Differences between SBA and external exams School-based assessment (SBA) is 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 identif ing and!or developing appropriate assessment tas"s right through to ma"ing the assessment #udgments. It allows for the collection of a number of samples of student performance over a period of time. It can be adapted and modified b the teacher to match the teaching and learning goals of the particular class and students being assessed. It is carried out in ordinar classrooms, not a special e$amination hall. It is conducted b the students% own teacher, not a stranger. It involves students more activel in the assessment process, especiall if self and!or peer assessment is used in con#unction with teacher assessment. It allows the teacher to give immediate and constructive feedbac" to students. It stimulates continuous evaluation and ad#ustment of the teaching and learning programme. It complements other forms of assessment, including e$ternal e$aminations.

To view Dr Peter Hill, Secretary General of the HKEAA, tal in! abo"t school#based assessment bein! introd"ced into Hon! Kon! schools$

Some people are concerned that school-based assessment is not as reliable or as fair as traditional end-ofcourse e$aminations which are set and mar"ed b e$ternal assessors, but in fact SBA has a number of advantages over e$ternal e$aminations. &able ' below summarises some of the advantages of SBA compared with e$ternal e$aminations.

Table %& Advanta!es of SBA com'ared with external examinations Point Scope (haracteristics of SBA ($tends the range and diversit of assessment collection opportunities, tas" t pes and assessors Assessment done b students% own teacher* less possibilit of cheating as teacher "nows student capabilities* (haracteristics of Exams )uch narrower range of assessment opportunities: less diverse assessment* one e$am per ear +emoves assessment entirel from teaching and learning* stressful conditions ma lead to students not demonstrating

Authenticit

assessments more li"el to be realistic ,alidit Improves validit through assessing factors that cannot be included in public e$am settings Improves reliabilit b having more than one assessment b a teacher who is familiar with the student* allows for multiple opportunities for assessor reflection!standardisation .airness is achieved b following commonl -agreed processes, outcomes and standards* teacher assumptions about students and their oral language levels is made e$plicit through collaborative sharing and discussion with other teachers Students can receive constructive feedbac" immediatel after the assessment has finished, hence improving learning 0ngoing assessment encourages students to wor" consistentl * provides important data for evaluation of teaching and assessment practices in general

real capacities -imits validit b limiting scope of assessment, e.g. difficult to assess interaction s"ills in e$am environment (ven with double mar"ing, e$aminers% #udgments can be affected b various factors (tas" difficult , topic, interest level, tiredness, etc)* little opportunit for assessor reflection ! review .airness can onl be achieved b treating ever one the same, i.e. setting the same tas" at the same time for all students.

+eliabilit

.airness

.eedbac"

&he onl feedbac" is usuall a grade at the end of the course* no opportunities for interaction with assessor* no chance to as" how to improve ($amination is purel summative, and does not serve an teaching-related purpose* effects on teaching and learning ma even be negative* ma encourage teaching to the test and a focus on e$am techni1ue, rather than outcomes. &eachers pla little to no role in assessment of their students and have no opportunit to share their e$pertise or "nowledge of their students* students treated as numbers &eachers have no opportunit to build their assessment s"ills* get little or no feedbac" on how to improve as teachers

/ositive washbac" (beneficial influence on teaching and learning)

&eacher and student empowerment

&eachers and students become part of the assessment process* collaboration and sharing of e$pertise ta"e place within and across schools Builds teacher assessment s"ills, which can be transferred to other areas of the curriculum

/rofessional development

School-based Assessment
)nternational 'ractice in school#based assessment &he international trend in assessment in schools is towards school-based assessment, with man places li"e 2ong 3ong introducing a school-based assessment component into the formal e$amination s stem, or even dropping e$ternal e$aminations all together. Some e$amples of current international practice include:

A"stralia

School-based assessment has been established practice in Australia for over twent ears, with states li"e ,ictoria including up to 456 or more school-based assessment in its final e$amination programme,http:!!www.vcaa.vic.edu.au!vce!studies!english!(nglishAS).doc. In 7ueensland where SBA was introduced in the '895s (Sadler '8:9) SBA is used for '556 of mar"s in secondar

schools,http:!!www.1sa.1ld.edu.au! rs'';'<!assessment!sch-base.html. &he Australian =apital &erritor (A=&) also uses onl school-based assessment for senior secondar level, http:!!www.decs.act.gov.au!bsss!assessm.htm

