach. Third, the idea that every student can be taught to reach Band Six in every subject matter is hypothetical. At lower form and with simpler subject matters, this may be possible within a larger range. But try it with, for example, some Form Four or Five Additional Mathematics or Physics topics, which are difficult for most students. A teacher can tell you that for some topics, some students just cannot grasp the reasoning and rationalisation that are required to build on the topics, least of all to solve problems that require the applications of many ideas. Fourth, if teachers spend sufficient time with students, they can discern the bands their students are in.

Without the banding exercise, teachers can spend more time deliberating on their teaching and improving their professional understanding of the knowledge contents of their subjects. That's the way to improve teacher quality.

School-based assessment will be fair, says Wee KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 31 The Education Ministry today assured that implementation of the School-Based Assessment (PBS) will be fair, especially in placement of students at boarding schools. Deputy Education MinisterDatuk Dr Wee Ka Siong (picture) said the ministry would ensure quality of the students would be maintained while thesyllabus was not tooexamination oriented, despite the PBS replacing the Ujian Penilaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) and Peperiksaan Menengah Rendah (PMR)examinations. Under PBS, the students will be assessed based on four components, namely assessement by the school, central assessment, sports, physical and co-curriculum assssment and psychometric assessment, he said when replying to a supplementary question from Datuk Lilah Yasin (BN-Jempol) at Dewan Rakyat today. Wee added that the the Malaysia Examination Board would also monitor questionaire standards and quality of marking by teachers. Teachers are also required to follow the Standard Performance Documents (DSP) and not just depend on the grades in examinations, he said. Earlier in replying to the original question from Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa (Pas-Parit Buntar), Wee said the newly improved UPSR and PMR examinations which are based on the PBS, would be implemented beginning 2016 and 2014 respectively. He added that assessment would be carried out to see students progress, check on the effectiveness of teaching and learning strategies and schools curricula. SCHOOL-BASED ASSESSMENT: Will it spur healthy competition? THE School-Based Assessment, better known by its Malay acronym PBS (Pentaksiran Berasaskan Sekolah) was introduced last year in all government and government-aided primary schools, and this year in all government and government-aided secondary schools. Thus, the Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) in 2016 and the Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) in 2014 will be revamped to accommodate the transformation. PBS is holistic and assesses the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains, encompassing the intellectual, emotional, spiritual and physical aspects. PBS embraces both academic and non-academic fields. Teachers are given due recognition and have the autonomy to conduct formative assessment during the learning process and also summative assessment at the conclusion of

a learning unit or any other suitable time during the school year at their own discretion, taking into account their pupils' readiness. There are four components in PBS: central assessment, school assessment, assessment of physical, sports and co-curricular activities, and psychometric assessment. Central assessment involves one or more tasks set by the Examinations Syndicate, but administered and graded by teachers, based on scoring rubrics provided by the central body. School assessment is set, administered, graded and reported by the school based on the requirements of the curriculum. Learners' participation and involvement in sports and cocurricular activities are recorded and reported in assessment of physical, sports and cocurricular activities. Thus co-curricular activities also have a bearing on a pupil's achievement. Psychometric assessment is another non-academic component that measures pupils' innate and acquired abilities. There are four main reasons why PBS and its implementation have been introduced. Firstly, PBS is expected to enhance the meaningfulness of assessment where the focus is more on pupils' development and growth in learning rather than merely on their scores or grades. Secondly, PBS is designed to reduce the over-reliance on data (grades and scores) obtained through central examinations in getting information about pupils in the school system. Thirdly, it is anticipated that PBS will empower the school and teachers to conduct quality assessment of pupils. Therefore, school assessment will be given due recognition and a significant place in the overall assessment system; and, Fourthly, PBS ensures that the performance of pupils is comparable to world standards in various areas of knowledge, skills and competence, with the introduction of a standardreferenced assessment. Teachers conduct formative assessment during learning and also summative assessment, which is normally carried out at the conclusion of a learning unit, or at the end of a semester, or at the end of the year. The new system does not constrict the teachers to create test papers or handouts every time they wish to assess a pupil's achievement. Teachers may also carry out creative activities that are fun to gather information about their pupils' progress. Homework, quizzes, question- and-answer sessions and even observations are all examples of activities that teachers could use to assess pupils' development and growth. Thus, in order to help teachers record and report pupils' progress, the Examinations Syndicate has developed the PBS Management System (SPPBS), which is web-based. It is also available as a stand-alone programme for schools that do not have access to the Internet.

