Primary pupils face constant scrutiny
Primary pupils' daily projects and exercises could be taken into account in deciding which secondary schools they should enter.
Schools would be free to decide which subjects they wanted to use for continuous assessment, but it would comprise no more than 20 per cent of the total score. The proposal aims to reduce pressure on pupils in examinations.
Fanny Law Fan Chiu-fun, the new Director of Education, revealed the new assessment for Primary Five and Six students yesterday.
She said it could be introduced in Primary Five classes from the next academic year at the earliest.
At present Primary Six students have to do an Academic Aptitude Test, which they sit outside school, to decide which secondary schools they can get into.
School exams in the second semester of Primary Five and both the first and second semesters of Primary Six are also taken into account.
Mrs Law said: 'We believe students' performance in schools could be better reflected if their routine school work, projects and exercises are taken into account.
'We have talked to some principals, who supported the scheme.' She said continuous assessment would not have a drastic influence on which secondary schools students could enter as the final decision would still be based mainly on the external test.
Assistant Director of Education Dr Chan Ka-ki, chief executive of the Curriculum Development Institute, said the assessment would match the target-oriented curriculum.
Tso Kai-lok, chairman of the Education Convergence pressure group, welcomed the plan, but warned it might create extra work for teachers and raise the pressure on students by making daily work assessable.
He said schools should be given guidelines on how to assess students fairly.