*ew +ealand

>ew ?ealand also has a long histor of school-based assessment in the senior secondar school,http:!!www.n@1a.govt.n@!ncea!acrp!secondar !4!4.html, and has developed a wide variet of teacher support material and associated research studies,http:!!arb.n@cer.org.n@!n@cerA!research!research.htm

En!land

In (ngland, school-based assessment has also been developing for a long time. &he Assessment +eform Broup (see Appendi$ I: Cseful reading and web resources on assessment), http:!!arg.educ.cam.ac.u"!=I(A.pdf led b /aul Blac" and D lan Eiliam of 3ing%s =ollege -ondon, has been a powerful influence for assessment for learning, with their wor" being widel promoted b the 2ong 3ong (ducation and )anpower Bureau.

Scotland

In Scotland similar wor" is being conducted b the Scottish Assessment is for Learning (AIf-) group, http:!!www.ltscotland.org.u"!assess!inde$.asp. &heir pro#ect %Assessment is for -earning% is being supported b the )inistr of (ducation in Scotland and again has involved man classrooms.

(anada

School-based assessment has been the standard mode of assessment in =anadian schools for man ears with teachers ta"ing responsibilit for all assessment processes and #udgments at the school-level, although there is concern about use of e$ternall -developed tests in this process,http:!!www.cdnprincipals.org!=A/ 6<5/osition6<5on6<5Student6<5&esting-,ersion'.doc

Africa

School-based assessment is also increasingl seen as a valuable tool for South Africa, http:!!www.polit .org.@a!html!govdocs!polic !assessment.html, and other southern African nations such as Bhana and ?ambia (=hisholm et al <555* /r or F -ubisi <55<* /r or F A"wesi '88:).

ssessment, teaching and learning: From principles to practice

The interrelationshi' between assessment, teachin! and learnin!

In the SBA component, the teaching!learning and assessment aspects are ver closel lin"ed. As can be seen from .igure < below, in the school-based assessment component assessment is continuous, integrated naturall into ever stage of the teaching-learning c cle, not #ust at the end. Assessment includes the formal planned moments when students underta"e an assessment task. 2owever, it also includes the far more informal, even spontaneous moments when ou are monitoring student groupwor" and notice one student spea"ing more confidentl , or while ou are on the )&+ and ou thin" of a techni1ue to help students improve their spea"ing s"ills. School-based assessment can also easil incorporate self and peer assessment as well as teacher assessment. &he assessment c cle also includes feedback and reporting.

To view Prof ,i- Ham'#,yons tal in! abo"t the interrelationshi' between assessment, teachin! and learnin! in SBA$

Cnli"e most e$ternal e$ams, school-based assessment tas"s can be used for formative as well as summative purposes. Summative assessment refers to those more formal planned assessments at the end of a unit or term! ear which are used primaril to evaluate student progress and!or grade students. .ormative assessment is usuall more informal and more fre1uent, involving the gathering of information about students and their language learning needs while the are still learning. .ormative assessment has two "e functions: informing and forming. In other words, formative assessment shapes the decisions about what to do ne$t, b helping

the teacher to select what to teach the ne$t lesson, or even in the ne$t moment in the lesson* the students to understand what the have learnt and what the need to learn ne$t.

To view Prof Dylan .iliam tal in! abo"t formative assessment and the difference between formative and contin"o"s assessment$

&he SBA component is used for '46 of the students% summative assessment in the 23=((, but because this assessment is underta"en 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.

To view Prof Dylan .iliam tal in! abo"t the way s"mmative assessments can be "sed formatively$

To view /r (hi#han! ,ee tal in! abo"t how to "se SBA activities for formative '"r'oses$

&he SBA component can even help the students improve their oral s"ills for the e$ternal oral e$am, provided the school sets clear and e$plicit short and long-term goals for oral language development, not #ust lots of Gpractice papersG.

Settin! clear and ex'licit short and lon!#term !oals &here is considerable planning re1uired to develop an effective programme for school-based assessment before an teaching can begin, including deciding on

the overall goals of the programme the selection of texts the teaching and learning activities needed the selection and!or design of the assessment tas"s the role of the students in the assessment process the feedback processes to be implemented

Before the can ma"e these decisions, teachers need to "now the strengths and wea"nesses of their students. &eachers could loo" at the assessment criteria and reflect on what descriptors best match their students% current oral language level. &he ma even want to do some informal diagnostic assessment. Ideall there should be some discussion with the teacher(s) who taught the students last ear. As schools build up their SBA assessment records, this will also be a valuable resource of information about students%

achievements.