PBS concurs with the standard referenced assessment in which pupils' achievements are measured against a performance standard (Standard Prestasi) which is developed by the Examinations Syndicate and mapped from the standard curriculum. Performance standard explains the performance or mastery of a pupil in a particular field within a learning period, based on an identified benchmark. The standard referenced assessment allows teachers as well as parents to trace and measure each pupil's progress based on his performance, measured against a set of performance indicators. Thus, a learner's achievement is no longer measured by comparing his grades/scores with those of his peers. In this manner, a learner only competes with himself. Therefore, a learner's achievement is no longer gauged by his position in class. Instead, his achievement is ranked with reference to bands One to Six; one being the lowest and six the highest. With PBS, learners' achievements are reported with reference to Bands rather than Grades A,B,C etc, or raw scores, for example 85 per cent. Band One shows that a learner "tahu", or knows. For example, in Mathematics, a Year One learner is able to recognise numbers 1, 2, 3, etc. Band Two reflects tahu dan faham, or knows and understands, which in Mathematics refers to the ability to understand the value of numbers; for example, eight is less than nine, four is more than three, etc. Band Three records that a learner tahu, faham dan boleh buat, which shows that he is able to apply knowledge. In Mathematics, Band Three shows that a learner can add, subtract, divide and multiply. A learner who has attained Band Three is considered to have acquired the basic skills pertaining to the subject. A learner who attains Band Four (tahu, faham dan boleh buat dengan beradap) shows the ability to solve an elementary mathematical operation using the correct protocol. A Band Five (tahu, faham dan boleh buat dengan adab terpuji) reflects the learner's ability to solve problems. For example, if a chicken costs RM3, how many chickens can Ali buy with RM9? Finally, a learner who is awarded a Band Six demonstrates the ability to make a value judgment and is creative or innovative in solving mathematical problems. In comparison to the previous grading system, Band Three is equal to a passing grade. Thus, pupils who fail to achieve Band Three will be supported through remedial work to help them achieve a minimum Band Three. PBS makes it possible for teachers to provide immediate feedback to pupils at each stage of the learning curve. The feedback based on the performance standard will enable teachers and pupils to identify their strengths and weaknesses during learning.

Thus, early detection of pupils' inability to master a skill should enable the teachers to formulate remedial tasks to help them improve their learning and achievements. Hence, PBS enables learners to advance at their own pace in a less stressful environment. The main focus of PBS is assessment for and of learning. Assessment should be integrated in the learning process and be used to enhance pupils' mastery of learning. If managed and implemented wisely, teachers would find PBS beneficial and less burdensome. To ensure the smooth sailing of PBS, two applications -- SPPBS (Sistem Pengurusan Pentaksiran Berasakan Sekolah) and PAJSK (Pentaksiran Aktiviti Jasmani, Sukan dan Kokurikulum) -- were developed to ensure teachers are not burdened with clerical duties. The applications store data on learners' achievement which can be retrieved to report learners' strengths and areas where more help is needed to parents and other interested parties. Through PBS, teachers are required to file evidence of pupils' work as proof that the learner has attained the necessary skills to merit the bands they are awarded. It is claimed that the quality assurance for PBS implementation is maintained through the process of mentoring, monitoring, moderation and detection at various levels. I concur with all points highlighted in the recent letter by Liong Kam Chong, "Education: Room for improvement" (NST, Jan 23). No matter how well organised and well planned PBS might appear to be, the evaluation is still too subjective. The schools may differ in the way they grade their students as it is impractical to completely eliminate human biases and prejudices when multiple individuals are involved. The variations of evaluation standards between teachers themselves may also be questioned in the future. The previous mark-based grading system has encouraged pupils to score higher and higher in order to improve their performance in a subject. Indirectly, this has given the opportunity for healthy competition between the students to take place. I doubt that such healthy competition will take place in the vicinity of the new Band-based grading system. The students have less control over their performance as it is predominantly up to teachers to grade the students. The question is, how does this system encourage healthy competition among students to perform better? PBS is still new to parents. The lack of a proper introduction on PBS to parents means they may not be able to play an important role to support the new system. Most of the parents are still in a state of shock after hearing about the abolition of UPSR and PMR examinations. Previously, streaming in Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (science, engineering, social science, arts, etc) was done according to the grades obtained for related subjects in PMR.

