Specifications Format of the SBA component Oral text-types to be assessed Range of assessment tasks Mandatory assessment conditions Domains for assessing learning Standardisation and reporting

Standardisation and reporting

Teachers are required to video or audio record a range of student assessments to assist with standardisation. Click here to view the Technical notes for recording student assessment.

Such recordings can be home-made quality as they are needed only for standardisation. Students can help with this process by audio-recording themselves with an MP3 player or by video-recording each other.

During the assessment period, which might continue over a number of weeks, individual teachers at the same level (i.e. S4 or S5) are encouraged to meet informally to compare their assessments and make adjustments to their own scores as necessary. Such informal interactions give teachers the opportunity to share opinions on how to score performances, and how to interpret the assessment criteria.

Near the end of the school year, there will be a formal meeting of all the English teachers at each level, chaired by the SBA Coordinator, to review performance samples and standardise scores. Again this is an opportunity for clarification and discussion. Such meetings are critical for developing:

• agreement about what a standard means, i.e. validity
• consistency in and between teacher-assessors, i.e. reliability
• public accountability
• professional collaboration/support

The adjusted marks for each student are then listed on a Class Record.

At the end of each year there will be a district-level meeting for professional sharing and further standardisation. Each SBA Coordinator is encouraged to bring a range of typical and atypical individual assessment records (and the video or audio-recordings) and the Class Records from their school for sharing. This opportunity for sharing and reflection on the assessment process is critical to ensure reliability and validity across all Hong Kong schools.

To view how teachers speak freely to each other, diagreeing when necessary and providing their reasons.

Once any necessary changes are made, the performance samples are archived and the Class Records are submitted to the HKEAA for review and statistical moderation. Video and audio records may be compiled onto a CD-ROM for storage and the originals returned to students as part of the feedback process. Maintaining notes of all standardisation meetings and any follow up action is also useful to enable every school to show parents and the public that it has applied the SBA consistently and fairly.

To view Mrs Christina Lee talking about the purposes of the audio and video recordings.

The HKEAA will then undertake a process of statistical moderation to ensure comparability across the whole Hong Kong school system.

To view Dr Peter Hill describing the process of statistical moderation.

Click here, for a summary of the whole process from selection of texts to submission of marks to the HKEAA.