&he long-term goals of the SBA component are to improve oral language proficienc and promote e$tensive reading. Short-term goals ma include:

-anguage enhancement goals eg. improving stress and intonation, e$tending vocabular range, developing more accurate pronunciation, building note-ta"ing s"ills -earning how to learn goals eg. developing self-assessment s"ills, helping students set achievable language learning goals, demonstrating how to record progress, encouraging independent reading choices Social!affective goals eg. demonstrating cooperative learning, developing student confidence and self-esteem =ognitive!general "nowledge goals eg. e$tending "nowledge of the world, deepening understanding of particular topics, developing student insights in human emotions

-oo" bac" at the assessment criteria. >ote how some of these short-term goals (but not all) are reflected in the descriptors. G&eaching to the testG would lead to the loss of man valuable opportunities to use the SBA component to develop other important aspects of the (nglish language and broader school curriculum. )nte!ratin! SBA into the c"rric"l"m &he SBA component is '46 of the summative assessment for 23=(( and valuable preparation for students for the e$ternal 23=( e$amination, especiall the reading and spea"ing papers. 2owever, it also supports classroom teaching and learning. &he SBA process should be lin"ed to and be a logical outcome of the normal teaching programme, as teaching, learning and assessment should be complementar parts of the whole educational e$perience (i.e. the SBA component is not a separate one-off activit that can be timetabled or prepared for as if it were a discrete element of the s llabus).

To view Dr (hris Davison tal in! abo"t inte!ratin! SBA into the c"rric"l"m$

Ehen the SBA is full integrated into the (nglish curriculum, teaching c cles or units of wor" ma include SBA-t pe tas"s and moc" assessments regularl . &he SBA tas" can also be integrated into reading or writing lessons. &his enables teachers to see how students use their oral language s"ills in different conte$ts, and shows teachers what each of their students can do.

To view a !ro"' of teachers describin! how SBA needs to be incor'orated into the re!"lar En!lish 'ro!ramme$

To view /rs (hristina ,ee tal in! abo"t how to inte!rate SBA into the teachin! of the fo"r s ills$

0emember&

It is important to balance preparing students to be able to do SBA and ma"ing sure students are taught all the other aspects of the curriculum too. Plannin! effective teachin! 1 learnin! activities At the beginning of each ear it is useful to draw up a schedule of proposed teaching, learning and assessment activities H including plans for when the school-based assessments will be held, with which students, and over what period, but also what needs to be taught and how. &hese schedules ma differ from school to school, or even from class to class.

Exam'le& Teachin!, learnin! and assessment sched"le, 2orm 3 Before school starts

Term %

Term 4

Term 5

/ay1 6"ne

School sets up '. &eacher uses short e$tensive class reader to reading model use of programme, logboo"s and bu s range of e$tensive reading suitable te$ts s"ills

'. Students grouped '. &eacher gives feedbac" Eithininto reading circles to groups with school (I-4 students per common areas needing standardte$t) and support improvement e.g. isation each other intonation, meeting reading!viewing first communication te$t strategies, etc.

<. &eacher highlights effective <. Students in same <. Students divide into communication group discuss things five groups according strategies b the li"e !don%t li"e to interest and go to showing students% about te$t (audiosee a film sample clips of good taped b students) and not so good spea"ing A. Students regrouped assessments (from A. Students review with 4-J students who introductor D,D) their discussion and have all seen different and as"ing students do self!peer films. &he have to to discuss and assessment using decide which film wins evaluate them using modified the class GAcadem assessment criteria assessment criteria AwardG

A. &eacher conducts I. &eacher listens to specific activities on sample of using!improving assessments and intonation, gives whole-class dictionar and notefeedbac" on "e ta"ing s"ills areas for improvement I. Students choose first te$t

I. Students tape each other, do peer assessments and as"!answer 1uestions freel

4. &eachers assesses each group over a 4. &eacher reviews wee", while other how to describe and groups are doing compare!contrast in related reading and writing and orall writing tas"s e.g. an imaginative essa or letter to a friend about J. &eacher groups their night at the students into threes, Academ Awards all have read differentte$ts, teacher as"s them J. .eedbac" on find three most assessment through significant whole class similarities and discussion!reviewing of differences between e$cerpts their te$ts 9. Students audio or video tape their discussion :. &eachers assesses each group over a wee", while other groups are doing related reading and writing tas"s e.g. an investigative pro#ect on comparing two cities in Asia

To view /r 0ic y ,am tal in! abo"t the 'rocess of 'lannin! for teachin! and learnin!$

It is important that the teacher consider what needs to be taught to students based on both a needs analysis, that is, an assessment of students% current language levels and learning needs, and a means analysis, that is, an assessment of what resources, including time, and materials, will be needed to implement the programme. &eaching what is re1uired to be assessed is obviousl essential. 0ne boo" that will interest most students can be used as a class reader to introduce the range of s"ills re1uired for successful e$tensive reading and spea"ing and to model various SBA-li"e activities.