However, the streaming system via PBS is still ambiguous. As streaming is important to separate students according to their interests and intellectual capabilities, I feel that their future is in jeopardy. The recent issue regarding the scraping of teaching of Maths and Science in English has left schools in turmoil over deciding which language to use. The ability of PBS to fill the gap left by the previous teaching system is questionable.

Classroom Assessment, Management and Setting Goals Teaching does not happen in a vacuum, and a teacher cannot teach without students. And students, unless forced, would not seek out a teacher, unless they thought there was something that they could gain from that teacher that they could not gain from actions that they could take without using that teacher. Therefore its important to work to achieve a partnership between teacher and students where goals are met. Teaching is not something you can just talk about or plan or study and then have it take place. It must be done and it must be done through interactions with other people. And these interactions should follow a well-thought out procedure.

First, you must assess needs and desires of the students, expectations of both the students and those managing or administrating the course, and then assess time allotted for the course and available classroom and external resources. A good teacher then assesses the possible way these things fit together and makes decisions concerning how he or she can best use the resources available, within the time and administrative framework that exists, to best produce a situation where the students can achieve as many of their desired goals and make as many of their needs met as possible. At this step in the process, the teacher is like a manager or a director or even, if I can allow myself a military metaphor, a commanding officer. He or she must take the responsibility of assessing resources and setting realistic goals to produce the most benefit for those connected with the course, both administrators and students. Of course, he or she should consider consulting with others, as necessary, during this process, but ultimately the teacher must take and show responsibility during this part of the process. Students can be consulted during this part of the process, under special conditions, but usually will not be. There are several reasons why not, prominent being that course design normally takes place prior to recruitment of students. Second, goals and expectations of the course are stated and set forth before the students as soon as possible. This should be done on the first day of the class, perhaps even earlier if realistically feasible, and in the syllabus and through lecture and as often as is necessary. Students should be encouraged to seek out the teacher if they do not understand or agree with the goals and expectations of the course or feel that they do not fit them personally. When that happens the teacher should listen as dispassionately as possible and

address the issue, perhaps by assigning the student extra or alternate assignments to help them meet their own needs, perhaps by referring them to an alternate class, or perhaps, in rare cases, even by modifying the course itself should it become obvious that the course will not meet the needs of the majority of students. In some situations, quite honestly, students will have personal goals for the course that do not fit those of the teacher or administrators. For instance, many students wish to get an A or as high a grade as possible with as little work as possible and have no real concern about learning the course content. I have taught EFL as a required elective and this was the case with a sizable minority of my students. Some students do not value classes but for reasons that are generally outside the teacher's control, take them anyway. In such cases, I feel, it is especially important to make it very clear as to not only what the expectations are, but that they will be enforced. And then, if the sad event should take place that students not meet these expectations, one must say But you were told. Did you not understand? and the pre-stated policies put into place. It is important in such cases that the teacher's expectations and stated goals be kept sensible, logical and non-controversial. (i.e. It is perfectly reasonable to expect class participation and attendance in a class where students are expected to develop their English through classroom practice and conversation practice in the classroom.) If the goals and expectations are clearly stated, and the results of students' efforts to meet those goals uniformly evaluated, then it reduces not only the possibility of charges of favoritism (which has not been a problem for me at Fudan) but requests for favoritism. (which, by contrast, is a constant problem at Fudan.) Although I take no joy in causing students pain or suffering, I have failed several students for not meeting clearly stated expectations (2 out of 117 in my last semester, for instance) and punished others for cheating and acts of plagiarism by lowering their grades after clearly stating I would do so. I wish to say that it is my belief that learning and personal growth often takes place through the enforcement of rules and even through failure. I say this as someone who once failed out of a high level emergency medical technician class I desperately wished to pass. It was the most effective lesson I have ever received in time management in my life, and I have never forgotten it and doubt if I ever will. This failure had a very positive effect in preparing me for graduate school later. Therefore I believe that setting and making clear the goals and expectations of a course, and then enforcing those goals and expectations is a very important part of fair and effective teaching. http://peterhuston.blogspot.com/2012/03/classroom-assessment-management-and.html

