Hong Kong English Language SBA: Desirable and Undesirable Practices
In January, I discussed the use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in the English language school-based assessment (SBA) in Hong Kong senior secondary education in Education Dialogues, a blog managed by the Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong. Besides the use of GenAI, a number of other issues also deserve attention in the implementation of English language SBA in local schools.
First and foremost, there appears to some misconceptions about the time limit of SBA. Although students’ individual presentations in SBA are expected to last for about three to five minutes, by which most schools abide strictly, the HKEAA clearly indicates that the suggested duration only serves as a guide instead of a strict time limit. It has also been noted that the use of buzzers or stopwatches, which is a very common practice among teachers, is undesirable in SBA. Both a strict time limit and use of timers create unnecessary stress for students in the assessment process. Second language research has discovered a negative correlation between second language learners’ anxiety and their oral production (e.g. Hewitt & Stephenson, 2012; Maclntyre & Gardner, 1994). When students realize from the buzzer that they only have limited time left and fail to deliver all the prepared ideas in their speeches, they may easily become nervous and attempt to rush through all the points, which may adversely impact their ultimate performance. Despite some advocates for standardization and equality across students in an assessment, it is worth noting that the value of SBA is exactly to provide an additional assessment component enabling students to “demonstrate their best possible language use” instead of one simulating other components of the public examination (HKEAA, 2023, p.7). Therefore, teachers are suggested not to impose strict time limit on students’ presentations and to refrain from using timers in SBA in order to lower students' anxiety level and better actualize the goal of SBA.
Apart from imposing unnecessary time limits on SBA, some English teachers also administer SBA in overly formal and contrived settings. It is observed that some secondary schools in Hong Kong arrange all students in the same year level to take the assessment on the same day or two consecutive days with the same sets of assessment tasks designed by the panel convenor, providing no room for individual teachers to flexibly adjust the assessment settings or tasks on the basis of students’ needs. Such exam-like arrangements, while seemingly maintain fairness among students, violate SBA’s original intention of “[providing] a richer picture of what learners can do than the external examination ... by more closely approximating real-life and low stress conditions” (HKEAA, 2023, p.3). Taking SBA in formal, exam-like settings, how can students rid unnecessary anxiety and perform their best? Department heads are strongly recommended to decentralize the implementation of SBA to individual teachers, all of whom are expected to be trained professionals and are informed of the official guidelines and assessment criteria to ensure fairness.
Added to the aforementioned issues, there are also concerns about the amount of guidance that should be provided by teachers during students’ preparation for SBA. As the purpose of any assessment is to measure students’ independent abilities, it is reasonable for teachers not to provide students with external assistance or rehearse with them when conducting the actual assessment. However, only is an assessment meaningful when it is aligned with instruction. As HKEAA noted, SBA can never be treated as “a separate one-off activity that can be timetabled or prepared for as if it were a separate element of the curriculum” (HKEAA, 2023, p.3). In other words, English teachers are expected to provide students with sufficient scaffolding, such as teaching them how to analyze a certain text as well as how to prepare for and tackle with a certain task type, before the assessment to ensure that students are familiar with the assessment requirements as well as the preparation needed. Given that students are ill-prepared for an assessment due to teachers’ insufficient instruction or guidance, as opposed to their own laziness, the assessment itself is barely conducive to students' entire educational experience.
Last but surely not the least, should students be allowed to request taking multiple assessments or reviewing their performance? In standardized examinations, never are candidates allowed to retake the exam even if they are not satisfied with the results for whatever reasons. That said, the unique purpose of SBA of facilitating students’ demonstration of their best possible oral language use provides students with the room to take “more than the minimum number of assessments” in case their performance on the assessment day fails to reflect their actual language competence owing to any unforeseen circumstances such as excessive anxiety, severe pharyngeal illnesses, and family issues (HKEAA, 2023, p.7). Although it is clear that retaking the same assessment task is not permitted, teachers, whose primary goal is supposed to be helping students, are advised to negotiate the requirements of and procedures for applying for conducting additional assessments (i.e. with different assessment tasks) with students reasonably instead of rejecting all the requests in a clear-cut manner. For instance, students’ requests for conducting additional assessments may be approved given the provision of valid proof or documentation of any unforeseen circumstances on the assessment day. After each assessment, letting students review their recorded assessment videos assists them in better comprehending the quality descriptive feedback provided by teachers, which is a key component of assessment for learning, and should be highly encouraged (Ng, 2018). There is therefore no reason why such students’ requests are declined.
It is hoped that English language teachers in Hong Kong can acquire a more comprehensive and accurate understanding of some of the less commonly discussed yet extremely vital issues in the implementation of SBA, which will enable them to make informed decisions and carry out desirable practices for the sake of students.
References