Exam'le& Teachin!1learnin! activities "sin! a class reader

St -ouis, a bo s onl ()I school, used Animal Farm as a class reader to get students interested in reading and practising various oral activities. Students were first as"ed to read the boo" at home and #ot down their responses in a reading log. &he were then given opportunities to spea" in front of the class on a simple and familiar topic in order to develop their confidence and provide opportunities for formative assessment .

&o view a document on suggested activities for using films and documentaries b the (ducation and )anpower Bureau.
Selectin! a''ro'riate assessment tas s &he process of selecting appropriate assessment tas"s should be underta"en collaborativel , ta"ing into account students% bac"grounds, interest and s"ills as well as the school%s available resources.

0ne of the e$citing aspects of school-based assessment is the opportunities it gives to teachers to develop their own assessment tas"s to suit their own teaching goals and their students% needs. It is li"el that the same tas" would not wor" e1uall well with students of different abilities. SBA lets teachers modif tas"s and design new ones that will wor" for them and their class - whether the prefer something more traditional or are "een to e$periment with new ideas and techni1ues.

To view Dr (hris Davison tal in! abo"t how st"dents can "se a ran!e of assessment tas s$

Brouping arrangements are a particularl important consideration. Initiall it ma be easiest for students and teachers to put students into friendship groupings.

To view st"dents tal in! abo"t the val"e of doin! !ro"' activities with friends$

2owever, teachers should also e$periment. Diversit can be a resource, not a problem. 2aving students with different levels of oral language s"ills in the same class can create an authentic information gap or need to communicate. 2ighl structured assessment tas"s, including #igsaw activities which re1uire the transfer of information, are better for such groupings than more open-ended tas"s which re1uire students to discuss or share ideas without a clear focus.

To view teachers tal in! abo"t how st"dents chose their assessment tas s and how st"dents were !ro"'ed$

&hree of the most popular assessment tas"s amongst 2ong 3ong teachers and students include:
*ew *ei!hbo"rs

'.

As" students to thin" of an interesting character from a stor !class reader that ou have taught recentl . As" them to imagine that one of the characters in the stor has moved in ne$t door to them. As" them to thin" about what life is li"e with such a neighbour. 2old a discussion with the students and write down what "ind of information the should cover if the were as"ed to describe an imaginar da the spent with the new neighbour. &he information ma include one or more of the following: a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) i) >ame and gender of the neighbour Ehat does he!she loo" li"eK 2ow does he!she dress at homeK Ehat is his!her personalit K 2ow does he!she treat his!her famil or people around him!herK Ehat is!are the ma#or event(s) in the stor that our character ta"es part inK Do ou li"e this new neighbourK Eh ! Eh notK 2ow did ou spend our da with this new neighbourK Ehat did ou doK Ehat did ou learn from this new neighbourK

<. A. I.

4. J. 9. :. 8.

.or homewor", as" each student to write a description of an imaginar da he!she spent with Gthe new neighbourG. +emind them to draw references from the boo". &he can%t turn their new neighbour into a wonderful person, if the descriptions from the boo" prove otherwise. In the ne$t lesson, as" students to share what the wrote in small groups. As" students to nominate the most interesting presentation among their group members.

'5. Invite a student from each group to share their presentation with the whole class.

(hoosin! a !ift for a character

'. <.

Bive a 1uic" summar of the stor and highlight the character ou have in mind. &ell students that the need to thin" of a gift for the character to help solve his!her problems, change his!her attitudes, improve his!her life conditions, etc. Show students a short segment of the filmL or read a short passage about the character. Divide the students into groups of A-I. As" each of them to thin" of a gift for the character and

A.

e$plain their choices with reference to the information the #ust read or viewed. (ncourage students to as" for clarification, show agreement and disagreement during their discussion. &hen select the best gift for the character as a group. I. Invite students from each group to describe their gift and e$plain their choice. 0n the da of the performance, students can conduct peer evaluations using the guidelines and evaluation form provided with the tas" description. 0n the da of the performance, students can conduct peer evaluations using the guidelines and evaluation form provided with the tas" description.