Teachers use classroom management to mould the learning environment into a safe, productive and effective place. Classroom management entails all the behaviours a teacher doesconsciously or unconsciouslyto elicit desired behaviours from students. The teacher possesses a repertoire of procedures to ensure optimal learning for all students

(Levin, Nolan, Kerr and Elliot 2005), including assessment procedures that have implications for student motivation, misbehaviour, and the learning process. In the past, classroom management and assessment procedures have been viewed as separate from one another; however, current trends view both as synergistic partners in achieving effective instruction. Gronlund (2003) defines assessment as the various methods used to determine the extent to which students are achieving the intended learning outcomes of instruction (p. 14). The current education system, however, assess*es+ student learning much as we did in 1986, 1966, or 1946, without meaningful reference to what students should demonstrably know and be able to do. (Angelo 1996, 3). Often assessment is not properly designed or appropriately used, often yielding invalid or unreliable results (Gronlund 2003). The effect of poor assessment practices can be devastating to students and can lead to classroom management issues, such as low motivation levels, behavioural problems and frustration. To curb potential classroom management problems that are directly related to assessment procedures, the teacher ought to ensure that the procedures used report valuable and accurate information about student learning. The assessment procedures that are used should have a high correlation to the instruction that is given throughout the term (Stiggins 2004). The assessments and instruction ought to be directly linked to the intended learner outcomes (Angelo 1996; Gronlund 2003; Rust 2002; Stiggins 2004), and those outcomes should be taken directly from the outcomes provided by Alberta Learning (2000). In addition to being properly linked to instruction and objective and measurable outcomes, the assessment results must be valid and reliable (Gronlund 2003). If the assessment is not testing what it is intended to test, and not providing an accurate reflection of student learning and performance, there is no point in conducting assessments because they dont show what the student actually knows and can do. Finally, it is imperative that students be provided with a supportive learning environment that makes it possible for them to achieve the intended outcomes. Formative and summative assessments should be balanced in this learning environment (McMillan 1997) to provide the student with initial feedback that is directed at improving student learning, followed by final feedback about the end results of the formative learning process (Gronlund 2003). The Need for Correlation between Instruction and Assessment Good teaching systems align teaching method and assessment to the learning activities stated in the objectives so that all aspects of this system support student learning (Biggs 1999, 11). It is critical when considering the use of assessment as a classroom management tool that instruction and assessment be aligned, because if you dont know where youre going, you may end up somewhere else. The potential problem is accentuated if that somewhere else turns out to be undesirable and counterproductive to the effective learning and social development of learners (Martin, Sugarman and McNamara 2000). To avoid improperly linking instruction and assessment, Biggs (1999) suggests that the courses design follow a three-stage model:

1. Identify clear learning outcomes. 2. Design appropriate assessment tasks that directly assess whether each learning outcome has been met. 3. Design appropriate learning opportunities to get students to the point where they can successfully undertake the assessment tasks. I have witnessed both productive and counterproductive linking of instruction and assessment, as well as students frustration when they are assessed on criteria that were not explicit. I have also seen the reduced motivation to study for exams or take part in learning activities when students realize they are not tested on half of what they are instructed on. This frustration is often emotionally disruptive to students, and students can react by trying to change the assessment, or if that fails, withdrawing from the learning environment. For example, during my one-week observation for the IPT placement, I saw a student become frustrated when the teacher refused to tell him what the intended outcome was for the class essay assignment. The student asked a specific question about which direction his paper should take, but the teacher supplied only vague instructions. It was clear that he did not actually understand what he was going to be assessed on. In the end, he failed to meet the criteria, and his frustration led to an emotional outburst toward the teacher. The student felt unfairly treated because he had not received specific instruction about which skills he was expected to demonstrate. Conversely, I have also observed teachers communicate the intended outcomes, methods of assessment, planned instructional techniques and purpose of learning activities directly to students before and during the completion of an assignment or instructional unit. In these cases, students are usually able to make a whole-hearted attempt to achieve the intended outcomes. In one situation that I observed during my IPT observation week, when a student failed to meet the acceptable standard for the outcomes, her reaction was to identify what went wrong and what could be improved; she did not withdraw out of frustration. In this case, the students intrinsic motivation to learn from her mistakes was heightened by an appropriate assessment procedure and expected outcomes that were properly linked to instruction and assessment. Instead of causing a classroom management issue, this approach to linking instruction and assessment, and communicating the same to the student, actually fostered positive results that encouraged further learning. In my approach to assessment, I link outcomes, instruction and assessmentthis link is the foundation for a sound assessment system. In addition to building a sound system based on empirical research, I also ensure that students need to receive as much communication about the correlation as possible. By telling students what the outcomes are, how their achievement of the outcomes will be assessed and how they can achieve the outcomes, I believe that students are set up for success, otherwise they will fail. Good assessment promotes learning and decreases classroom management issues. The Need for Validity and Reliability

Two of the most important characteristics of a well-designed assessment procedure are validity and reliability (Gronlund 2003, 23). Validity refers to the degree to which the assessment tool measures what it is supposed to measure, while reliability refers to how consistently the assessment yields the same results. When results are not valid or reliable, teachers find it difficult to provide students with relevant and appropriate feedback. If the results are not communicated effectively, they may be misused or not used (Gronlund 2003, 12). When results are misused or not used because they are inaccurate, student learning may be affected by inappropriate instructional practices, inappropriate learner outcomes or inappropriate student placement. When teachers do not know what students know, they, teachers, find it difficult to practice effective instruction, and may teach skills that are either too easy or too difficult for the student. The teacher may also select intended learner outcomes that have already been attained by the student, or that are unattainable. Doing these will complicate placement and lead to a student being placed in an inappropriate class, which will lead to frustration and decreased motivation. I have experienced the negative effects of invalid or unreliable test results mostly as a student. I have not observed assessments during my IPT practicum, so I will comment on the use of invalid and unreliable results from a students perspective. As a student, I sometimes felt frustrated when test results were invalid. For example, I once took an exam that tested a basic level of understanding of a given topic. Because I had taken a number of courses on the topic and have a deep understanding of the concepts involved, I wrote the exam with a profound level of interpretation of the questions. However, the exam had multiple correct answers. When the test results came back, I ended up scoring lower than some students who had only a vague understanding of the material. After discussing the rationale for my answers with the professor, she suspected that I had in fact demonstrated a much more detailed understanding of the topic. She added that it was unfortunate that the test wasnt long answer (instead of multiple choice), because I would have been more fairly graded, but since my answers were keyed according to an introductory level of knowledge, I was penalized. In my teaching practice, I plan to create assessments that yield reliable and valid results. I see no logic in using assessment if it does not provide valid conclusions that will further guide and improve learning. The whole basis for conducting assessment is lost if the results are unreliable. To ensure that I am creating and properly using valid and reliable assessments, I will first ensure that the assessment is aligned with instruction and outcomes. There is no point in assessing something that has not been taught or is not part of the objectives for the learning activity. Second, I will conduct an R2D2 item analysis (Armstrong 2005) of assessment tools used to establish what levels of relevance, representativeness, difficulty and discrimination are present. This analysis uses mathematical equations to determine the validity and reliability of individual written test questions, entire written tests, as well as the validity and reliability of more abstract assessment procedures such as performance assessments. I believe that by using tools to ensure the validity and reliability of my assessments, I will be

