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The Education Bureau (EDB) announced today (November 15) new assessment arrangements at the Primary Six (P6) level. The P6 Territory-wide System Assessment (TSA) will be suspended in 2012 and 2014 while the Pre-S1 Hong Kong Attainment Test (Pre-S1 HKAT) will be suspended in 2013.
A Working Group comprising representatives of the EDB, the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, school councils of primary schools and secondary schools and front-line teachers was set up last year to review P6 assessment arrangements. The review was conducted on the principles of alleviating the pressure of students and teachers as well as preserving the core functions of both the Pre-S1 HKAT and the P6 TSA. The Working Group report has been completed and submitted to the Secretary for Education, Mr Michael Suen.
Accepting the review recommendations, Mr Suen noted that there is room for adjusting the current assessment arrangements at the P6 level. Implementation details will be released shortly via circular to schools.
"Under this new arrangement, P6 students will only have to take part in one of the public assessments in the coming three years. This has the merit of relieving students immediately from the pressure of facing frequent examinations while the stability of the education system will be maintained, meeting the expectations of various stakeholders," Mr Suen said.
With this adjustment to the P6 assessment arrangements, the EDB will also take the opportunity to review TSA and further examine areas including question items, coverage, reporting functions and implementation arrangements," he said.
Mr Suen thanked the Working Group for its efforts and active participation in the past year. He also expressed his gratitude to stakeholders in the education sector who have shared different views and respected others' interests in the process.
"In the future, we will continue to communicate and co-operate with our stakeholders, with a view to strengthening TSA's function in providing feedback in learning and teaching in the best interest of students," he added.
Ends/Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Issued at HKT 14:01
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