4.

*Please refer to the appendix of the recommended texts "Notes on copyright and end-user agreement"

A boo 1film 'romotion

'.

&ell students that the have to prepare a boo"!film promotion for a boo"!film the have read!viewed recentl . &he length of the promotion (at least < -A minutes) will depend on the proficienc levels of the students. Distribute the hand-out and discuss it with the students. +emind students that it is important to have good e e contact, posture, voice, diction, bod language, intonation, etc. when the are spea"ing to a group of people. Show them sample presentations if possible. 0n the da of the performance, students can conduct peer evaluations using the guidelines and evaluation form as reference. A brief 7FA session ma be held after each presentation.

<. A.

I. 4. J.

2old a class discussion on how to improve presentation s"ills and how to prepare for the SBA assessment. Enhancin! st"dent involvement Student involvement and responsibilit for learning is a "e element of school-based assessment. Student involvement can be enhanced in a number of wa s, in particular through activities which develop students% s"ills in ongoing self-monitoring and reflection, more structured self assessment and peer assessment.

To view Prof Dylan .iliam tal in! abo"t the critical role of self and 'eer assessment$

To view Dr (hris Davison tal in! abo"t how to incor'orate self#and 'eer assessment into SBA activities$

Students should be encouraged to "eep copies of the records of their own assessments and regularl review their progress to monitor and evaluate their own strengths and to identif areas for improvement. Students can "eep their assessments on their own audiocassette or )/A pla er, or on a =D-+0), or even a D,D. &he can also include an practice SBA wor" (including an practice or %moc"% SBA tas"s the do outside class, for e$ample with a group of friends). &hese personal spea"ing samples can be used for students to listen to!watch b themselves and underta"e some self-evaluation. &he can also be used with classmates, b ta"ing turns to show!pla their own oral language samples and inviting classmates to give comments on their performance in the "e domains of pronunciation, deliver , communication strategies, vocabular , language correctness and variet , ideas and organisation. .or students, this is important because it is necessar to be familiar with what the are striving to accomplish in order to earn the highest score the can. A good wa to achieve this familiarit is through peer assessment of the moc" SBA activities, where students are given the opportunit to assess fellow students% performances on SBA-st le tas"s using the SBA criteria.

To view /r 0ic y ,am tal in! abo"t the val"e of 'eer eval"ation$

&o view the evaluation form given to the students at -eung She" =hee =ollege for peer evaluation. Ens"rin! valid, reliable and fair assessment School-based assessment is inherentl more valid and reliable than e$ternal assessment (see Section '.') because it aims to assess authentic oral language use in low-stress conditions with multiple assessment tas"s. &he SBA component is not and cannot be treated li"e an e$ternal e$am in which te$ts and tas"s are totall standardised and all conte$tual variables controlled* to attempt to do so would be to negate the ver rationale for SBA. &o be effective, schools and teachers must be granted a certain degree of trust and autonom in the design, implementation and specific timing of the assessment tas"s.

To view /rs (hristina ,ee tal in! abo"t how the assessment 'rocess develo's tr"stworthiness$

2owever there are several "e things the teachers (and schools) can do to enhance their trust!orthiness, including: (nsure students understand how and when the will be assessed (nsure the assessment criteria and process are made e$plicit and transparent to students (and parents) (nsure students have the opportunit to demonstrate their best

(nsure the scoring is balanced and fair (nsure the standardisation process is collaborative and interactive (nsure that sufficient records are "ept for accountabilit purposes (nsuring valid, reliable and fair assessment
Ens"re st"dents "nderstand how and when they will be assessed

&wo "inds of preparation are necessar for the SBA:

/reparation for the task type and text type i.e. the teaching and learning activities that help to improve the students% reading and spea"ing s"ills, specificall independent reading and viewing, active participation in group discussion, and effective s"ills for ma"ing a presentation to an audience.

&he tas" t pes used in the SBA are not li"e the things students are as"ed to do on /aper A, so the ma be new to students, and need to be practised* the te$t t pes - complete boo"s, even if simplified, and complete fiction and non-fiction films in (nglishMare probabl not ones most 2ong 3ong students have used before, and the need to be taught how to read longer te$ts and how to watch films criticall .