better able to measure student learning and encourage learning. Proper measurements and interpretations of assessment will lead to reduced classroom management issues, because students will be exposed to fewer negative impacts related to improper assessment techniques. Types of Assessment The major purposes of assessment are often described as assessment for learning (diagnostic and formative) and assessment of learning (summative). Both kinds of assessment play an important role in a balanced assessment program (Alberta Assessment Consortium 2005). Formative assessment monitor*s+ student progress during instruction (Gronlund 2003, 6). It places high emphasis on measuring all of the intended outcomes of the unit of instruction using the results to improve learning (rather than to assign grades) (Gronlund 2003, 6). The purpose of formative assessment is to guide the student through the learning process while constantly checking for understanding and adapting instruction to benefit the learner as much as possible. Summative assessment is done at the end of instruction for the purpose of certifying mastery or assigning grades and is concerned primarily with the extent to which the students have achieved the intended outcomes of the instruction (Gronlund 2003, 8). However, summative assessment is not the end of the process. Although this summative assessment is a final judgment for that particular [segment of the learning process], it is also the beginning of a new cycle of diagnostic and formative assessment; the [student] will self-assess, and with the assistance of his or her [teacher], set new goals for [learning] to improve performance [during] the next [segment of the learning process]. (Alberta Assessment Consortium 2005) Through my own teaching experience, I have seen the positive effects of formative assessment on learning. When formative assessment is used, student engagement in learning usually increases. The student is able to find supports within the learning environment, and this increases his or her motivation to achieve. Formative assessment provides checks and balances throughout the learning process that help the teacher to adapt instruction, processes and products according to student strengths and needs, and by doing so, the teacher ensures that the student is appropriately challenged. This leads to increased student motivation and positive attitudes about learning. I believe that by increasing motivation and promoting positive attitudes about learning, students will be more likely to engage in productive behaviours and less likely to disengage from the learning environment. By employing a balanced approach to assessment, teachers can teach in a supportive learning environment that enhances overall classroom management while reporting student learning. A Balanced Assessment System, Classroom Management and Student Learning If teachers assess accurately and use the results effectively, then students prosper. If they do it poorly, student learning suffers (Stiggins 2004). When student learning suffers, there is

no question that classroom management practices are affected. Improper assessment techniques, including inconsistent connections between instruction and assessment, invalid or unreliable interpretations of assessment results, or a learning environment that fails to provide appropriate and supportive assessment procedures, undoubtedly lead to decreased student learning (Gronlund 2003; Stiggins 2004). Students become frustrated and unmotivated, and are unable to see the connection between their behaviour and their achievement (Guskey 2004; Rust 2002). The result is a decrease in the students intrinsic motivation to take part in the learning process, often leading to off-task and disruptive behaviours and even complete disengagement from the learning activity (Levin, et. al. 2005). The implications of creating a personal teaching philosophy that encompasses a balanced assessment system goes beyond the contributions it makes toward classroom management. Sound assessment procedures ensure that the underlying goal of classroom management student learningis facilitated. Valid and reliable assessment provides a basis for effective teaching, which is further reinforced by the creation of a supportive learning environment through the use of formative and summative assessment practices. In this system, the student becomes the central focus of everything that is done in the classroom; classroom management and assessment are redefined with the student in mind. In my approach to classroom management, I intend to use a proper assessment system as an integral part of the foundation of classroom management. I believe that empirical research and my personal observations support the idea that setting students up for success from the start will increase student learning and result in fewer off-task behaviours. I believe teachers can ensure successful assessment procedures through linking assessment to instruction and intended outcomes; ensuring that assessments yield valid and reliable results that further student learning; and creating a supportive learning environment through the use of balanced formative and summative assessments. Each of these aspects of assessment works to ensure that students have information about what is expected, how they can succeed and what their current level of performance is. This prepares students to take part in learning, and allows students to identify goals and to achieve them. http://www.teachers.ab.ca/Publications/ATA%20Magazine/Volume%2087/Number%202/Ar ticles/Pages/Assessment%20%20A%20Personal%20Classroom%20Management%20Approac h.aspx