To view a teacher at Kin!7s (olle!e describe how to decide whether st"dents sho"ld be enco"ra!ed to read1view the boo or the film version of Gladiator$

Students should be given the opportunit to become comfortable with the demands of an individual presentation or an oral interaction. &eachers will find that this comfort level is necessar for students to produce high 1ualit , authentic language that is not forced or memorised - as is often the case when students are not familiar with this t pe of activit . In order to establish this level of comfort for the actual SBA, all practice should mirror the assessment conditions (see )andator Assessment =onditions) as closel as possible. &he goal of these %moc" SBAs% should be to establish genuine interaction between the participants. &he participants should be responding to and e$panding upon the ideas of others, not simpl waiting for their turn to ma"e their ne$t point. &eachers should ma"e this clear through the advice the give students during preparation, as well as through the feedbac" the give afterwards. Also, the e$perience students gain from doing similarl structured activities based on different material is invaluable.

/reparation for the e$act assessment tas" for the purpose of reporting an SBA mar".

Students must "now before the begin an actual SBA tas" e$actl what it will be. .or e$ample, ma be a group of students have read a particular boo", but have not et been told e$actl which tas" the will have to do. &elling them the e$act tas" can be dela ed until a few da s or even one da before the SBA ta"es place, depending on the comple$it of the specific preparation the tas" will involve. Dela ing the information about the e$act assessment tas" prevents over-rehearsal and memorisation of speeches!scripts, both of which lead to lower SBA scores.

To view /r 0ic y ,am tal in! abo"t his class assessment sched"le$

To view the teachers7 comments re!ardin! 're'arin! for the assessment tas s$

Nou can loo" at the =ase Studies in Section 4. See how three different schools helped their students understand e$actl what is involved in, for e$ample, thin"ing about what life would be li"e if a character from the boo" moved ne$t door to them. &he teachers prepared students for the tas" t pe* this preparation can be applied to a wide range of boo"s and films which contain memorable characters or real people. &he preparation also re1uires teachers to help students use their imagination and e$press their creativit in (nglish, to add reasons for their suggestions, to listen to each other and agree!disagree or compromise, and man other valuable spea"ing s"ills.

Ens"rin! valid, reliable and fair assessment

Ens"re the assessment criteria and 'rocess are made ex'licit and trans'arent to st"dents 8and 'arents9

&eachers should ensure students have read and understood the Assessment =riteria and have e$tensive e$perience using them for self and peer assessment in informal situations before conducting a planned assessment activit . &eachers should also have used these criteria for informal assessment and teaching purposes before the conduct an formal assessments so that the are ver familiar with the criteria and the assessment process.

To view Dr Penny /cKay, :"eensland ;niversity of Technolo!y, A"stralia, tal in! abo"t the '"r'oses of assessment criteria$

A good wa to achieve familiarit with the assessment criteria is through the moc" SBA activities, where students are given the opportunit to assess fellow students% performances on SBA-st le tas"s using the SBA criteria. Students could also be as"ed to monitor their own oral (nglish development and begin to assess it for themselves. Schools should also ma"e sure parents understand that the assessment criteria are a valuable source of feedbac", not simpl a score.

Ens"rin! valid, reliable and fair assessment

Ens"re st"dents have the o''ort"nity to demonstrate their best

.or students, it is necessar to be familiar with what the are striving to accomplish in order to earn the

highest score the can - to show what she or he can do. If students are involved in choosing their own te$ts and even their own assessment tas"s, this will enhance confidence. &his will be particularl important in the case of students who are ver sh or lac" self-esteem, or whose oral s"ills are ver wea". During the formal assessment tas" the teacher-assessor ma interact individuall with a student at an time b as"ing specific 1uestion(s) (see Appendi$ ,I .ramewor" of Buiding 7uestions) to:

clarif and!or encourage the student to e$tend ideas. help prompt and!or scaffold the student%s oral interaction. probe the range and depth of the student%s oral language s"ills. authenticate the student%s wor" (ie. ensure it is the student%s own).

&he 1uestions should be used fle$ibl to ensure that students have the opportunit to show the full range of their responses, hence achieving the most valid GtrueG #udgment of students% abilit . &hat is, the guiding 1uestions are not designed to be a set of standardised 1uestions with the same 1uestions as"ed of all students.

To view Dr (hris Davison tal in! abo"t how to "se the 2ramewor !"idin! <"estions$

of

&he teacher-assessor also needs to ta"e into account the amount and nature of teacher support re1uired and the specific conte$tual conditions of the assessment tas" when ma"ing their assessment #udgments. Such conte$tual information needs to be clearl recorded and communicated to the student and fellow teacher-assessors.

Ens"rin! valid, reliable and fair assessment

Ens"re the scorin! is balanced and fair

It is important that teacher-assessors loo" at the full range of levels and all four domains when assessing individual students. -evel J is often under-used as teachers e$pect a perfect performance. Similarl , it is eas for teachers to develop scoring biases, for e$ample, giving much more emphasis to accurac than fluenc , or rewarding the number of points given in a presentation more than the overall 1ualit of the ideas. Ehen underta"ing the formal assessment, teachers should focus on one student at a time. &he should ensure the have heard enough oral language from the student to ma"e a sound #udgment. It is not necessar to stop students mid-sentence or give ever student the e$act same number of minutes for their GturnG. Some students ma need a little more time to warm up or to get involved in a group interaction than others. &eachers should use their professional #udgment to set reasonable time limits, but at the same time create a ver supportive and low-stress environment. Bu@@ers should not be used.

To view /rs (hristina ,ee tal in! abo"t fairness in the SBA 'rocess$

&eachers should record their #udgment of the student%s oral language level in each of the four main domains directl onto the student%s Assessment +ecord. &he should then convert their #udgments to a total score out of <I. &he Assessment +ecord is then signed b the student and the teacher to certif that the oral te$t produced is the student%s own wor" and complies with all mandatory conditions.

Ens"rin! valid, reliable and fair assessment

Ens"re the standardisation 'rocess is collaborative and interactive

&he assessment tas"s are designed as formal moments in the teaching programme at which the teacher can stand bac" and reflect on their implicit or e$plicit assumptions about individual students% capacities, compare those assumptions with careful anal sis of e$amples of students% real performance, and then sub#ect their #udgments to e$plicit scrutin and challenge or confirmation b others. In other words, the SBA component does not assume that the class teacher is totall ob#ective and!or has no preconceived ideas or assumptions about a student%s level. &o the contrar , it see"s to ma"e such assumptions e$plicit and open to discussion with fellow teachers. &his process starts b teachers in each school sharing ideas about all aspects of the assessment process, including

discussing ideas for new tas"s and wa s to adapt!modif tas"s for their own conte$t tal"ing about problems and finding wa s to solve them loo"ing at!listening to recordings of students in each other%s classes doing presentations and holding group discussions helping each other review students% scores discussing problematic cases and areas of concern evaluating how each give feedbac" to students

All of these professional activities help teachers improve on their teaching, and prepare for carr ing out SBA events with their class(es).

To view /rs (hristina ,ee tal in! abo"t how the teachers at each year level need to wor as a "nit$

At the end of SI and S4 each group of teachers wor"ing at the same form level should meet together more

formall with a sample of recordings of students from ever class carr ing out SBA tas"s. Although onl a Ahour meeting, this interaction develops trustworthiness b providing teachers with the opportunit to

share #udgments and understanding of what it means to achieve a level < in /ronunciation, level I in =ommunication Strategies, etc. identif an areas where the ma not be loo"ing at tas"s or performances in 1uite the same wa tal" through issues collegiall until the can resolve an misunderstandings appl their revised understanding to more sample recordings of students doing SBA tas"s satisf themselves the all have a similar perception of what (for e$ample) Gsome errors of sound clustersG or Gappropriate but simple and formulaic turn-ta"ing strategiesG or Gcan present some relevant ideas se1uentiall with some lin"sG loo s li e when their own students are doing it.

It is not necessar to have complete consensus* that is, teachers do not all need to agree to give identical mar"s* some variation within the range is to be e$pected. &rustworthiness comes more from the process of see"ing agreement, #ustif ing options and so on than from absolute agreement.

To view Prof Dylan .iliam tal in! abo"t the need for teachers to share their ="d!ments with collea!"es$

&he more school-based assessment becomes part of the climate of the school, the less teachers need to be tal"ing through what a A means or what a 4 means etc. because the will graduall internalise and share those "inds of standards. &his within-the-school understanding and consensus-building grows over time as the principles and standards of this assessment become familiar to ever one, and as all teachers learn to trust themselves and their colleagues to conduct the s stem carefull and honestl . &his is not Ganother meetingG intruding into teachers% time: it is fundamental to the larger-scale trustworthiness of the SBA* and it is a rich form of professional development from which man teachers gain tremendous personal benefit.

To view Dr Penny /cKay tal in! abo"t the '"r'oses and benefits of the standardisation 'rocess and how it sho"ld be cond"cted$

After the school-based standardisation, the SBA coordinator ma then ta"e a sample of video!audiorecordings and Assessment +ecords to an inter-school meeting with other SBA coordinators, chaired b a group coordinator. &he purpose of this meeting is for professional sharing of different schools% assessment processes and student samples in order to help teachers in ver different schools better interpret the standards. &he standardisation process used at the school level can be repeated with SBA coordinators from a number of schools. &hese meetings are also an opportunit to share ideas for new tas"s, raise problems and find out if an one else has encountered them and how the have solved them. Scores need not be changed as a result of these inter-school meetings, but SBA coordinators will be as"ed to report bac" to the team in their own school. If it is apparent that a particular school%s scores are mar"edl higher or lower as a whole than those from the other schools as a whole, the school team ma wish to

review their scores.

Ens"rin! valid, reliable and fair assessment

Ensure that sufficient records are kept for accountability purposes

In SBA a range of student samples of oral language are collected and sub#ected to s stematic and critical scrutin in order to verif the individual teacher%s #udgments of individual students% standards. Although it is not necessar to "eep video or audio-records of ever assessment of ever student, schools will need to retain as much relevant evidence of students% progress and performance as possible to address an formal complaints and 1ueries. &hree "inds of records of the assessment process are to be "ept in the school:

&he Assessment "ecords (a brief written assessment sheet for each student for each assessment activit ) &he #lass "ecords (a cumulative class record of all mar"s to be reported and a statement of compliance with SBA assessment conditions signed b the class teacher, the SBA coordinator and the /rincipal) Audio or video recordings of a range of sample oral assessments

Providin! <"ality feedbac 7ualit feedbac" from the teacher is also a ver important part of SBA. &eachers can use the assessment activities not onl to ma"e #udgments about student standards (a summative snapshot of students% achievement to date), but also to givefeedback to students about specific aspects of their oral language s"ills so that the can improve for the ne$t assessment.

To view Dr 2iona Hyland, SBA Pro=ect, The ;niversity of Hon! Kon!, tal in! abo"t the im'ortance of 'ositive feedbac $

To view Sandy7s first 'resentation$ To view the teacher#st"dent conference$ To view Sandy7s second 'resentation$ To view the teacher re'ortin! bac to her fellow teachers the im'rovements in Sandy7s 'erformance$

.eedbac" should be constructive and specific, i.e. related to the assessment criteria. It is better to describe the strengths and wea"nesses of the performances first, and the wa s to improve, before giving the mar"s. If mar"s are given first, students (and parents) are much less li"el to listen closel to the descriptions. If students can also as" 1uestions about specific aspects of their progress after each planned SBA assessment activit , the will understand more clearl how to improve their oral language s"ills.

Eval"atin! the 'rocess It is also important that teachers meet regularl to evaluate their plans and achievements in SBA, and to ma"e ad#ustments if necessar . (ach SBA coordinator could ta"e responsibilit for storing a collection of SBA sample recordings from ever assessment round* "eeping these for I-4 ears and loo"ing at or listening to some older ones each ear to help teachers see the are ma"ing progress in improving the general standard of spo"en (nglish in their school. &eachers should also monitor and evaluate the effect, or !ashback, of the SBA on their teaching and on student learning more generall , so that the can ma"e ad#ustments and improvements as SBA is implemented.

Glossary of key words

Authentication Ensuring that work produced by students is their own work and not the result of memorisation of others words or plagiarism.

Authenticity The degree to which assessment materials and assessment conditions succeed in replicating those in the target use situation.

Autobiography An account of a persons life written, composed or produced by that person.

Biography An account of a person s life written, composed, or produced by another.

!ollaboration To work together, to cooperate.

!onte"t The part of a te"t or statement that surrounds a particular word or passage and determines its meaning.

!riteria #singular $ criterion% Guidelines, descriptions, or principles by which student responses, products, or performances are &udged. 'hen we assess language, the criteria are the key aspects of language that matter in the assessment. !riteria(based assessment The assessment of a student s achie)ements in relation to specified criteria. !ritical !haracterised by careful, e"act e)aluation and &udgment* used nowadays to emphasise the e"ploratory and socially(aware nature of a form of en+uiry #e.g. critical reflection%.

,escriptors -tatements that describe the performance e"pected at each le)el of each domain on the Assessment !riteria.

,omain .n assessment, this refers to an area of knowledge or skill or the set of tasks about which we want to know more, and which is therefore the target of the assessment, e.g. pronunciation, or grammar.

E"tensi)e reading /eading